Ivanka Pandelieva from Follower City Asenovgrad speaking at SCIS Final Conference.
SmartEnCity was part of the SCIS Final Conference
10 Nov 2020The end of the Smart Cities Information System (SCIS) was celebrated during a 2-day conference on 4 and 5 November with nearly 200 participants and 19 sessions, with 44 speakers from cities, businesses, research institutions and the financial sector. The conference covered a wide range of topics – from storytelling to the important role of replication and upscaling as well as funding from EU sources and financing with private investors – and SmartEnCity project was part of it!
The analysts of the Institute of Baltic Studies (IBS), Merit Tatar and Andra Somelar, represented SmartEnCity at the SCIS conference on 5 November:
Merit Tatar demonstrated the project’s journey which is especially focused on an overall methodology and supporting a network to share knowledge. Their approach is not just based on the actual solutions, but on how cities can find those solutions that fit best for them.
Moreover, Andra Somelar was interviewed as part of a story’s session on 4 November as the Tartu citizen engagement working group is currently working together with SCIS on a video project. The first already completed video, produced with funding and help from SCIS, focused on introducing the new sustainable energy and climate action plan “Tartu Energy 2030” to the citizens and inviting them to comment and leave feedback. The second video will summarise all activities of SmartEnCity in Tartu and will present the story of “Smart Tartu”, as it was told over the course of the project.
Finally, SmartEnCity Project Coordinator Francisco Rodriguez (TECNALIAResearch & Innovation) and project partner Ivanka Pandelieva (Project Manager Sofia Energy Centre, Bulgaria, representing Follower City Asenovgrad) were contributing to session 8 about “Tales from the North, South and East”: Asenovgrad is quite active in sustainable energy activities and committed to a Zero carbon future. Shorter term goals are getting their transition plan approved and identifying the most promising measures for implementation. Former socialist context with specific building and construction typologies are typical in Asenovgrad, and that can be extended to most of eastern EU. Big challenges in transport (commuters to Plovdiv) and RES (Biomass and biogas) are also identified for Asenovgrad.
SCIS brought together European project developers, cities, research institutions, businesses, experts and citizens to help support the deployment, replication and upscaling of smart and sustainable solutions in cities and communities.
However, as the title of the final conference “A BEGINNING – NOT THE END” implied, the focus of the conference was not on the end of the Smart Cities Information System but on the integration of SCIS into the Smart Cities Marketplace, which will continue the journey towards a smart zero future.
Merit Tatar (IBS) presented SmartEnCity Network at SCIS Final Conference.