Gothenburg Green City Zone receives EU funding
Over the next two years, Gothenburg Green City Zone will receive 600 000 EUR in funding from the EU to ramp up the efforts for achieving a zero-emission transport system by 2030. It is a confirmation that the EU believes in Gothenburg’s processes and methods, and of the city’s strength in stakeholder collaboration.
“It’s rare for the EU to fully finance a project, but here they believe we can make a difference. They want us to accelerate the transition, share our methods, and set examples for how cities can succeed in transitioning. Our aim is to drive collaboration and dialogue between stakeholders, and this is what the EU wants to support,” says Jonas Eriksson, head of Gothenburg Green City Zone.
Gothenburg Green City Zone is an initiative where industry, academia, and public actors collaborate on sustainable transport solutions. The EU believes in Gothenburg’s processes and methods, and the city’s strength in stakeholder collaboration is one reason why Gothenburg Green City Zone is receiving EU funding.
Funding to drive progress
In 2022, the European Commission selected Gothenburg as one of 100 cities in the Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities program. This designation means Gothenburg is to be a pioneer in the transformation toward climate neutrality and set an example for Europe’s transition. This allowed Gothenburg Green City Zone to apply for EU funding, which will be used to further accelerate the transition to zero-emission transport by 2030.
“Typically, this kind of funding is allocated to projects testing a specific solution, but we’re receiving it to accelerate our work in driving the transition and enhancing collaboration. The EU emphasizes that our focus should be on exploring what we need to do to move forward and applying the funds to that,” says Jonas Eriksson.
New collaborations and methods
During the two years of funding, the goal is to increase knowledge about what needs to be done to push the transition forward and to encourage private and public actors to make joint decisions.
“We will conduct in-depth analyses of the conditions. We want to look at what barriers exist and what is preventing companies from transitioning. We will also organize larger workshops and open arenas for discussions,” says Jonas Eriksson.
Gothenburg Green City Zone will also work on so-called design sprints—a method for innovation development that quickly builds shared understanding and develops new ideas and proposals. Thanks to the funding, this method can be used as a new tool.
Collaborative efforts for scaling up
Gothenburg Green City Zone already has several pilot projects with functional solutions but has faced challenges in scaling them up.
“Tests are often conducted on a small scale when funding is available, and once the pilot ends, the work stops. We need to increase collaboration and reach joint decisions that lead to more action after the pilot phase. We also need to maintain a continuous dialogue about the transition. We know we need to transition, and we have the technical prerequisites in automation, electrification, and digitalization. But to scale up, businesses, the city, and academia need to agree on the direction. Otherwise, people are hesitant to invest,” says Jonas Eriksson.
FACTS
Gothenburg Green City Zone
The Gothenburg Green City Zone initiative has created a full-scale test environment in central Gothenburg, where private and public actors collaborate on sustainable transport solutions. New solutions and innovations are tested with the goal of achieving zero emissions by 2030. The initiative is led by the City of Gothenburg through Business Region Göteborg and was founded Business Region Göteborg, Volvo Cars and RISE Research Institutes of Sweden.
