The European Union’s NetZero Cities project is launching a programme that tests approaches to reaching climate neutrality goals across cities in Europe.

This Pilot Cities Programme is part of the EU Cities Mission for 100 climate-neutral and smart cities, providing €32m in grants and hands-on support to cities. The call opened this month and invites applications from all cities that are committing to the objectives of the EU Cities Mission and are located in EU member states and associated countries.

The programme should help cities as they test locally tailored actions towards a climate transition. Selected cities will be provided with grants funded under Horizon 2020, the European Commission’s 2014-2020 Framework Programme for Research & Innovation. Cities will receive such support in the amounts of €0.5m, €1m or 1.5 mi to deploy and scale up research.

The NetZero Cities Consortium and dedicated online platform will also provide expertise and support services to the selected pilot cities and help them as they take an inclusive, systems-wide approach to climate neutrality. Cities’ piloting activities will be diverse, consisting of social, cultural, technological, nature-based, regulatory and financial innovations, as well as new approaches to business and governance.

Applicants’ proposed activities will be considered, as well as how they interact with the various urban systems relevant to that city, including mobility, energy systems and built environment, material and resource flows, health and well-being, natural areas, cultural, social, financial and institutional systems, and accessible public spaces.

These piloting activities will turn cities into test beds for climate neutrality, leading the way for other communities to take action. Collective learning will be a central part of the programme, which will promote exchange among the cities at every step of the process. From there, the technology will be shared even more broadly, as part of a twinning programme that will link each pilot city with two to three other cities across Europe.

To scale up these initial actions, the NetZero Cities platform will also provide support in securing funding and financing for further implementation or replication.

NetZero Cities is a project consortium consisting of 33 partners from 27 European countries, managing presently the EU Cities Mission platform. The project supports the 112 European cities known as the Mission Cities in reducing their greenhouse gas emissions to achieve climate neutrality. The EU Cities supports the European Green Deal in building a low-carbon, climate-resilient future through research and innovation.