• The training programme for cities and regions in innovative financing instruments is back, in its second edition, to boost the implementation of energy efficiency and sustainability plans
• Valladolid City Council's Agency for Innovation and Economic Development (Ideva) is partner and mentor in this learning project

Following the success of the first edition of PROSPECT, a Horizon 2020 programme, the new PROSPECT+ project will continue to improve the capacities of European regional and local authorities to finance and implement their energy sustainability action plans through innovative financing mechanisms.

Valladolid participates in the project as partner and mentor city focused on building a ‘Climate Resilient Low Carbon Future: Safe, Clean and Efficient Energy’, aligned with Horizon 2020. Valladolid City Council, through the Agency for Innovation and Economic Development (IdeVa), manages the project within the consortium and the group of mentors together with three other agencies from European countries. In the 1st edition, a team of municipal technicians already advised and paved the way for 19 cities to improve their capacities in sustainable mobility management.

More mentors have already been chosen for this edition, among 44 eligible countries. In fact, CARTIF will play this role in PROSPECT+ in the team led by the City of Valladolid.

The first cycle, which starts in February, will last approximately 6 months and will comprise 5 online meetings and one face-to-face meeting if circumstances allow travelling.

Seeking funding

Cities are a major contributor to pollution and climate change, but at the same time they have the strength and opportunity to generate the greatest energy savings, set an example and lead the way in energy transition.  One of the biggest obstacles to financing climate and energy projects is the lack of internal capacity to identify the most appropriate and cost-effective financial instruments.

PROSPECT+ aims to enable more than 200 EU cities and regions located in at least 20 EU Member States to improve their capacity to finance and implement their Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans (SECAPs) and similar others in order to accelerate their progress towards achieving their climate and energy goals.

Practice Community

In the PROSPECT+ Programme, experts from local and regional entities will share their experience through mentoring tutorials, with the aim of enabling participants to identify new financing mechanisms in a team effort to overcome the financial challenge of cities in implementing their climate action and energy plans (SECAPs).  They will also have the opportunity to be part of a ‘Practice Community’ created to promote the further exchange of best practices and share the obstacles faced by local authorities in undertaking optimal investments in sustainable energy and low-emission mobility in a timely manner.

The learning, which will help in particular in the decision-making process for the selection of projects and how to assess and ensure that they are fundable, is divided into 5 learning modules:

• Public buildings
• Private buildings
• Lighting
• Transport
• Cross-cutting aspects

The Innovation Agency (IdeVa), which reports to the Department of Innovation and Economic Development, is leading this project in the field of transport, contributing the experience of the city of Valladolid in the implementation and financing of sustainable mobility initiatives. In the first edition, a team of municipal technicians advised and paved the way for 19 European cities in their mobility plans.

About the Consortium

The PROSPECT Consortium consists of 6 PROSPECT core partners

• European Institute for Energy and Climate Policy (EIECP)
• University of Piraeus Research Centre (UPRC)
• Federation of European Agencies and Regions for Energy and Environment (FEDARENE)
• Energy Cities (Energy Cities)
• Eurocities Cities Network
• National Energy Agency of Upper Austria (ESV)

In addition, four new Agencies will act as mentors:

• Association of Energy Managers of Cities and Regions of the Czech Republic (SEMMO)
• TIPERRARY Energy Agency (Ireland)
• Energy Agency of Podravje - ENERGAP (Slovenia)
• Agency for Innovation and Economic Development of the Valladolid City Council (IdeVa)

All new partners were successful mentors in PROSPECT, and therefore provide an external perspective on the management of the programme.  In addition, Adelphi was selected and invited to bring a new vision to strengthen the financial fundraising capacities.