• Get ready for the Innovation Transfer Networks!

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    08/12/2023

    The new URBACT call builds on almost a decade of experience supporting the transfer of effective urban solutions.

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    From 10 January to 20 March 2024, URBACT is running a call for the next generation of Innovation Transfer Networks (ITNs). These networks aim to transfer projects that were funded under Urban Innovative Actions (UIA) to other cities across the EU, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia.  


    What’s in it for cities?

     

    Through the ITNs, it’s up to the cities who received UIA funding from 2016 to 2023 to act as Lead Partners and to transfer their experience, know-how and advice to cities interested in implementing a similar project. Using the URBACT transfer methodology – Understand, Adapt and Re-use – project partners will create a deeper, three-dimensional understanding of the UIA original practice. Ultimately, the cities in these networks will improve their capacity to design innovative solutions in an integrated and participatory way and identify funding for implementation.

    Listen to experts Eddy Adams and Matthew Baqueria-Jackson discuss the Understand, Adapt, Reuse method:

    Over a two-year period, through an organised process of exchange and learning among peers, the project partners will work together to develop a tailor-made investment plan for the implementation of the innovation project. This will be done with the support of URBACT experts and anchored by a group of local stakeholders in each city (URBACT Local Group) that gathers different profiles from within and outside the local administration. 

    In a nutshell, cities involved in this type of networks should expect… 

    ITN - what to expect

     

    Putting innovation transfer to the test

     

    Replicating innovation is never easy, but between 2021 and 2022, five pilot innovation transfer networks were tasked with testing the URBACT transfer method. Twenty cities in total were involved in these five networks, each one of them led by a city who had implemented an UIA project. 

    The pilot’s final evaluation proved the URBACT transfer method to be successful, shedding light on some important points to consider:

    •    Breaking down the UIA practice

    A transferable project is one that can be easily modularised. UIA projects are large, complex strategic interventions designed for a specific territory. While wholesale transfer is a rarity, it helps if you can break it down into its core parts. In most of the pilot networks, partners had a pre-defined list of components, which enabled them to select those that would work best in different local contexts. An analysis of the assets and barriers, produced by the network expert, helped guide these choices.

    For instance, Rotterdam (NL) was able to adapt an investment plan developed by Birmingham (UK) through the USE-IT! network. Rotterdam customised tools and methods in Birmingham’s investment plan to support the development of a procurement hub for neighbourhood work-cooperatives. Involvement in USE-IT! has also had a profound impact upon partnership working in Rotterdam with enhanced relationships between the Municipality, the Voor Goed Agency that promotes social entrepreneurship, and the Social Impact Fond Rotterdam.

    Nevertheless, there are risks that come with modularising. It may be challenging for partners to fully understand each component and reject one or more potentially impactful modules. To mitigate this, most networks offered the option of modules, but included amongst these one which all partners would agree to transfer. 

    ●    Building back up

    The point has already been made about the importance of chunking up large strategic innovation projects. Think of it like an engineer, dismantling a machine to better understand how all the component parts work – so long as you remember where everything goes when you reassemble it! 

    This approach is also helpful when transfer partners do not have the scale of funding available. They can pick those elements which they are confident of being able to finance. The risk to be aware of here is that partners may select elements which are easier, or cheaper, and potentially less innovative.

     

    Stepping stones on the transfer path

     

    The URBACT transfer method is composed of different milestones that pave the way to the transfer. The first important milestone is the transferability study. This is composed of information, data, and figures around the topic of the UIA project that are gathered following visits to each network city and with discussions with the city administration, elected officials but also other relevant stakeholders outside the city administration. All the data gathered and analysed constitute a baseline for each city, but they also indicate the transfer potential of each city, with strengths and weaknesses that need to be further worked on. This transferability study becomes the reference for the way forward in terms of network activities and learning points before the actual transfer. 

    Other milestones include capacity-building activities organised by the URBACT Secretariat, trainings with tools or thematic sessions and events like the URBACT City Festival which is a source of inspiration for cities. 

    Finally, the main tangible result of each project partner is an investment plan that features all the necessary resources and steps to follow for the implementation of the UIA practice (partly or fully). 

     

    Show me the money

     

    Transferring innovative urban solutions is very rarely a copy-and-paste process. A degree of adaptation and reuse is still needed for genuine transformation. Reuse requires resources – people, plans and, most crucially, funding.

    A new feature for the upcoming networks, cities will also have the possibility of testing actions with a small budget before including them in the investment plan.

    At the end of the five pilot networks, more than three-quarters of partners said that they would transfer at least 50% of the original UIA innovation concept. The survey also showed that 15% of the partners already had secured funds for this, whilst almost half were confident that their transfer plans would be funded by the time the pilot concluded. 

     

    So, where do you sign up?

     

    If this article has whetted your appetite, then you might like to know how your city can get involved. 

    If you are a city interested in becoming a transfer partner, you can connect here from 10 January and find the necessary resources on how you can apply by 20 March 2024.  

    And don’t forget to sign up for the URBACT newsletter and follow us @URBACT to get updates. 

    We look forward to welcoming you to the URBACT community, 

    The URBACT team

     


    Special thanks to Eddy Adams for bringing together the findings of the evaluation of the previous pilot networks in this article.

     

     

     


     

  • AS TRANSFER

    Lead Partner : Bilbao - Spain
    • Bielsko-Biala - Poland
    • Tartu - Estonia
    • Timisoara - Romania

    .

    Timeline

    •  Transnational Network Meeting - Bilbao Kick-off Meeting (07/01-07/02)
    • Transnational Network Meeting - Tartu (10/28-10/29)

     

     

    • Transnational Network Meeting - Bielsko-Biala (01/21)
    • Transnational Network Meeting - Timisoara (05/11-05/13)

    More about AS Fabrik

    Euronews showcases in this video Bilbao As Fabrik as an example of service-based technology for an improved industrial sector.

    Summary

    The AS Fabrik Transfer Mechanism pilot seeks to share the experience of Bilbao in the AS FABRIK Urban Innovative Actions project  with other European cities, which want to meet the ultimate approaches in the field of the smart specialisation in Industry 4.0 and digital economy. AS FABRIK was conceived to increase the competitiveness of the local KIBS sector and to prepare them to supply the digital transformation demands of the manufacturing sector. An strategic alliance based on knowledge and innovation that aims to improve the local ecosystems of cities, with city businesses, universities, local service providers and entrepreneurs hosted in a tailor-made innovative space.

    Smart specialisation towards industrial digital transformation
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    15635
  • CO4CITIES

    About

    PARTNERS

    Lead Partner : Turin - Italy
    • Budapest - Hungary
    • Gdańsk - Poland
    • Cluj-Napoca - Romania

    Timeline

    • Launch of pilot network (03/09)/21
    • Kick-off Meeting (05/10)
    • 1-TNM-Kick-off meeting - Virtual (08/01)
    • Boot Camp in Ljubljana (SI) (09/06)
    • Kick-off meeting (09/08)
    • Kick-off meeting (09/13)
    • Kick off meeting (09/14)
    • Gdańsk Meeting (09/16)
    • Kick off meeting (09/17)
    • Kick-off meeting (September), Transnational Meeting (November) (09/21)
    • SEPTEMBER / Kick-off meeting (hybrid event) (09/22)
    • Thematic Transfer meeting in Osijek (HR) (11/08)
    • NOVEMBER 2021 / Ocean Hachathon in Boulogne sur Mer (11/10)
    • Budapest Meeting (11/25)
    • Algeciras Transnational Meeting (12/15)
    • 2-TNM-Grosuplie (Slovenia) - Virtual (12/16)
    • JANUARY 2022 / TNM#2 / Location: Metaverse (01/26)/22
    • 3-TNM-Jelgava (Latvia) - Virtual (02/11)
    • Cluj-Napoca Meeting (02/21)
    • Thematic Transfer meeting in Bansko (BG) (03/21)
    • MARCH 2022 / TNM#3 / Boulogne sur mer, France (03/22)
    • Carlow Transnational Meeting (05/04)
    • World Play Day 2022 (05/28)
    • Thematic Transfer meeting in Bergamo (IT) (06/06)
    • JUNE 2022 / TNM#4 / Koper, Slovenia (06/22)
    • Alexandroupolis Transnational Meeting (06/30)
    • Torino Meeting (06/30)
    • 4-TNM-Igualada (Spain) - In presence (07/07)
    • Thematic Transfer meeting in Sosnowiec (PL) (09/26)
    • Split Transnational Meeting (09/28)
    • Transnational Meetings (April, June, September), Final Event (December) (10/14)
    • Final Conference in Ljubljana (SI) (10/24)
    • RU:RBAN 2nd Wave Final Event in Rome (11/09)

    CO4CITIES is the UIA - URBACT Transfer Mechanism pilot network that transfers the methodological structure of UIA CO-CITY: the Regulation on collaboration between citizens' organizations and the Municipality in the co-management of urban commons; the Pact of collaboration, a legal tool providing for a change of attitude in the public/communities relationship; the essential role of Community Hubs in the process of community empowerment and in the path of building a new collaborative approach between the citizens and the public administration.

    Collaborative Tools for Cities in Urban Regeneration
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    15636
  • NEXT AGRI

    Summary

    Lead Partner : Milan - Italy
    • Stara Zagora - Bulgaria
    • Almere - Netherlands
    • Vila Nova de Gaia - Portugal

         

    Timeline

    • Kick off meeting online
    • Next Agri Bilateral meeting Almere - online
    • Next Agri Bilateral Meeting Vila Nova de Gaia - online
    • Next Agri Bilateral meeting Stara Zagora - online
    • First transnational meeting in Almere - online
    • Second transnational meeting in Stara Zagora - online
    • Third Transnational Meeting in Vila Nova de Gaia
    • Field visit to Milan
    • Transnational meeting and field visit in Almere



       
    • NEXT AGRI site visit

      Why the Transfer Mechanism does not work without sites visits

      URBACT

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    • UTM capacity building meeting in Paris

      Capacity building and URBACT Method: updates from the Paris meeting

      The first meeting in person after 2 years of pandemic has been a very powerful tool to empower URBACT Transfer Mechanism pilots. Next Agri partners met in Paris at the URBACT capacity building meeting with the aim of exchanging experiences and estate of the art of the project

      URBACT

      See more
    • NEXT AGRI - visit to Vila Nova Gaia (PT)

      Vila Nova de Gaia's a step closer to more sustainable agriculture

      Written by Carla Pires and Sofia Morais, Gaiaurb from the Câmara Municipal de Gaia

      URBACT

      See more

    The NEXT AGRI UIA - URBACT Transfer Mechanism pilot network builds from the experience of Milan. The city decided to set up an urban coalition with a series of partners to scale up this positioning in the peri-urban agricultural industry, setting up a stable growth and creating new jobs and skills. The project is mainly an urban policy experimentation that follows the place-based approach, focusing on new skills for new jobs in peri-urban agriculture. The project area can be defined as an “urban fringe”, representing the transition zone between the consolidated part of the city and the agricultural lands.This project aims at transfer to other 3 cities the processes and strategies implemented to create a favourable environment to develop new opportunities in the food system transformation in the urban and per urban agriculture sector.

     

    Innovative approaches in periurban agriculture territories
    Ref nid
    15639
  • USE-IT

    LEAD PARTNER Birmingham
    • Poznań - Poland
    • Rotterdam - Netherlands
    • Trapani - Italy

    Products

    Reports

    Larger capital projects in poor neighbourhoods often do not lead to an improvement in the socio-economic situation of the local population. The USE-IT UIA - URBACT Transfer Mechanism pilot network shares a tested approach that directly links the realisation of larger capital projects - here construction of a new hospital - with the improvement of the socio-economic situation of the population based on the existing local community skills, talents and ideas.

    Unlocking social and economic innovation together
    Ref nid
    15638
  • VILAWATT

    LEAD PARTNER : Viladecans - Spain
    • Trikala - Greece
    • Seraing - Belgium
    • Nagykanizsa - Hungary

    Timeline

     

    Political Meeting (20/04/2021)

     

    Kick-off Meeting - TM1 (05/05/2021)

     

    Transnational Meeting 2 - Seraing (06/07/2021 & 08/07/2021)

     

    Transnational Meeting 3 - Nagykanizsa (16/11/2021 - 18/11/2021) 

     

     

     

    Transnational Meeting 4 - Trikala (02/03/2022 - 03/03/2022)

     

    Deep Dive visit to Viladecans (05/07/2022 - 06/07/2022)

     

    Final Event in Viladecans (18/10/2022 - 19/10/2022) 

    Final product

    Stories

    Read all of the VILAWATT stories from cities, transnational meetings and much more.

    • Vilawatt UTM celebrates the Final Event

      On 18 and 19 October, Viladecans hosted the final event of the Vilawatt-UTM (URBACT Transfer Mechanism) project. These two days featured a shared, participative presentation of the main goals and results achieved during the URBACT-guided transfer of the innovative Vilawatt-UIA action on the energy transition that has been under way in Viladecans since 2016.

      Sara Cerezo

      See more
    • Political Voices from Vilawatt UTM

      One of the significant features of the Vilawatt UTM project is bringing together a number of key stakeholders; from companies, citizens, municipality departments, to local authorities.

      Sara Cerezo

      See more
    • VIlawatt UTM reaches the finish line

      We reach the finish line

      After all the joint work carried out and once all the cities that are part of the project - Viladecans (Spain), Nagykanizsa (Hungary), Seraing (Belgium), Trikala (Greece) - have finished their Investment Plan projects (Springboard Plan in the case of Viladecans) it's time to cross the finish line.

      20 months during which we have been able to share and exchange experiences with the aim of drawing up Investment Plans that help cities to advance in the energy transition. An objective that has been achieved thanks to the work of the Local Support Groups, the teams in each city, the project coordinators, the methods and tools of URBACT... We had the opportunity to share it all with the public, professionals and experts from the EU in an event in Viladecans on October 18 and 19, 2022 (click here to read the article about the Final Event).

      Sara Cerezo

      See more
    • Vilawatt UTM Deep Dive Interviews

      In July 2022 partner cities had the chance to visit for the first time Viladecans to see Vilawatt project on the site. After more than one year since the beginning of the project, we took the opportunity to interview Vilawatt UTM partner cities and ask their opinion on the project so far.

      Sara Cerezo

      See more
    • Vilawatt UTM Learning Webinars - Sharing experiences and learning in order to build future Investment Plan

      The Vilawatt URBACT transfer process includes five learning webinars, the mission of which is for the partner cities to deepen their knowledge of the five pillars that make up the Vilawatt Innovative Practice, and thus be able to better address the task of building the future Investment Plan of each city.

      Miriam Martín

      See more
    • Vilawatt UTM Learning Webinars - Energy Communities: a joint response to a global problem

      Vilawatt-URBACT partner cities met again for a new learning webinar to find out more about Energy Communities and their possible relationship with one of the Vilawatt project's pillars: the co-governance model (PPCP).

       

       

      Miriam Martín

      See more
    • Vilawatt UTM Learning Webinars - Energy Pooling & Citizen Engagement in energy efficiency projects

      At the last Transnational Meeting 3, Vilawatt-URBACT partner cities had the opportunity to discuss two of the main pillars of the Vilawatt project in depth through two learning webinars:

      Miriam Martín

      See more
    • Vilawatt Scorecard: when a picture is worth a thousand words

      At the first Transnational Meeting (TM1) with all Vilawatt Project partner cities, last May 2021, a key element that will help guide the transfer process of the Vilawatt Innovative Practice was introduced.

       

       

      Miriam Martín

      See more
    • Vilawatt Scorecard: when a picture is worth a thousand words - TM1

      At the first Transnational Meeting (TM1) with all Vilawatt Project partner cities, last May 2021, a key element that will help guide the transfer process of the Vilawatt Innovative Practice was introduced.

       

       

      Miriam Martín

      See more
    • The Vilawatt-UTM project starts the Adaptation Period by sharing the urban energy transition experiences from Nagykanizsa

      The third transnational meeting (TM3 – 16-18 November) has once again brought together the partner cities of the Vilawatt UIA-URBACT Transfer Mechanism (Vilawatt-UTM) project online to start the second transfer period, the so-called Adaptation Period.

       

       

      Miriam Martín

      See more
    • The Vilawatt project continues efforts in the city of Trikala to promote the energy transition

      https://bit.ly/3bk5SmhThe 4th Vilawatt-UTM Transnational Meeting was held on 2 and 3 March and hosted by the city of Trikala. The two-days online sessions allowed the partner cities to make further progress in the Vilawatt project transfer.

       

       

      Miriam Martín

      See more
    • Viladecans (ES)

      Cities powering up to fight climate change

      Discover Viladecans’ innovative governance for Energy Transition for smaller cities and beyond.

      Miriam Martín

      See more
    • The political will: a key point for the success of Vilawatt’s Transferability Plan

      We are always speaking about the main 5 pillars of Vilawatt project: a local energy governance structure; green energy supply; new local currency, new training and assessment services, and increase of retrofitting works. However, political consensus is clearly one additional pillar that we have to keep in mind, as it will be crucial for our project’s success.

      Miriam Martín

      See more
    • Vilawatt project partner cities meet virtually at Seraing - TM2

      The Belgian city of Seraing hosted a virtual meeting on 6 and 8 July - the 2nd Transnational Meeting - involving the four partner cities of the Vilawatt UIA Transfer Mechanism. The gathering was an opportunity to deep dive into Seraing case and focus on the transfer capacities of each of the participating cities to work on the contents and tools that will contribute to a better understanding of the project and to define the next steps to be taken.
       
       

      Miriam Martín

      See more
    • ULG Views, Viladecans

      URBACT Local Groups are key in the construction of partner cities’ Investment Plans & Springboard Plan. They represent the different stakeholders, members from the community, local government, and the private sector, that could make the successful transfer of Vilawatt’s relevant pillars. 

      Sara Cerezo

      See more
    • ULG Views, Seraing

      URBACT Local Groups are key in the construction of partner cities’ Investment Plans & Springboard Plan. They represent the different stakeholders, members from the community, local government, and the private sector, that could make the successful transfer of Vilawatt’s relevant pillars. 

      Sara Cerezo

      See more
    • ULG Views, Trikala

      URBACT Local Groups are key in the construction of partner cities’ Investment Plans & Springboard Plan. They represent the different stakeholders, members from the community, local government, and the private sector, that could make the successful transfer of Vilawatt’s relevant pillars. 

      Sara Cerezo

      See more
    • ULG VIews, Nagykanizsa

      URBACT Local Groups are key in the construction of partner cities’ Investment Plans & Springboard Plan. They represent the different stakeholders, members from the community, local government, and the private sector, that could make the successful transfer of Vilawatt’s relevant pillars. 

      Sara Cerezo

      See more
    • VILAWATT

      Vilawatt live and in person

      A group of representatives from the Vilawatt-UTM partner cities visited Viladecans, the city leading the project transfer, on 5 and 6 July to see the results of the Vilawatt model of energy transition in situ.

      admin_import

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    • VILAWATT

      The Vilawatt UTM partner city, Trikala, is one step closer to climate neutrality

      The city of Trikala (Greece) is one of the six Greek municipalities chosen by the EU to be part of the 'Climate Neutral and Smart Cities' mission.

      admin_import

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    • VILAWATT

      Vilawatt disembarks in the Energy Cities Forum and the UIA Just Transitions and Climate Adaptation event

      During the month of April the Vilawatt project has been attending some of the European forums and events on sustainability. 

      admin_import

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    • VILAWATT

      Vilawatt is in Euronews!

      An episode of Smart Regions programme showcases the Vilawatt project. The report underline how power can be saved and managed as a community by getting all the citizens involved

      admin_import

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    The VILAWATT Transfer Mechanism pilot boosts the energy transition process by setting up a public-private-citizen partnership, where citizens and main social actors play a key role. The priority is to increase citizen commitment and sense of belonging to promote a sustainable energy transition process. Main achievements in the Lead Partner city, Viladecans, include citizens got a saying at the Consortium through the associations linked to it, using a participatory strategy, as they did not exist before. When it comes to energy supply, Vilawatt pools the demand for energy and provides energy to all association members (100% Certified Renewable Energy) Faster energy retrofitting of private buildings.

    Innovative local public-private-citizen partnership for energy governance
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