Cities Mission Week in Turin

The fifth edition of the Cities Mission Conference will be held with the theme of “Delivering Europe’s Urban Climate Transition”. DUT will be on site and engage in and around the conference, to highlight the crucial role of research and innovation projects for impactful climate action.

The next Cities Mission Conference takes place from 27-29 May in Turin, Italy. The conference is organized by the European Commission and the Mission Platform. For DUT, the conference marks a special opportunity to connect with cities and strategic partners. Strong connections exist between the Mission Platform and DUT as over 40 percent of Mission Cities are involved in DUT research and innovation projects. 

Programme

During the week, you can meet us on the following occasions: 

1) CapaCITIES consortium meeting – workshop on synergies with other Mission Initiatives 

Tuesday, 26 May, 16:30–17:40

DUT will host a table in an interactive session organised by the CapaCITIES consortium. The aim is to give participants an overview of key Mission initiatives and how they can be used within national and local ecosystems. Next to DUT, tables will be hosted by Adaptation Hubs, NetZeroCities, and New European Bauhaus. The session will be open to national cities mission platform representatives. 

2) NZC workshop – Mission Cities and the Path Ahead: Building a Research Agenda from Cities Experience

Wednesday, 27 May 2026, 14.00 to 15.30

DUT has been invited to contribute to the session “Unleashing a Research Agenda”, focusing on the role of research in supporting Cities Mission implementation and urban transitions. The session is particularly relevant for researchers from universities and knowledge institutions, EU associations and networks of universities, researchers involved in EU Missions’ projects, cities representatives and policy makers interested in developing a network of research collaborations on the topic of climate action at urban level.

3) DUT Conference session: From Campus to City Hall: Designing Partnerships for Urban Transformation 

28 May 10.45-12.00, Design Room 

Cities are at the forefront of reaching climate neutrality and urban transformation - but they cannot do it alone. Strong partnerships between local governments and knowledge institutions are increasingly proving to be a critical success factor in delivering systemic change. 

Based on examples and joint brainstorming, this session will provide participants with tools for initiating, designing and implementing city–university partnerships for concrete, real-world transformations. Bringing together local experiences, European perspectives and global insights, the discussion will highlight how such partnerships contribute to the objectives of the Cities Mission and why they should play a central role in the future of Horizon Europe. 

Speakers: 

• Laura Hetel, DG Research & Innovation, European Commission
• Gudrun Haindlmaier, Austrian Institute of Technology and CATALYSE project
• Laura Ribotta, City of Turin and DUT Green-INC project
• Giorgia Rambelli, Urban Transitions Mission

Moderator: Orsolya Küttel, Driving Urban Transitions  

4) DUT booth during the main conference

27-29 May 

As in previous years, DUT will have its own exhibition stand at the Cities Mission Conference. At the stand we will provide information on upcoming calls, the DUT City Panel, publications, as well as tools and guidebooks produced by DUT research & innovation projects.