CommuniCity is a 3-year project funded by the European Commission’s Horizon Europe Framework Programme. It will launch 100 tech pilots through a calendar of three Open Calls to address the needs of European cities and communities through co-creation and co-learning processes with the aim of empowering hard-to-reach and marginalized communities.
Over the past decade, cities have increasingly become the testing ground for digital solutions involving citizens in co-creation processes. Solving complex problems, however, requires a quadruple helix approach involving not only citizens, but also businesses, research communities and the public sector to collaborate towards shared solutions. The Living Lab methodology serves as a catalyst for this collaboration, unfolding innovation in a real-life setting in which the city is envisioned as the development context.
Starting from the cutting-edge urban Living labs in Helsinki, Amsterdam, and Porto, CommuniCity aims to enhance community-driven urban co-creation, inclusiveness and greater democratiszation of innovation, while addressing inequality and empowerment of all citizens.
To give substance to this approach, CommuniCity has just launched the First Round of Open Calls aiming to find innovative digital technologies addressing the needs of the partnering cities of Porto, Amsterdam and Helsinki. The call will remain open until March 31st. Citizens, universities, organisations, companies, associations and tech providers, are welcome to participate, co-creating and proposing innovative, digitally inclusive and sustainable solutions for social, technological, economical, and urban challenges to meet the needs of marginalised communities in the three pilot cities.
Each city chose specific topics for technical solutions to be granted:
Porto will focus on Elderly Loneliness and Decreased Autonomy of the Elderly;
Amsterdam will be looking for Solutions for non-Dutch speakers, Accessible Healthcare Information, Opportunities for Young Citizens with Criminal Records and Community Solutions;
Helsinki aims to find solutions for Adults and Young Adults with Disabilities, Elderly Citizens and Homecare, Digital Skills for Immigrants, and Rehabilitative Work Activities.
The process is open to all legal entities that can guarantee performance and meet the criteria outlined in the Open Call Guidelines., The Open Call proposal submission, evaluation, selection and approval process ensures a simple, transparent and competitive proposal evaluation and selection process.
This first open call will award up to 18 pilot projects and each pilot will receive 12,500 euros. Proposals can be submitted through the CommuniCity website and the Awarded teams will be announced in May. All pilot projects will begin thereafter and must be completed by the end of September when a new schedule for the second round of open calls will be announced.
More details about the first CommuniCity Open Call are available on the project’s website (communicity-project.eu) and social media channels:
Instagram @communi_city
Twitter @communi_city
LinkedIn CommuniCity