Living in EU feed

ACCEND Scale Up Accelerator Opens Applications for Deep Tech Innovators

Saara Valtasaari — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 14:30:55 +0000

ACCEND Scale Up Accelerator Opens Applications for Deep Tech Innovators Saara Valtasaari 20 March 2026

Is your deep tech scale-up ready to break through European borders?

The ACCEND Scale Up Accelerator is looking for its next cohort of innovators. We don’t just offer generic advice; we provide a gateway to finance, pilots, procurement and global growth.

Why join ACCEND?
Scaling in Europe is complex. We make it simpler by matching you with a dedicated ACCEND Guide who creates a tailored "ACCEND journey" for your business using our comprehensive Service Catalogue:

Access to Finance: information on and access to investors, venture capital firms and EU flagship programmes like the EIC Accelerator.
Global Growth Coaching: Tailored mentorship to navigate international markets, legal hurdles and IP protection.
Piloting & Validation: Test your solutions in real-world Living Labs and testbeds to fast-track your path to market.
Public Procurement: Access to innovation calls across the EU, learning how to navigate public tenders.

Applications close on 8 April 2026.

Join a community of European success stories and give your technology the stage it deserves.

Apply now via our online form: https://www.accendhorizon.eu/accelerator-application-form

Open call for Interoperable Europe Solutions

Gabriela Ruseva — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 15:29:01 +0000

Open call for Interoperable Europe Solutions

Submit your solution before the next Interoperable Europe Board

Gabriela Ruseva 19 March 2026

The European Commission (DG DIGIT) is calling for the next Interoperable Europe Solutions. To be considered for the Interoperable Europe Solution label, a solution must meet the general criteria adopted by the Interoperable Europe Board:

Needs and user centricity
Reusability
Security and data privacy
Openness
Sustainability

The submission process consists of three steps:

Step 1 - Complete the questionnaire
Provide details about your solution and answer questions related to the criteria.

Step 2 - Evaluation
The Interoperable Europe Board reviews your submission against the criteria (next meeting is in May).

Step 3 - Decision
Based on the evaluation, the Board decides whether to recommend the solution. Approved solutions receive the official “Interoperable Europe Solution” label, ensuring recognition and promoting adoption by public administrations across the EU.

Find more information, the link to the submission form and the already approved solutions here.

Key takeaways from the successful Digital Transformation Working Roundtable in Cluj-Napoca

Luca Kerscher — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 13:19:33 +0000

Key takeaways from the successful Digital Transformation Working Roundtable in Cluj-Napoca Luca Kerscher 18 March 2026

Local governments in Europe are leading the way in sustainable digital transformation, working towards accessible and inclusive public services that leave no one behind. But how can municipalities in EU member states such as Romania move from siloed smart city projects to a coordinated digital ecosystem, using common standards and sharing solutions at European level?

This and other questions were on the agenda of the recent Digital Transformation Working Roundtable, held on 22 January 2026 in Cluj-Napoca. Participants from local and regional authorities, universities and digital innovation hubs met with representatives of European networks and the European Commission to discuss the future of digital public services - and the key role of Romanian local authorities in advancing it.

The event took place under the patronage of Emil Boc, Mayor of Cluj-Napoca and Executive President of the Association of Romanian Municipalities. In his opening words, Mayor Boc made clear that a strong vision of local development combining European cooperation and local innovation can have a direct positive impact on residents' quality of life.

European cooperation allows municipalities to align with objectives of the EU Digital Decade, and to rely on EU funding programmes to finance projects at the local level. To harness these opportunities, initiatives such as Living-in.EU are crucial: Representatives from the movement introduced Living-in.EU as a strategic European framework that supports interoperable, trustworthy and citizen-centred digital public services.

Participants of the roundtable shared experiences of implementing digital projects and discussed the role of local stakeholders in digital transformation: While the simplification of public services through interoperability and common standards emerged as a key need, participants highlighted the importance of keeping digital services inclusive, accessible and human-centred. Reducing administrative burden must go hand-in-hand with transparency and security, and a population with digital skills that can trust its institutions.

The event also allowed participants to discuss funding and investment as drivers of European digital competitiveness and sovereignty, and culminated in the accession of two new members to the Living-in.EU community: During the roundtable, representatives from the City of Cugir and the Association of Communes of Romania signed the Living-in.EU Declaration, thereby confirming the commitment of Romanian local stakeholders to a collaborative approach to sustainable digital transformation in the EU.

Help assess interoperability of digital public services by joining the EIF Checker pilot

Luca Kerscher — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 09:34:44 +0000

Help assess interoperability of digital public services by joining the EIF Checker pilot Luca Kerscher 17 March 2026

As part of the efforts to support the implementation of Interoperability Assessments, the European Commission's Directorate-General for Digital Services (DG DIGIT) is developing an analysis framework to support public administrations in identifying and assessing cross-border interoperability impacts resulting from the introduction or modification of binding requirements, called the "EIF Checker".

The first version of the EIF Checker has now been developed and is entering its pilot testing phase. In this context, DG DIGIT is inviting public administrations to participate in the testing activities.

The objective of the pilot is to validate the tool in real-life scenarios and gather practical feedback to improve its usability and effectiveness. As participants you will be able to choose the legal documents preferred for conducting an interoperability assessment using the EIF Checker.

The pilot will include:

A 45-minute online onboarding session introducing the EIF Checker; and
A 2-hour hands-on online testing session to use the tool and share feedback.

If you are interested in participating, please complete the following short survey: https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/pilotparticipants

New report: The role of Public Procurement and public buyers in sustainable ICT

Luca Kerscher — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 10:20:27 +0000

New report: The role of Public Procurement and public buyers in sustainable ICT Luca Kerscher 10 March 2026

Public procurement has a unique and transformative role in driving sustainability within the Information & Communication Technology (ICT) sector. Through strategic purchasing, public buyers can drive the demand for sustainable ICT solutions, reducing the environmental footprint across the full lifecycle of ICT products, from manufacturing to usage and end-of-life management. Cities, regions, and national authorities have a key role in limiting environmental impacts by integrating more sustainable practices into their procurement processes.

The recent report by the Big Buyers Working Together project’s Community of Practice “Sustainability in ICT” showcases the key role of public procurement in driving more innovative and sustainable ICT and what public buyers are doing to drive this change: You can read the full report and an infographic at this link.

Event recap: Exploring EU-funded CitiVerse projects with Living-in.EU

Luca Kerscher — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 10:05:33 +0000

Event recap: Exploring EU-funded CitiVerse projects with Living-in.EU Luca Kerscher 10 March 2026

The Citiverse is a new concept that represents a next-level digital space where citizens, communities, and city officials can interact in a virtual way by using AR/VR technology: It aims to let users explore planned urban projects before they are built, participate in virtual town halls, or test solutions to reduce traffic and pollution - all from a smartphone, tablet, or computer. Building on the European smart communities’ data infrastructure, some cities are already testing what this concept means in practice.

In a recent Living-in.EU signatory event, the first four EU-funded projects developing CitiVerse applications shared their progress after one year: 3DxVERSE, European Citiverses Uniting for Inclusiveness, SENSE, and x-CITE. Project representatives provided an overview of the projects' latest developments and showcased four pilot uses cases: Almelo (Netherlands), Gothenburg (Sweden), Kiel (Germany) and Flanders (Belgium).

Cities often face rising energy demands, but lack data for a successful climate adaptation of urban neighbourhoods. The 3DxVERSE project aims to address this problem by combining Digital Twin technology, participatory democracy and real-time data. By mapping energy systems in 3D, residents of the Dutch city Almelo are able to co-design a positive energy district and hydrogen-powered homes, making their communities more future-proof and sustainable.

Involving citizens in urban planning also implies adapting the city to different needs: Especially people with disabilities often face barriers when trying to participate in urban life. Through a Universal Design methodology and by working with local associations, the project European Citiverses Uniting for Inclusiveness allows families with children in wheelchairs to virtually test sites in the Swedish city of Gothenburg for accessibility, removing the anxiety of the unknown.

The virtualisation of the city does not only make the present more accessible, but also the past: the German city of Kiel is benefiting from the SENSE project by using augmented reality to overlay the historical city landscape onto the current one. Through a combination of interactive 3D models, digital city tours via smartphones, this collaboration between experts in digital transformation and local tourism allows locals and tourists to see the city as it once was, keeping history alive in a modern setting.

The Citiverse allows city residents to explore multiple areas of their community at the same time, such as mobility or urban climate, and to have a say in making it more liveable: thanks to the x-CITE project, residents in Flanders can rely on extended reality and AI-powered Digital Twins to visualise future traffic and noise scenarios: This allows them to grasp the real impact of planning decisions on their surroundings.

The CitiVerse aims to help European cities become more inclusive, by improving residents' quality of life, and setting standards for innovative and responsible digital urban development. It also addresses key challenges that cities are facing: How to make digital services more interoperable, how to close data gaps and ensure citizens’ digital rights?

Interested in finding out more? All the material, slides and the recording are available at this link.

Join the Urban Earth Observation Deep Dive to harness geospatial data

Luca Kerscher — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 15:16:10 +0000

Join the Urban Earth Observation Deep Dive to harness geospatial data Luca Kerscher 9 March 2026

The Stakeholder Engagement Facility (SEF) of the European Space Agency (ESA) supports the uptake of Earth Observation data by expanding engagement with a diverse range of stakeholder and end-user communities.

Earth Observation (EO) data includes information about the Earth’s surface, waters and atmosphere that can be collected via ground-based, airborne or satellite remote sensing platforms. EO data serves a very wide range of applications and industries, including: environmental protection, energy, managing urban areas, regional and local planning, agriculture, transport, climate change, sustainable development, tourism – and more.

To help cities address urban challenges such as urban heat, land use or spatial planning using EO data, the ESA SEF invites you to join the Urban EO deep dive. This programme provides local administrations that have limited experience with observation data with a guided approach to harnessing EO solutions, through a step-by-step process:

First, SEF helps cities assess their priorities, state of the art and resources related to EO data. Then, a targeted use case is developed in close coordination with city teams and adapted to local needs. Finally, cities work in a hands-on session to produce concrete outputs based on the EO solutions.

Interested cities can read more in this document and contact the ESA SEF team at this link or directly via [email protected]" title="mailto:[email protected]" rel="nofollow">[email protected].

Successful completion of the webinar Reimagining the Future of Cities: AI, Virtual Worlds and the Citiverse

Danae Pantelide — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 12:52:42 +0000

Successful completion of the webinar Reimagining the Future of Cities: AI, Virtual Worlds and the Citiverse Danae Pantelide 5 March 2026

Cities across Europe are exploring new digital tools to support better planning, stronger citizen engagement, and more sustainable development. In this context, the Living-in.EU initiative through the GoLiEU project, together with partners from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), recently hosted the webinar “Reimagining the Future of Cities: AI, Virtual Worlds and the Citiverse.”

The webinar was organised as part of the Digital Transformation Dialogues by ITU, in collaboration with the Living-in.EU Education and Capacity Building Working Group. It brought together city representatives, public authorities, and digital innovation stakeholders to explore how emerging technologies such as AI, virtual worlds, and digital twins can support the next generation of urban innovation.

Introducing the Citiverse

The session introduced participants to the concept of the Citiverse: a vision for digitally connected urban environments where data, immersive technologies, and participatory platforms come together to support better decision-making and stronger collaboration between cities and their inhabitants.

Through presentations and examples, participants learned how the Citiverse goes beyond existing digital tools by enabling more immersive, participatory, and people-centred approaches to urban digital transformation. Cities can use such technologies to simulate urban scenarios, engage citizens in planning processes, and test innovative solutions before implementing them in the real world.

From Vision to Practice

The event was structured in two parts.

The first part introduced the Citiverse vision, its defining characteristics, and its potential value for cities and communities. Speakers explained how technologies such as data platforms, digital twins, and virtual environments can support urban planning, climate resilience strategies, and participatory governance.

The second part of the webinar focused on interactive engagement. Through quizzes and discussions, participants reflected on how cities can begin engaging with Citiverse-related initiatives and on the opportunities for collaboration at both European and global levels.

Supporting Cities in the Digital Transition

For GoLiEU and the Living-in.EU community, the webinar formed part of broader efforts to strengthen knowledge sharing and capacity building among cities and regions. As municipalities increasingly adopt data-driven approaches, understanding emerging technologies such as digital twins and virtual worlds is becoming essential.

The session helped participants:

build a clear understanding of the Citiverse concept
explore ways cities can engage in Citiverse-related initiatives
identify how immersive technologies can support participatory decision-making
learn about available support mechanisms and global collaboration opportunities

Watch the Webinar

Living-in.EU Working Groups Present Their 2026 Annual Plans

Danae Pantelide — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 13:54:38 +0000

Living-in.EU Working Groups Present Their 2026 Annual Plans Danae Pantelide 24 February 2026

The Living-in.EU initiative continues to strengthen collaboration across European cities and regions committed to advancing interoperable, human-centric, and sustainable digital transformation.

As part of this effort, the five Living-in.EU Working Groups have defined their 2026 annual plans, outlining priorities, key activities, and opportunities for engagement across the community.

The Working Groups (Legal, Financial, Technical, Monitoring & Measuring, and Education & Capacity Building) play a central role in supporting signatories in translating the Living-in.EU principles into practice.

🔹 Legal Working Group

🔹 Financial Working Group

🔹 Technical Working Group

🔹 Monitoring & Measuring Working Group

🔹 Education & Capacity Building Working Group

We invite all members of the community to engage with the Working Groups, contribute to their activities, and help shape Europe’s digital future together. Find more about the working groups here.

Help Assess the Past and Plan the Future of the Living-in.EU Capacity Building Programme

Danae Pantelide — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 13:33:13 +0000

Help Assess the Past and Plan the Future of the Living-in.EU Capacity Building Programme

Take the survey now!

Danae Pantelide 24 February 2026

As the Living-in.EU (Go Li.EU) project progresses towards its final phase, we invite members of the community to share their experience with the Capacity Building Programme (CBP).

Over the past 3,5 years, the CBP has offered a range of activities and resources, including:

Webinars, workshops, interactive sessions, debates and training sessions
The Living-in.EU Knowledge Base

Your feedback will help us better understand:

How useful and relevant these resources have been
How well they reflect your needs and priorities
How accessible and user-friendly the platform is
How the CBP should evolve in the future

The survey will directly inform improvements to the programme and contribute to discussions on its sustainability and future development beyond the lifetime of the Go Li.EU project.

🕒 The survey takes approximately 5–8 minutes to complete.
🔒 Responses are anonymous, unless you choose to provide your contact details.

👉 Take the survey here: Living-in.EU Capacity Building Programme - Community Experience Survey – Fill in form

The survey closes on 31 March.

We strongly encourage all community members who have interacted with the Knowledge Base or participated in CBP activities to share their perspective.

Your voice matters in shaping the next phase of Living-in.EU.