Key for CLIMABOROUGH is the HUBS approach that will support participating cities to define and deploy climate oriented, pathbreaking innovations – both on the technological and service side (i.e. content) and on the legal, administrative and spatial planning side (i.e. enabling conditions) – as defined by their Mission plans.

We have two thematic hubs, called CLIMHUBS. One focused on the transition “from waste to circularity”, the second addressing the shift “from isolated energy and mobility systems to integrated services”. They will address 4 of the 6 proposed fields of the “100 climate-neutral and smart cities” mission. These themes offer engagement on more conventional infrastructure and service contents, where the innovation is perhaps on enabling conditions (e.g. like incentivising behaviour and lifestyle changes for specific vulnerable groups) through to areas of more progressive technical innovation. Each of the 2 hubs will include 4 of the 8 leader cities and the remaining ones as followers. The former demonstrate; the latter co-design, provide constructive challenge, and are ready for replication.

The first action of the project will be to establish and consolidate the Cities in these Hubs. The whole structure will be supervised by a partner, University of Aalborg with the support of two “City Angel” partners (Energy Cities & Torino Urban Lab) taking the operational responsibility for each theme together with their related cities. Additionally, climate proofing will be implemented by HEREON as a garant that all future activities will comply with the Paris Agreement. These chosen partners, Torino Urban Lab, Energy Cities and Hereon, are well-recognised experts in mentoring cities in the field of the hubs related to them and in climate-related research.

The 2 hubs will be linked in two ways. Firstly, with leader and follower cities being active across both areas in different roles. And secondly, by common, cross-cutting needs – like digitalisation, community engagement, planning, regulation etc. This will also favour innovative start-ups, as the successful innovations will be proposed for the attention of impact investors and venture capitalists for financial support to their further scaling and business growth.