From 27 February to 29 May, the Intelligent Cities Challenge (ICC) received 130 Expressions of Interest from 192 cities in 20 countries in the European Union and the United Kingdom. The European Commission and ICC team were very pleased to see that so many cities are eager to become more sustainable, liveable and socially-responsible by using advanced technologies.
After careful deliberation, 88 applications have now been selected to take part in the Challenge over the next 2 years. Among these applications, 5 cities from Romania were selected: Arad, Bistrita, Galati, Iasi and Timisoara.
This group includes 54 new ICC applications, 26 cities that took part in the Digital Cities Challenge predecessor initiative, and 8 EU mentor cities. We are still selecting 10 international cities to complete the list of the 100 cities that will take part in the ICC journey. Since 8 of the applicants are consortia, including several partner cities, the selected group of cities involves a total of 124 cities.
The 100 Intelligent Cities Challenge (ICC) is a unique opportunity for evolving EU cities to join a community that leverages advanced technologies, to tackle the pandemic crisis and reconstruct their economies while steering them in the direction of green smart sustainable growth. This will help cities to improve the quality of life and create new opportunities for their business communities.
The ICC will build on the success of the Digital Cities Challenge, which helped 41 EU cities develop a strategic vision and a roadmap for digital transformation. ICC cities will receive high quality and tailored guidance and expert support, access to advisory and city peer networks (European and international), and capability building tools, to drive priority policy goals and the uptake of advanced technologies.