An initiative of Teknikföretagen, Viable Cities, UN-Habitat, Smart City Sweden, Vinnova, the Swedish Energy Agency, Expo 2020 Sweden and delivered by Nesta Challenges.
First stage: Open call to find city challenges, 9 November 2020 – 22 January 2021
Applications to the Climate Smart Cities Challenge Open Call have now closed.
If you have submitted an application please note that we will aim to inform all applicants of the shortlisted entries by early March 2021. If you have any questions during this time please see our FAQs or email climatesmartcities@nesta.org.uk
To learn more about the open call to cities, please see below.
News and Views about this Challenge
About the Open Call
The first stage of the Climate Smart Cities Challenge is a global open call to cities. We want you to tell us about your city’s aspirations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions whilst creating thriving communities.
We are looking for cities to partner with us to run city-based open innovation competitions. These competitions will help the selected cities reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create other social benefits, by matching their needs with partners from across the world to develop and scale solutions suitable to their context.
We want you to:
- Tell us about your city’s aspirations to reduce or eliminate greenhouse gas emissions and create a good future for all
- Present a problem that is specific and solvable in the near-term, meaning potential solutions could be introduced, adapted and scaled within the next five years
- Indicate a willingness to work with a global community of problem-solvers and investors and to commit resources to test and implement solutions to your problem in your city
This information will help us to design the Climate Smart Cities Challenge and select the partner cities who will help us run city-based challenges, planned to launch in 2021.
Please note: Applications to the Climate Smart Cities Challenge Open Call have now closed.
Watch the Climate Smart Cities Challenge webinar
What we are looking for (assessment criteria)
Applications will be assessed according to the following criteria which map to the questions in the application form. Scoring will be weighted and decisions made holistically to capture a diverse portfolio of cities and challenges in the shortlist.
Why cities should enter
If your city is selected as a partner, you will get:
- The opportunity to co-design an open innovation competition based in your city around your specific problem, supported by a team of experts in innovation, challenge prizes, climate change, cities and sustainable development from UN-Habitat, Viable Cities and Nesta Challenges
- A pool of solution-providers competing to solve your challenges
- Access to potential investors and partners to implement projects in your city
- Peer learning opportunities with other cities facing similar challenges
- Profile-raising opportunity of being part of a global challenge, including being featured in the World Expo in 2021 and being profiled in a major media campaign over the course of the challenge
Timeline (click and drag items to the right to view more)
Eligibility criteria
Please note: Applications to the Climate Smart Cities Challenge Open Call have now closed.
If you have submitted an application we will aim to inform all applicants of the shortlisted entries by early March 2021. If you have any questions during this time please see our FAQs or email climatesmartcities@nesta.org.uk
- Applicants can be a single entity or a partnership, but there must be one lead applicant organisation.
- The lead applicant may be city/municipal government or equivalent, or a private-sector agency or a public-private partnership with responsibility for public services. If the city is not the lead application, the relevant city/municipal government or equivalent must be a partner on the application.
- A ‘city’ can be a settled place of any size population (there is no minimum population size), which may include a multi-city region or metropolitan area comprising more than one contiguous municipality or local authority or equivalent.
- Your proposal must include a problem/challenge/barrier in reducing or eliminating greenhouse gas emissions in your city and creating other social benefits.
Please also note that the following organisations are not eligible to enter: Teknikföretagen, Viable Cities, UN-Habitat, Smart City Sweden, Vinnova, Swedish Energy Agency, Expo 2020 Sweden and Nesta Challenges. Any application linked to or involving these groups will be disqualified. Cities or organisations that are members of Teknikföretagen or Viable Cities are eligible to enter.
Contact us
If you have any questions that are not answered in the FAQs please email climatesmartcities@nesta.org.uk
Media enquiries
For media enquiries please contact nesta@seven-consultancy.com
The team
Kathy Nothstine
Head, Future Cities
Hannah Picton
Assistant Programme Manager
Olivier Usher
Head of Research