The Smart Cities and Communities lighthouse projects are funded by the European Commission through the Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, with the aim of bringing together cities, industry and citizens to demonstrate solutions and business models that can be scaled up and replicated, and that lead to measurable benefits in energy and resource efficiency, new markets and new jobs.
Smart City Projects are a very common occurrence across cities, some funded by EU budgets, some by city, regional or national budgets and some by the private sector. Driven by the same challenges that EU cities are facing to ensure secure, affordable and clean energy, smart electro-mobility and smart tools and services, always showcasing their economic viability towards ensuring their replication potential in other cities.
These projects include Lighthouse and Follower cities, working together on project sites to demonstrate these processes, technologies and business models to transform their ecosystems into smarter and more sustainable places.