The successful implementation of EU’s 2021-2030 road safety policy is a milestone towards the target of zero fatalities in road transport by 2050 and requires a clear understanding of criteria that influence safety performance, development of solutions that promote safety for all road users, the modernisation of existing infrastructure monitoring approaches and the adoption of methodologies that take into account complex user behaviours. EvoRoads aims to accelerate the attainment of the Vision Zero EU goal through a holistic framework of innovative models, tools and services that enable data-driven evolution of safety assessment frameworks, facilitate dynamic monitoring of cyber-physical infrastructures and promote the proactive warning for safety risks in complex environments. At the operational level, EvoRoads defines safety criteria and KPIs quantification methodologies covering the entire spectrum of the “Safe System” approach and develops a connectivity platform where transport infrastructure assets are digitalised and safety assessment services are functioning in a harmonious way. Advanced AI-driven analytics for fusing infrastructure monitoring data at different geospatial resolutions, on-the-edge sensory and communication technologies for local infrastructure monitoring, a dynamic evaluation of infrastructure readiness solution in supporting the operation of CCAM, a road maintenance diagnosis and prognosis tool, and low-cost smart signs with integrated electronics and embedded components for elicting desirable user behaviours are developed. The approach is validated at 7 locations in Spain, Italy, Latvia and Romania, addressing different types of infrastructure settings and road users in urban and rural environments. Interaction with existing programmes on roadmapping and recommendations at national, EU and global level will be promoted, allowing a multiplication effect of project’s results.

ExPEDite aims to create and deploy a novel Digital Twin (DT) for real-time monitoring, visualization, and management of district-level energy flows. The project will deliver a suite of replicable modeling tools, allowing stakeholders to analyze planning actions towards positive energy and climate neutrality in a cost-effective manner. The tools will be able to model the district’s energy production and demand, building stock performance, optimize for flexibility and simulate mobility and transport. The DT’s design-platform will analyze various what-if planning actions, aiding energy and urban planners’ evidence-based decision-making processes, while its run-time engine will optimize the districts energy utilization efficiency. The DT will follow a modular open architecture to support multi-sectoral and multi-organizational stakeholder requirements. By employing gamification and co-creation approaches, the project will enhance public awareness and engagement in energy efficiency. The ExPEDite DT will be applied to a district in Riga, Latvia, and will provide practical guidelines, reusable models, algorithms, and training materials to aid other cities in replicating the DT for their districts, fostering widespread adoption of sustainable energy practices.

UNCHAIN will “break the chains”, boosting the cooperation between public authorities and logistics stakeholders. It will create a set of services for optimal and flexible urban logistics operation, management, planning and policymaking, unleashing the potential that technology and digitalisation can bring to the sustainable urban logistics and moving towards climate-neutral and smart cities. UNCHAIN will implement a standardised and reliable data exchange ecosystem supported by a public-private collaborative framework that will allow the establishment of reliable data sharing agreements, break data silos and make the urban freight data more available and accessible. Driven by the unlocked data, an innovative set of 12 urban logistics services will be implemented to optimise the allocation of urban space, improve the policy-making capacity of local authorities and optimise network management and logistics operation. With UNCHAIN, public authorities will improve their data collection capabilities and have the right tools to achieve sustainability goals. Meanwhile, for operators, having services aligned with their own and society's objectives will unlock mutually beneficial cooperation schemes, a key factor for long-term collaboration and the establishment of sustainable urban freight transport policies and operations. 10 European cities will participate in UNCHAIN activities: Madrid, Berlin and Florence as living labs; Prague, Mechelen, Madeira and Riga as follower cities, and Brest metropole, Ravenna and Alba Iulia as peer- cities supporting the early adoption of the results. Also, the well-balanced representation of the urban logistics industry, with DHL and UPS, will ensure large-scale impact and feasibility of the project results.

The SLEEPING BEAUTY project aims to rejuvenate neglected urban, peri-urban, and rural spaces across Europe through the integration of Nature-based Solutions (NBS) and the core values of the New European Bauhaus (NEB). By addressing diverse climatic contexts, this initiative promotes sustainable, inclusive, and resilient communities. The project leverages NBS to enhance biodiversity, foster natural beauty, and provide multifunctional public spaces, aligning with NEB’s principles of sustainability, beauty, and inclusiveness. SLEEPING BEAUTY seeks to transform underutilized and overlooked spaces into vibrant, biodiverse areas that reconnect people with nature. This holistic, co-creative approach combines innovative design and artistic interventions, encouraging collaboration among citizens, experts, and local stakeholders. These efforts will help reshape public spaces, strengthen community ties, and foster a shared sense for caretaking of environment. By emphasizing the creative re-use and revitalization of spaces, the project will demonstrate how integrating NEB and NBS can lead to improved well-being, enhanced biodiversity, and more resilient and beautiful communities. The project’s six pilot sites will serve as showcases for replicating and scaling NBS-NEB solutions across Europe, contributing to a systemic shift in how we design, interact with, and maintain public spaces in close connection with nature and cultural heritage. The initiative promotes long-term societal transformation, focusing on strengthening human-nature relationships, cultural identity, and collective action to address pressing societal challenges like climate change. SLEEPING BEAUTY’s unique blend of artistic co-creation, sustainable spatial planning and innovation will push beyond traditional NBS approaches, setting a new gold standard for innovative, inclusive, and aesthetically compelling public spaces enabled by NEB-NBS and a new Natur-Baukultur.

HANDSHAKE supports the effective take up of the integrated cycling solutions successfully developed by Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Munich, our Cycling Capitals and world-renowned cycling front runners, to our 10 highly committed Future Cycling Capitals, Bordeaux Metropole, Bruges, Cadiz, Dublin, Helsinki, Krakow, Greater Manchester, Riga, Rome and Turin. Our partner cities are combined in a composite working environment in which diverse geographical contexts, socio-economic conditions and planning cultures work toward the same goals, that is, delivering the desired cycling change. The project believes that effective transfer can happen only in the presence of: i) state-of-art body of knowledge on cycling policy and solutions; ii) sustaining transition processes; iii) motivating and supporting forms of mentorship. In HANDSHAKE this is ensured by the presence of 3 cycling planning champions, the employment of highly innovative methods brought together into a supportive and novel transfer cycle (including Bikenomics, Immersive Study Tours and Transition Management), and a mentorship programme that takes by the hand each participating city. The gathered team will cooperate to reach a number of strategic objectives: i) Inspire the creation or refinement of holistic cycling visions and concrete transfer approaches; ii) Foster the adoption of a multidisciplinary planning culture to empower the project process and consolidate future cycling policies and investments; iii) allow cycling to become a key element of urban transport; iv) Improve cycling modal share and safety; v) Leverage the potential of cycling as a critical congestion relief tool; vi) Leverage cycling to improve public health; vii) Foster economic growth. HANDSHAKE expects to improve cycling attractiveness by +52% and competitiveness by 17%, shift ca. 60.000 people to cycling with +34% in frequency of cycling use, 37,5% in accidents, traffic levels lowered by 6,34%, and CO2 savings of -3.706.000 kg CO2/year.