Smart Cities Marketplace Call for Applications

Deadline: 31-Mar-23

The Smart Cities Marketplace is launching a call for applications for matchmaking services provided by the Smart Cities Marketplace to help cities and city consortia with their project proposals to achieve climate neutrality.

The offered services aim to help identify projects or further shape project ideas to become bankable through tailor-made technical assistance. Matchmaking services also aim to help investors to find smart city proposals. Projects with a high maturity level can be further supported through the deal meetings with the platform’s Investor Network. The Smart Cities Marketplace‘s support is thus provided throughout the ‘Explore’, ‘Shape’ and ‘Deal’ stages of the respective projects.

The call is open for six weeks after its launch after which applications will be assessed and a personalised follow-up will be assured regarding the matchmaking services that the Smart Cities Marketplace can provide you with. A response within the timeframe of this call will ensure that your application is followed up promptly. However, the intake form is permanently available on the website, in case you would like to apply at a later stage (further calls will follow).

Categories

• They target two categories of cities or city consortia:
  • Those that are out of the ‘Explore’ phase but not yet ready to submit an application (intake form) for technical assistance, or that had their application rejected.
  • Those that have submitted an application that has been selected but are not yet ready for the deal meetings

What to expect

• The matchmaking services are structured around customer journeystailored towards the specific needs of the applicants and the maturity level of the presented projects.
• The customer journeys follow three main phases, Explore, Shape, and Deal:
  • Explore
    • Cities or city consortia that are still in the stage of discovering available options, solutions, and technologies for transition projects, are in the Explore phase. These cities or city consortia might not yet have a clear idea about what options, solutions, and technologies are available or relevant for their project.
  • Shape
    • Cities or city consortia that have an idea of a project but need support to shape the idea into a more mature project proposal, are in the ‘Shape’ phase. These applicants are invited to respond to the call for applications and fill the intake form. The individual Shape track offers financial masterclasses, 1-to1 consultancy services (legal, financial, technical, governance), and exchanges with peers.
  • Deal
    • Project ideas that have a sufficiently high PML, either already when applying or after technical assistance in the ‘Shape’ phase will, among other possibilities, be offered the opportunity to join facilitated ‘Deal’ meetings. In this ‘Deal’ stage the Smart Cities Marketplace will help to find suitable private investors from the Investor Network, that match the size, topic and geographical area of the project.

Why apply?

• The Smart Cities Marketplace offers matchmaking services for cities and city consortia who want to participate in the green transition in various stages of the project preparation. Likewise, matchmaking services aim to help investors find smart city proposals.
• By responding to the call for applications and filling out the intake form available on the Smart Cities Marketplace website (‘Engage’), cities and city-led consortia secure an opportunity to get tailored support. This support can vary from identifying potential project ideas in the area of choice (‘Explore’), to providing targeted technical assistance to make their projects bankable (‘Shape’) and be matched with suitable investors (‘Deal’).

Eligibility Criteria

• DRL strongly encourages academic-practitioner partnerships, and engaging local academic and research institutions. Additionally, identifying partnerships with research institutions and think tanks in the country or regions covered by the research is encouraged.
• To be eligible for this call, applications must comply with the following minimum requirements:
  • Applications must concern project concepts to be situated in one of the EU Member States, or in a country being eligible under the Horizon Europe programme
  • Applicants must represent a city or a consortium including at least one city that endorses the project. Small and mid-sized cities, meaning cities with less than 100.000 inhabitants are the main target group of the matchmaking, although larger cities are also welcome to apply.
  • Applicants must have identified a project or technology suitable for intervention (i.e., in the area of clean energy, sustainable mobility and digital solutions), the geographical area in which the project is planned, the main target beneficiaries of the project, and the main stakeholders to be engaged.
  • Applicants can also take advantage of the Smart Cities Marketplace services, which provide support for developing project ideas. In order to prepare and/or improve the project to become eligible for an application, we recommend consulting the growing collection of Solution Booklets available on the Smart Cities Marketplace website.
  • The Smart Cities Marketplace matchmaking services are available for all EU cities and city consortia with a focus on small and mid-sized cities, meaning cities with less than 100.000 inhabitants, although also larger cities are welcome to apply.
  • Businesses, SMEs, and project developers who are interested in implementing projects at the city level are encouraged to contact the relevant city administration(s) to see if a consortium can be formed.
  • The matchmaking services are designed to support project concepts in the areas of clean energy, sustainable urban mobility and digital solutions, to accelerate their transition towards climate neutrality.

For more information, visit Smart Cities Marketplace.