RESPONSE supports the Lighthouse cities of Dijon (FR) and Turku (FI) and their Fellow cities Brussels (BE), Zaragoza (ES), Botosani (RO), Ptolemaida (GR), Gabrovo (BU) and Severodonetsk (UA) to facilitate them deliver positive energy blocks and districts. Through RESPONSE ,the two LHs will achieve a local RES penetration of 11.2 GWh/y, energy savings of 3,090 MWh/y and an emission reduction of 9, 799 tons CO2eq/y within their districts. To achieve this goal, RESPONSE demonstrates 10 Integrated Solutions (ISs), comprising of 86 innovative elements (technologies, tools, methods), that are being monitored with specific impact metrics (KPIs). It attracts the interest of various stakeholders by generating innovative business models enabling the upscale and replication of the solutions forming a validated roadmap for sustainable cities across Europe and beyond. RESPONSE adopts an energy transition strategy, which includes 5 Transformation Axes (TAs), encompassing the 10 ISs. TA#1 focuses on transforming existing and new building stock into Energy Positive and Smart-ready. TA#2 focuses on the decarbonization of the electricity grid and the district heating/cooling systems, supporting fossil-based regions in transition and the development of energy communities. TA#3 proposes grid flexibility strategies and novel storage systems for optimizing energy flows, maximize self-consumption and reduce grid stress. TA#4 links existing CIPs with apps and other digital infrastructure to enable digitalisation of services and connected city ecosystems, integrating also smart e-Mobility to promote the decarbonisation of the mobility sector. TA#5 offers interdisciplinary citizen engagement and co-creation practices putting citizen at the forefront of shaping the cities they live in and towards the development of each city’s 2050 own bold city-vision. Special focus is given to creating resilient and safe cities increasing quality of life and lowering the impacts of climate change.

The RESONANCE project develops an innovative software framework that provides means for rapid development and plug-and-play deployment of standard-compliant Customer Energy Manager (CEM), Resource Manager (RM), and their aggregation solutions. The CEM, specified in the EN 50491-12 standard family, is the next-generation demand-side flexibility management (DSFM) solution in Europe. CEM is a software agent that automates DSFM by interacting with smart appliances (represented by RMs), aggregators, and the markets to maximize customer benefits. According to the new EN 50491-12-2 standard, CEMs are envisioned to 1) provide a more deterministic demand response, and 2) be able to optimize consumer benefits with respect to multiple incentives and optimization targets. To achieve this, there is a need for accurate models of flexible assets (smart appliances) and model predictive control techniques to automate the decision-making within the customer premises. The RESONANCE Framework will facilitate the adoption of CEMs as the next generation DSFM system by significantly reducing the development efforts and costs. This is achieved with 1) a standard-compliant and modular system architecture, and 2) an innovative modeling pipeline that combines automated machine learning (AutoML) with physics-based modeling to provide accurate and robust models of flexible assets with minimum effort. The project brings together 19 partners (including a cluster with 40 organizations) with inter-disciplinary expertise and forms a basis for a cross-sector energy ecosystem that significantly contributes to the mobilization of DSFM at a large scale. Large scale piloting in six member states with a variety of consumer sectors, flexible assets (e.g. electric vehicles, HVAC systems, and white goods), stakeholders, and market settings (including sector integration with district heating) is utilized for demonstrating and validating the scalability and replication potential of the solutions.

In the face of rapid urbanization, with 70% of the global population expected to live in cities by 2050 , urban soils have become critical in providing essential ecosystem services (ESs) supporting healthy urban ecosystems. Among the ESs urban soils are essential for regulating the carbon and water cycles, mitigating flooding risk and heat islands, provide provisioning services, such as supporting biodiversity and urban food production, and enhancing urban green spaces that improve mental and physical well-being, and landscape aesthetics. Despite their importance, urban soils are often degraded by anthropogenic activities, including sealing, contamination with heavy metals, and compaction, which hinders their ability to provide ESs. This degradation poses risks to human and environmental health and worsens the effects of natural disasters like floods and heatwaves. URSOILL aims to address these challenges by establishing a network of five Living Labs (LLs) across EU cities to serve as interactive platforms where local stakeholders collaborate to co-create, test, and implement innovative solutions for urban soil restoration. Each LL will focus on improving soil health, enhancing ecosystem services, and promoting sustainable land management through the use of innovative technologies and nature-based solutions (NBSs). URSOILL will adopt a multi-actor, interdisciplinary approach, engaging different stakeholders. By placing urban communities at the core, the project ensures that the solutions developed are not only scientifically validated but also socially and economically viable. The co-creation of solutions in real-world settings will allow for effective knowledge transfer, fostering long-term cooperation and facilitating the replication of successful practices in other urban areas. By restoring urban soils and enhancing their capacity to deliver essential ESs, URSOILL will help cities become more climate-resilient, sustainable, and livable.