The SOLAR-MOVE project aims to contribute to the massive adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) minimizing their impact in the power grid by proposing solutions for different Vehicles Integrated Photovoltaic (VIPV) ecosystems: i) VIPV in cities, ii) VIPV in residential and service buildings, iii) VIPV in passenger transportation and iv) VIPV in highways. The SOLAR-MOVE will follow three main targets: i) increase the range of the VIPV in 5 to 10 km/day compared to normal EVs; ii) reduce the dependency on the grid (energy provided by the grid) from 20 to 50 %, depending on the eco-system; and iii) create solutions with positive Net Present Value. To achieve these goals the consortium - comprised by 34 partners across 16 countries - will develop innovative VIPV solutions, including tools to be integrated in VIPV; VIPV prototypes (Heavy-duty vehicles with PV in the trailer, garbage trucks, passenger buses, last-mile delivery and motorhome); VIPV Use Optimisation solutions to maximise the range of the VIPVs; and ePIPV (charging stations with PVs) for diverse applications (in highways, opportunity charging for eBus, ePIPVs at municipality level, public ePIPV in commercial areas and private ePIPVs). The solutions will be demonstrated in six pilots across Denmark (VIPV:heavy Duty vehiles, ePIPV parking lot for trucks in highways), Greece (VIPV: Garbage Truck, ePIPV: Management of ePIPV at municipality level), Turkey (VIPV: Passenger Bus, ePIPV: Management of ePIPV Opportunity charging), Portugal (VIPV: Last mile delivery, ePIPV: Management of public ePIPV), Albania (ePIPV; Management of private ePIPV) and Slovenia (VIPV:Motorhome). The findings will contribute to the elaboration of policy recomendations to support the adoption of VIPV and ePIPV, guidelines for municipalities to simplify the procurement process for VIPS and ePIPVs solutions and regulatory frameworks and incentives to facilitate the mass deployment of these technologies.

Meeting the challenges of providing European citizens with affordable, safe and nutritious food and of creating healthier and more sustainable City Region Food Systems raises the need for the development of integrated urban food policies that are able to engage with the complexity of the food system. Today’s leading platform for this endeavour is the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact, a powerful global network of learning cities experimenting around, and advocating for, the implementation of a holistic approach to food system transformation. FOODTRAILS, a four-year project led by the City of Milan, brings together a Consortium of 19 partners (including 11 EU cities, 3 universities and 5 prominent food system stakeholders), which will be followed by another 21 worldwide cities, to translate the MUFPP’s shared vision and collective commitment to integrated urban food policies into measurable and long-term progress towards sustainable food systems. Building on the momentum created by the recent emergence of cities as key sites to reimagine, enact and engage with food system transformation, FOOD TRAILS will provide city and regional governments and other agents of change with evidence-based policy narratives, co-designed and verified through the activities of 11 multi-objective and multi-actor Living Labs committed to addressing the 4 priority areas of the flagship FOOD 2030 framework. Using the existing knowledge on innovations for food system transformation, the Living Labs will co-design pilot projects that minimize the trade-offs between the 4 priorities of FOOD 2030 and that can function as an entry point for the development of integrated urban food policies. FOODTRAILS will also establish a pan-European Investors’ Living Lab to develop innovative financial instruments that will attract new resources to sustain the urban food policies developed during the project, maximize their visibility and support their replicability across the EU.

Metropolitan Inclusivity in Climate and Digital Transitions (MICAD), is an innovative project dedicated the creation of a framework for inclusive metropolitan planning focusing on climate and digital transitions. The primary objective is to advance inclusive metropolitan planning, a goal that will be realized through the creation of a toolkit for local and regional authorities. The effectiveness of this toolkit will be demonstrated with the elaboration of five roadmaps for digital or climate transition in different cities with diverse backgrounds, accompanied by the formulation of policy recommendations to amplify its impact. To achieve these ambitious objectives, a robust consortium, boasting diverse expertise in urban planning, co-creation, and living lab methodologies, has been assembled. Partners will collaborate closely to empower local and regional authorities with the necessary skills to implement these methodologies effectively. Capacity building efforts will extend to replication and exploitation partners, leveraging their extensive networks to disseminate these methodologies globally and assist other international actors in navigating similar transitions. The project will also contribute to the academic discourse by publishing a set of recommendations and articles, further expanding its impact. MICAD's significant contribution lies in fostering international cooperation among local, regional, and international actors. Through this collaboration, the project aims to identify the risks and opportunities associated with implementing inclusive and participatory planning processes. The study and application of community-held innovative processes will provide insights into the most effective and engaging participatory policy-making strategies. The results of these studies will be shared, leading to the proposal of solution models that can be adapted to various contexts.