Valencia, the European Green Capital 2024, hosted the Cities Mission Conference and the European Urban Resilience Forum this week. Several members of the DUT team participated in events to share information about upcoming activities and the DUT call.

The occasion brought together city representatives, researchers and organizations for interactive workshops and inspiring sessions. In between sessions, the marketplace lets curious participants wonder and discover more about what DUT offers. 

Raising awareness of funding needs and opportunities

In one of the opening sessions of the week, Pau Solanilla, Commissioner of International Relations and City promotion in Barcelona, called for more funding for city projects and initiatives in line with the Cities Mission. The role of private capital, together with public funding from national agencies, was a key topic in a panel discussion on climate finance for urban transformation. It was highlighted the need to attract up to 80% of private capital to achieve climate neutrality in cites.

Because national agencies are commited to fund DUT projects over the next years, many participants showed interest in the DUT Call 2024 during the Cities Climate Week. Some were pleased to find out the participative processes DUT carries out to select topics for the yearly calls, such as organizing online discussions or so called AGORA dialogues, and considered taking a more active role in the future.

In addition, several participants were unfamiliar with the Matchmaking platform DUT provides to find potential partners and showed interest in joining it once available. Many were also keen to check the specific requirements their country set for accessing funding through DUT. These requirements should be clarified by national funding agencies.

A growing interest in building national platforms

A session showcasing national platforms in countries such as Austria, Romania and Spain sparked interest among participants. These platforms can help to engage the national government and bridging the gaps in collaboration between ministries responsible for climate action and urban policy.

Joining other networks such as the DUT City panel can be a first step for cities to exchange best practices and collaborate in countries where national platforms are not yet established. 

» If you are interested in joining or have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us: citypanel@dutpartnership.eu.