The CATALYSE project envisions fostering climate-neutral cities by advancing beyond fragmented experimentation towards mission-oriented policies that are deeply embedded in local contexts. Its core vision is to empower Knowledge Institutions (KI) as transformative hubs within mission-oriented innovation ecosystems. By strengthening the roles of KIs as trusted actors, CATALYSE aims to connect diverse stakeholders, scale social innovations, and enhance collaboration across Europe. The project seeks to create inclusive problem-solution spaces in 4 pilot cities (Leipzig, Manchester, Rotterdam and Vienna) that bridge local needs with global challenges, driving sustainable, socially innovative, and democratically legitimized transitions toward net-zero cities. Through this vision, CATALYSE addresses critical challenges in translating EU Cities Mission goals into localized actions, ensuring that cities can successfully navigate and lead their climate-neutral transformations.

The frontrunner cities of Manchester (UK), Valencia (Spain), Wroclaw (Poland) and Wuhan (China) and the Fellow cities Brest(France), Zadar (Croatia) and Modena (Italy) are currently inhabited by 12.7 million people and sit at the heart of wider metropolitan areas which are home to 17.8 million people. All cities already experience flooding and heat stress, with projections for these issues to increase due to climate change and ongoing development. Working in complex, resource-constrained urban environments, the municipalities for each city have committed to delivering joined-up, cost-effective, smart solutions to address these and other urban challenges. They recognise that the cities of the future will need to achieve more with less resources and deliver genuine sustainable development that realises a broad range of social, economic and environmental objectives. Each city believes that nature-based solutions (NBS) are a critical part of this approach. GROW GREEN brings the partner cities together on the basis of these similarities but also their differences. Across the 6 European and 1 Chinese City they represent the range of different cities that are found across the world, and the different climate risks that they face. The cities will demonstrate a replicable approach for the development and implementation of city NBS strategies. The outcome will be more than simply demonstrating a methodology that works in the partner cities. GROW GREEN will provide the platform for a step change in the way that NBS are embedded in the long-term planning, development, operation and management of cities around the world. The project outputs will be promoted directly to replication cities globally to encourage them to develop and implement NBS strategies and action. These channels have been designed to create global demand for NBS and to promote European NBS products and services to meet this demand.

STEP-IN will develop a global methodology for the effective analysis and tackling of energy poverty. STEP-IN has identified three highly challenging locations with diverse characteristics across Europe including: a mountainous region in Greece, a rural area in Hungary and an urban area in the UK with low quality housing. Within each of these areas there are a range of vulnerable consumers (e.g. low income households, elderly people, single-parent households). At each of these locations a living lab will be set up which will bring together local experts and stakeholders with energy poor consumers. These labs will consist of a range of approaches including energy cafes, advisor visits and ICT systems. The ICT tools provided by STEP-IN will support consumers, advisors and local stakeholder organisations to make effective decisions. To ensure the success of the living labs STEP-IN has partnered with key local stakeholders and schemes at the chosen locations. The emphasis will be on improving the participants' quality of life through maintaining or improving comfort levels while at the same time encouraging more efficient energy usage. The energy advice provided will seek to minimize rebound effects and environmental impacts. All labs will be assessed using metrics such as energy consumption & mix, types of behavior change and levels of comfort. This will ensure that the participants benefit, while at the same time the labs’ impact can be assessed and that the global methodology is validated and can be up-scaled. This will ensure that the approaches are relevant and out with the project. The project has over 35 letters of support from organisations including regulators, MEPs, charities, energy providers, housing organisations, local authorities and Government Ministries who will take part in a stakeholder network. This will lead to the results being disseminated at local, national and EU level.