On 3 May 2023, NetZeroCities launched its Call for Twin Cities.
This Twinning programme is a tailored learning programme for knowledge sharing and transfer of good practices between European cities, between upcoming selected Twin Cities, and the cities that were selected to join the NetZeroCities’ Pilot Cities Programme in March 2023. The overarching objective of the Twinning programme is to foster lasting connections between cities facing similar challenges and sharing interests in different emissions domains on the road to climate neutrality.
What will the learning programme be like?
Selected cities will embark on a a 20-month programme that aims to exchange knowledge, build capacities, across Pilot and Twin Cities, and provide access to replication support to the latter. The programme will be based on a practical knowledge sharing approach from Pilot cities to Twin cities, while also enabling a peer learning framework, allowing Pilot cities to also learn from Twin cities’ experiences. Upon completion of the learning cycle, Twin cities will embed the learnings from pilot activities across the city via a Replication Plan.
The matching procedure of Pilot Cities and Twin Cities is based on finding similar challenges and common interests in the various emissions domains and levers of change, allowing innovative actions through systemic transformation. Each Pilot City (or group of multi-city Pilot activities) will be paired with one or more Twins that have expressed evidenced interest in their pilot activities, to support their progress towards climate neutrality. A range of activities are planned to advance learning among Twin Cities, including tailored online meetings, workshops and inspiring site visits to deepen the understanding of each other’s challenges and find solutions together. To ensure that Twin City participants gain the most from the in-person exchanges, travel costs will be reimbursed up to a certain amount. Twin Cities will also receive hands-on support from NetZeroCities partners to advance their objectives, and they will have access to the set of tools and resources provided by the NetZeroCities portal.
Applications and timeline
The Call for Twin Cities is open to municipalities from EU Member States and Horizon 2020 Associated Countries. It is not required to be a Mission City to apply.
To help Twin Cities align their applications with Pilot Cities objectives and activities, and ensure successful matching based on desired areas of learning, an online catalogue of Pilot profiles is now available on the NetZeroCities website.
Applications will be accepted from 3 May until 30 June 23.59 CET. The selection of successful Twin Cities will be announced in early September 2023. The learning programme will start by the end of September 2023 and will end in May 2025.
More details about the call, including the call guidelines and eligibility criteria are available on the Twinning Programme Page.
