💡 What Does ‘Diversity in Tech’ Mean for these cities?
In the TechDiversity framework, diversity refers not only to demographic factors like gender, age, or ethnicity, but also to:
• Variety of skills (both formal and informal learning pathways)
• Economic roles (entrepreneurs, freelancers, corporate employees, NEETs)
• Access to infrastructure (coworking, broadband, smart services)
• Participation in decision-making (inclusive governance)
🏙️ Meet the partner Cities contributing to Europe’s Inclusive Tech & Digital Movement
Trikala, Greece
• Positioning: A national model for digital transformation and smart governance
• Key Actor: e-Trikala SA (Municipality-owned innovation engine)
• Inclusion Strategies: Smart city inclusion projects, Skill programs for marginalized groups, Co-designed action plans via URBACT Local Group
• Challenges: Keeping grassroots involvement and top-down innovation in balance
Psahna, Greece
• Positioning: A small city that takes advantage of its closeness to University Campus
• Key Actors: NKUA Psahna Campus, Local youth organizations
• Inclusion Strategy: Youth talent retention
• Challenges: Limited infrastructure and entrepreneurship
Idrija, Slovenia
• Positioning: Industrial heritage city transitioning to tech innovation
• Key Actors: Local development agencies
• Inclusion Strategies: STEM outreach, Apprenticeships for underserved groups
• Challenges: Reliance on few employers, Brain Drain
Arezzo, Italy
• Positioning: Historic city focusing on NEET youth and innovation.
• Key Actor: InformaGiovani Arezzo
• Inclusion Strategies: Digital job events, Tech mentorship, Inclusive training
• Challenges: Demographic imbalance, Digital Innovation of the production system
Bielsko-Biała, Poland
• Positioning: Industrial-creative blend city
• Key Actor: Rekord Si
• Inclusion Strategies: “HerStory in IT” for women
• Challenges: Ensuring possibility of Equal Participation of women in tech sector
Larnaka, Cyprus
• Positioning: Port city aiming for tech diversity for young scientists
• Key Actor: Youth Makerspace Larnaka
• Inclusion Strategies: Refugee and women skill-building, Smart tech diversity mapping
• Challenges: High Unemployment Rate at the young age categories, Lack of Tech and Digital skills and upskilling of young people and seniors
Amarante, Portugal
• Positioning: A regional model for inclusive tech growth
• Key Actor: IET Instituto Empresarial do Tâmega
• Inclusion Strategies: Intergenerational training, Rural digital support
• Challenges: Expand training to cover emerging technologies (AI, IoT, green tech), especially for women, migrants, seniors
Bucharest District 6, Romania
• Positioning: Urban district aligning education with digital growth
• Key Actor: Jobful, Romanian Diversity Chamber of Commerce
• Inclusion Strategies: Soft-skills workshops, Targeted employment platforms
• Challenges: Developing relevant Career Pathways, Supporting Entrepreneurial Activities
🚀 Maximizing Diversity in Local Tech & Digital Ecosystems
• Develop unified diversity scorecards
• Build cross-city pilot programs
• Institutionalize inclusive governance
🧭 The Way Forward: Ensuring a Just Diverse Future for All Cities
When opportunities for professionals & employees in tech and digital local ecosystems are open to everybody, everyone wins. You can have a significant impact without being a major tech hub, according to these eight cities. Tech and digital tools will empower individuals from all walks of life in the future, thanks to their collaboration, creativity, and commitment to inclusiveness. We are witnessing the birth of a movement here, not simply a passing fad.
TechDiversity cities lay out a plan for a tech-driven future in Europe that ensures everyone benefits.
📌 Follow TechDiversity Cities’ example: Action Steps Your City Can Take too!
1.Encourage the Development of a Wide Range of Innovation Hubs
• Establish or expand municipal innovation labs that give priority to providing access to groups that are underrepresented in the workforce.
• Coworking spaces that are supported should be made available to women-led, youth-led, and migrant-led technology firms.
2.Develop Targeted "Skills for All" Programs
• Establish a community digital hub with free training programs targeted at underrepresented groups—such as women, youth not in employment or education (NEETs), seniors, and migrants.
• Young scientists from low-income households.
3.Implement Diversity Metrics and Monitoring
• Implement diverse scorecards for IT projects in the public sector and local businesses.
• Monitor participation rates by age, gender, socioeconomic level, and history of migration.
4.Promote Collaborations Across Sectors
• Facilitate public-private partnerships to finance internships, mentorships, and inclusive hackathons.
• Engage universities and VET providers in various tech and digital ecosystem challenges mappings.
5.Encourage mentorship and tech role models
• Create ambassador programs where young people are mentored by various local tech leaders.
• Run public awareness efforts that normalize diversity in leadership and STEM positions.
6.Make your city a great facilitator for Tech & Digital Diversity
• Mobilize funding from all available funding sources.
• Collaborate closely with all core stakeholders promoting diversity in tech and digital ecosystems.
And finally:
7.Integrate Tech & Digital Diversity into Urban Planning
Include tech & digital diversity goals in your city development plans.
The eight cities—Trikala, Psahna (Greece), Idrija (Slovenia), Arezzo (Italy), Bielsko‑Biała (Poland), Larnaka (Cyprus), Amarante (Portugal), and Bucharest District 6 (Romania)—have achieved something remarkable together through the URBACT‑TechDiversity project:
They built strong, collaborative local ecosystems that actively include underrepresented community groups in digital and tech sectors.
Key highlights:
1.Structured Support for Diverse Groups
With dedicated linked action plans in each city, the project facilitated collaboration between local governments, universities, businesses, NGOs, and citizens to connect marginalized groups with digital jobs and entrepreneurship pathways.
2.Effective Innovation & Incubation Models
For instance, the Amarante Tech Hub—a standout practice clearly spotlighted during the first project meetings—offers incubator, accelerator, mentorship, networking, and practical training components that actively target disadvantaged groups, including women and people with disabilities.
3.Peer-Learning Through URBACT Local Groups (ULGs)
Each city formed a ULG that met regularly in a robust, peer-learning format. Cities engaged in detailed planning, testing, and refining actions focused on inclusion, innovation, and diversity in tech.
4.Creation of Better Tools & Frameworks
The network defined a thematic framework (support structures, human resources, methods/tools) alongside crosscutting inclusion goals—enabling each city to design replicable action plans and locally tailored testing actions.
Every city can take significant action going forward to guarantee that no one is left behind in the diversity of technology and digital culture. In order to influence municipal tech policy, future initiatives might involve the creation of diversity advisory boards composed of representatives from underrepresented groups, such as women, youth, the elderly, immigrants, and people with disabilities. Through training facilities and collaborations with neighborhood groups, cities should also increase access to digital education.
These cities can become real advocates for fairness in the digital era by encouraging inclusive entrepreneurship, providing incentives for businesses to employ diverse teams, and guaranteeing that public digital services are available to everyone.
