The municipality of Matosinhos was one of the participating cities in the Seminar “HORIZON Program: Innovation and Development for Cities,” promoted by the Municipality of Maia, to witness its journey within the framework of the ATELIER project.
On March 20th, the seminar “HORIZON Program: Innovation and Development for Cities” took place in Maia with the aim of informing municipalities about the challenges and opportunities that the “2021 – 2027 HORIZON EUROPE” program brings for innovation in local governance, as well as demonstrating innovative solutions to create smart and carbon-neutral energy systems in European cities. This event stems from the participation of the Maia City Council in the SPARCS project – Sustainable Energy Positive & Zero Carbon Communities and the invitation extended to the municipality of Matosinhos is due to its participation in the ATELIER project since 2019. Also funded by the European program HORIZON 2020, ATELIER aims to develop urban areas called “Positive Energy Districts” with the goal of reducing CO2 emissions in 2 pilot cities, Amsterdam and Bilbao, through sustainable and accessible energy systems for citizens and subsequent replication of knowledge and adaptation of solutions in 6 partner cities.
Therefore, the Matosinhos environmental department had the opportunity to present the project and showcase the positive energy areas it is already creating in its Municipality: the Custió Neighborhood and the Leça Green Corridor. The event featured the presence of the National Innovation Agency (ANI), the national contact point for the Horizon Europe Program, with the presentation of the Network of Portuguese Cities and Regions for Climate Neutrality and the testimony of Cities with concrete experiences under the Horizon Program, through the SPARCS, ATELIER, and POCITYF projects.
Author: Tiago Lopes, City of Matosinhos
Picture credits: Mais Momentos