On 28 June 2024, the Smart Communities Network held an online onboarding meeting with the European Commission to discuss future collaboration.

The Smart Communities Network is being established to connect the European Union with the local level in all 27 EU Member States. Currently, the network comprises associations with a local outreach from 18 of the 27 EU Member States, aiming for other Member States to join soon.

During the meeting, the members were introduced to each other and informed about the initiative, which is part of a European Commission project to help cities and communities undergo the digital transformation and improve efficiency, by harnessing from data-driven decision-making, Local Digital Twins, bringing finally economic growth in the digital field.

Attendees, including the members of the Smart Communities Network, project partners, experts and representatives of the European Commission discussed how the collaboration will take shape in the upcoming months. These are the main takeaways:

Highlights of the project:

The project promotes Local Digital Twins (LDTs) to support cities and communities in their digital transformation by leveraging advanced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, data spaces and simulations. Community support is a key aspect. The project is developing a Procurement Helpdesk to assist cities and municipalities in assessing their digital maturity, creating digitalisation roadmaps and procuring necessary technologies to become smart.

Collaboration details:

Discussions focused on the Smart Communities Network's role and benefits, as well as the legal instrument that will formalise cooperation between the European Commission and network members.

Country-specific sessions:

Hybrid dissemination sessions and online training sessions are planned across all 27 EU Member States to raise awareness and readiness within communities. These sessions are crucial for helping communities understand and adopt digital transformation practices. An informative package will be shared to define and explain the practical aspects of collaboration to organise these sessions.

Experience sharing:

A representative from the Dutch association VNG –the network’s pioneer that has already organised its training and dissemination sessions- shared the experiences and lessons learned. Despite significant interest, high no-show rates suggested the need for stronger engagement strategies. Technical sessions saw success due to hands-on content. It was emphasised that local maturity levels should be considered and both technical experts and policymakers need to be engaged.

Promoting Lordimas:

Lordimas was introduced to the participants, a self-assessment tool for cities and regions to assess their digital maturity. A demonstration of the tool was provided and members were requested to help with proofreading the interface in their local languages.

Introducing LDT CitiVERSE EDIC:

The European Digital Infrastructure Consortium (EDIC) initiative was explained, highlighting its role in developing multi-country projects and establishing a common understanding of the European CitiVERSE. The initiative aims to transfer knowledge, avoid duplications and promote collaboration across cities and regions.

Information sharing and communication:

The functionalities of the Living-in.EU website were demonstrated, showcasing tools for internal and external communication, document sharing and event updates. Participants were encouraged to explore the platform and provide feedback for improvement in upcoming feedback sessions.

Interactive Q&A session:

The Q&A session addressed concerns such as the division of labour for network members, setting realistic engagement targets and the importance of funding for digital initiatives. Discussions included how regional development agencies can support multiple communities and the need to maximise outreach efforts.

Next steps:

The next network meeting will be held in a hybrid format at the Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC) in Barcelona in November 2024. Further details will be shared closer to the date. It was a great event to meet all the committed network members, speakers and the European Commission! Looking forward to our next event in Spain.