From idea to action: Tailored support to bring your city’s vision to life

Your city has a clear vision and a solid plan but bringing it to life feels just out of reach? 

With our one-on-one tailored support, we’ll help you move your plans off the page and your projects into action. 

Sometimes, all it takes is the right guidance to cross the finish line. We partnered with the Smart Cities Marketplace to connect you with the expertise and insights needed to overcome what’s blocking you. Be it legal barriers, governance issues, or gaps in business planning, our experts will help you move your Action Plan forward and guide you through your biggest challenges.  

You’ll receive twenty days of personalised support, free of charge and in your language (covering most EU official languages). Small and medium-sized cities and towns across the EU27 are especially encouraged to apply! 

Who is this for?  

This support is designed for cities with concrete plans, at any stage of their journey to secure funding for their actions. 

• Beginner: You have a project idea but lack an investment concept and need support to develop a solid business plan.
• Intermediate: You have an investment concept but are struggling to make it sound or to secure the necessary resources, whether from public or private sources.
• Advanced: You’re experienced with public funding but need help bridging the gap with private finance to complete your project. 

This support can well complement the participation of your city or town in other EU initiatives. For example, it is ideal for (and not limited to) EUCF beneficiaries or applicants: those who have benefitted from EUCF funding and need help bridging the gap to private capital; cities currently developing their investment concept in need of an extra hand; or cities that applied with a concrete project in mind but were not selected. 

Take the example of the city of Bydgoszcz, Poland, who used these support services to design a bankable project combining clean mobility and hydrogen. Their journey began with the city's Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan, followed by a pre-feasibility study through the European City Facility. With help from the Smart Cities Marketplace, this evolved into a concrete project. Your city can follow a similar journey! 

What is this for?  

This one-on-one support is designed to help those with already defined project ideas but facing difficulties with implementation – whether for lack of resources, of a business plan, difficulty engaging stakeholders, legal barriers, or other obstacles.  

Services include: 

• Planning support:
  • Assessment of the legal and regulatory framework to implement the selected solutions
  • Detailing of the energy balance and calculating energy and emission savings
  • Development of an implementation roadmap
  • Benchmarking with peers and setting up mentoring or peer-to-peer exchanges
  • Development of research and innovation projects, with potential links to knowledge institutes and innovative companies
• Help developing an investment concept:
  • Calculation of the business case
  • Business model development or evaluation (due diligence)
  • Preparing your project to meet investor requirements
  • Identifying challenges and weaknesses in investment proposals related to energy efficiency and clean energy
  • Training and support on innovative financing options (e.g., cooperative investment, citizen participation, ESCO, energy communities)
• Strategies to engage citizens and stakeholders:
  • Communication and engagement strategies to gain acceptance from citizens, local businesses, energy suppliers, and other stakeholders
  • Addressing justice and inclusiveness challenges in your project design 

Our services can help turn your clean energy, traffic management, extreme weather response, and energy cost reduction plans into concrete actions across all areas. 

The call closes on 23 May. 

Apply now! 

More information:

Catch up on our info session:

Find the PPT presentation here.

Q&A

• Is the advisory team already set up? 

Yes, a team that is already set up. Based on the needs of the applicant, the most suitable experts in the team will be identified and get in touch with the applicant. There is no possibility for applicants to access the expert list and pick the experts they’d like to work with but the colleagues are open to changing the expert if needed. 

• In which language the technical assistance will be delivered? 

The pool of experts covers all EU official languages, hence there is a high probability the technical assistance can be delivered in the local language. If not possible, the best solution will be agreed with applicants directly. 

• Is the technical assistance in person, online or hybrid?  

A hybrid approach is normally the preferred format with some exchanges online and in-person meetings but the format depends on the preferences of the applicant.  

• How many cities will be selected?  

There is no limit set to the application accepted. In case the volume of the request is high, there will be a waiting time before experts get in touch with the applicant.