ROUTE-TO-PA is a multidisciplinary innovation project, that, by combining expertise and research in the fields of e-government, computer science, learning science and economy, is aiming at improving the impact, towards citizens and within society, of ICT-based technology platforms for transparency. ROUTE-TO-PA envisions that Information and Communication Technologies for Transparency must improve the engagement of citizens by making them able to socially interact over open data, by forming or joining existing online communities that share common interest and discuss common issues of relevance to local policy, service delivery, and regulation; moreover, ROUTE-TO-PA aims at engaging citizens to a higher degree by providing a robust and more holistic understanding of transparency, by underpinning the next generation open-data based transparency initiatives, ensuring that published data are those of value to citizens, with a personalized view in different forms to different segments of the citizens and public based on their profiles for facilitate better understanding. ROUTE-TO-PA will deliver the experimented innovative and engaging ICT platforms to ensure citizen-friendly, conscious, and effective access to open-data, by offering easy understanding of, and social collaboration on, open data offered by PAs. The objectives of Route-To-PA are: (1) develop a Social Platform for Open Data (SPOD) enabling social interactions among open data users and between open data users and government data ; (2) build Transparency-Enhancing Toolset (TET) as extensions for existing major Open Data Platforms; and (3) develop a set of recommendations (GUIDE) as good practice guide for open data publishers for achieving higher quality transparency through open data. The objectives are deployed, tested and experimented in a real setting, with at least 5 pilot studies in five different European countries.

SUM4Re proposes a comprehensive approach to creating materials banks from the built environment by combining urban mining and technologies for automated on-site data acquisition and building materials identification and asset components. The project aims to achieve nine objectives, including developing a traceability system for building materials, developing a holistic methodological framework for assessing circular use of construction products, and developing on-site and off-site smart digital solutions to identify construction entities and analyse their properties. The methodology of SUM4Re is based on a systemic approach that encompasses three main activities: identification, analysis, and contribution to circularity. The project aims to develop software tools and databases based on robust identification assisted by AI and other digital techniques, supported by blockchain solutions, and consider circular economy processes such as Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Recycle, and Renovate. SUM4Re will improve the BIM standard to support current circular (C-BIM) challenges, following open standards and ensuring interoperability with commercial databases. SUM4Re proposes three demonstration pilots linked to construction projects to validate the methodology and a strategy for skill development to upskill the workforce in the construction sector and facilitate the uptake of the solutions developed. Overall, SUM4Re aims to support the transition towards circular construction practices and reduce the amount of construction and demolition waste sent to landfills. The relevance of the project lies in the need to address the increasing generation of construction and demolition waste, which is the largest waste stream in the EU, as well as the problems associated with CO2 emissions and climate change. The project emphasizes the use of new techniques and technologies to rapidly identify materials and support circular construction practices.

The U2Demo project aims to create innovative, consumer-centered management strategies that facilitate widespread participation in Peer-to-Peer (P2P) trading and Energy Sharing. This initiative will promote equitable and democratic access to sustainable energy resources. The collaboration brings together twenty partners, including associated partners, from eight countries, pooling their expertise to develop strategies that will be seamlessly integrated into open-source, non-proprietary tools and platform. These solutions align with principles of openness, technology neutrality, interoperability, scalability, replicability, reliability, security, and trustworthiness. These strategies will undergo testing within at least four diverse Energy Communities, each characterized by unique attributes and governance models. The overarching objective is to assess advanced P2P trading and Energy Sharing tools, determine optimal implementation conditions, and consolidate the most promising solutions and associated business models. The P2P trading and Energy Sharing tools will account for existing flexibility services managed by transmission and distribution system operators (TSOs, DSOs), including both implicit and explicit demand response (DR) programs, as well as dynamic capacity and price signals/contracts. The initiative strives to enhance coordination leveraging information exchange through existing dataspaces and middleware. Decision support algorithms will empower consumers and prosumers to actively engage in energy and flexibility services, promoting negotiation and collaboration among peers and stakeholders maximizing their benefits. All interactions, offers, contracts, and coordination within P2P trading and Energy Sharing tools will adhere to existing and forthcoming standards, and will be executed using blockchain. This approach ensures the credibility and traceability of all activities conducted in P2P trading, ultimately fostering greater consumer engagement.

LEAD will create Digital Twins of urban logistics networks in six cities, to support experimentation and decision making with on-demand logistics operations in a public-private urban setting. Innovative solutions for city logistics will be represented by a set of value case scenarios, that address the requirements of the on-demand economy while aligning competing interests and creating value for all different stakeholders. Each value case will combine a number of measures (LEAD Strategies): a) innovative business models, b) agile urban freight storage and last-mile distribution schemes, c) low emission, automated, electric or hybrid delivery vehicles, and d) smart logistics solutions. Scenarios will incorporate opportunities for shared, connected and low-emission logistics operations by considering four innovation drivers: Sustainability - Zero Emission Logistics, the Sharing Economy, Technology Advancements and the emerging Physical Internet (PI) paradigm. Cost, environmental and operational efficiencies for value cases will be measured in 6 Living Labs (Madrid, The Hague, Budapest, Lyon, Oslo, Porto). Evidence-proven value cases and associated logistics solutions will be delivered in the form of exploitable Digital Twins (TRL-7), incorporating the models that support adaptation to different contexts and that provide incentives for PPPs. The long-term vision of LEAD is to design an Open PI-inspired framework for Smart City Logistics that incorporates the Digital Twins created in the project, thus setting the foundations for the development of large-scale city Digital Twins. The LEAD consortium comprises 22 partners, all of whom are involved in the Living Labs, supported by 5 international partners for knowledge transfer. This incentivises the co-creation of solutions by city authorities, logistics industry leaders, start-ups and research experts in freight modelling, complex simulation and logistics optimisation.

C2G supports 8 cities to move away from a project-by-project NBS intervention approach towards the development of greening and renaturing strategies that (a) are cross-scalar and participatory (b) inform existing development agendas and policies, and (c) are implemented through demonstrators that create tangible impact on the ground for the local communities and broader ecosystem. This paradigm shift is founded on the operationalisation of Ecosystem Services (ES) in city decision-making at the district and city scale. Specifically, C2G assesses the current supply of ES in cities (e.g. flood and heat risk reduction, recreation) and runs targeted engagement activities to map community vulnerabilities, as perceived by stakeholders themselves. These vulnerabilities translate into key place-based priorities, i.e. the demand for ES. C2G works intensely to bridges this gap between supply and demand using districts as entry points. Considering that citizens experience life and meet their needs in this spatial scale, local greening contributions can significantly improve quality of life. A portfolio of projects is defined in the district scale (zoom-in), while coherence with the broader urban fabric, whether blue, green or grey, is maintained (zoom-out). In this way, C2G achieves cross-scalar ecological connectivity. Ultimately, each city will develop context-specific planning guidelines and nature-inclusion strategies that will be turned into “Design solutions for blue-green-grey infrastructure with biodiversity net-gain”. Demonstrators will apply these solutions with citizens participating along the NBS life cycle, from vulnerability assessments in the early phases through to placemaking activities during implementation. This innovative participation approach ensures that interventions maximise perceived value and minimize trade-off risks (e.g. changes in streetscape uses). Satisfaction assessments shall serve as a validation of the success of the co-design approach.