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Research and innovation

Urban development

EU research and innovation on sustainable urban development, funding, collaboration, projects and results, publications, news and events

The future of our world will be decided in our cities. 

Cities are on the front lines of change in our society. They are place where we are making the necessary progress on climate neutrality and where we show that social inclusion, social innovation, diversity, equity, justice and fairness are necessary ingredients for success.

Smart and sustainable cities should reflect the people who live, work, and create within them. Our cities and public spaces are integral to the innovation, cultural heritage, arts, democracy and sustainability.

Envisioning the future of our cities involves bringing together the different perspectives and practices from a variety of urban players to deliver solutions and business models that can be scaled up and replicated. 

EU research and innovation on sustainable urban development is implemented through the Innovating Cities initiative

Funding opportunities

Horizon Europe

On this page you can find more information, the work programme and a link to urban environment-related calls

LIFE+ Climate Action

Co-financing for climate change mitigation and adaptation research, supporting the transition to a low-carbon and climate-resilient economy

Projects and results

Horizon Magazine

Latest news, interviews and features about thought-provoking science and innovative research projects funded by the EU

Horizon 2020 dashboard

Access to real-time programme data with the ability to filter by country, region, theme and more

Horizon Results Platform

Platform where framework programme participants present their results for you to search, contact their owners, and form partnerships

Collaboration and jobs

JPI Urban Europe

Joint programming initiative pooling national research efforts to develop a urban research and innovation hub and create solutions through coordinated research

Urban Agenda for the EU

Forum where EU countries, cities, the Commission and other stakeholders work together to stimulate growth, liveability and innovation in the cities of Europe

Belmont Forum

Partnership of funding organisations, international science councils, and regional consortia advancing transdisciplinary science and environmental change research

Scientific publications, tools and databases

Climate-ADAPT

Platform for sharing data and information to inform decision making on climate adaptation

Scientific publications

Scientific research publications on urban innovation published by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC)

OpenAIRE

You can access all scientific publications from Horizon 2020 via OpenAIRE

EU Open Data Portal

Single point of access to open data produced by the EU institutions - all data free to use for commercial and non-commercial purposes

Events