Second Call for Pilots Work Strand 1 - Connecting Existing Local Digital Twins

Description

Task description The Local Digital Twins for Smart Sustainable Cities (LDT4SSC) initiative is launching an Open Call for Pilots to engage European local and regional authorities, as well as a wide range of stakeholders, including public administrations at local, regional, and national levels, businesses, technology developers, suppliers, research institutions, and academia, in building a networked ecosystem of Local Digital Twins (LDTs). The second call concerns Work Strand 1, 2 and 3 (WS1, WS2 and WS3), of which WS1 aims to interconnect existing LDTs and create a federated EU-wide network supporting seamless data exchange and interoperability. WS1 focuses on federation and interoperability, requiring pilots to prioritise cross-border data exchange and the creation of shared data spaces, demanding a baseline of digital maturity and collaboration among multiple public authorities. Who Can Apply The open call is designed to engage a diverse range of local and regional communities. Participation is open to public administrations at local, regional, and national levels, including European Digital Infrastructure Consortia (EDICs) such as the LDT CitiVERSE EDIC, businesses, technology developers, suppliers, research institutions, academia, as well as non-governmental organizations, non-profit organizations, and other research partners or civil society actors. To ensure the replicability and scalability of each pilot, every consortium is required to include at least one additional partner from the private sector, such as a service provider, private association with legal status, trusted third party, or a private representative of a use-case sector. Members of the LDT4SSC Consortium are not permitted to join pilot consortia. All partners must be based in eligible countries and be able to co-finance at least 50% of the project costs. Consortia Eligibility Criteria Each pilot consortium must comprise at least two local and regional authorities drawn from two different eligible countries. Eligible countries include EU Member States (including outermost regions and overseas territories), Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and listed EEA and DEP Associated countries. To ensure the replicability and scalability of the pilot, each consortium is encouraged to involve at least one additional partner from one of the following categories: private entity (e.g., service provider), private association with legal status, trusted third party, or private representative of a use-case sector. Security restrictions: Consortium members must not be controlled by an ineligible country. If there is a potential risk, entities may provide a guarantee. Ownership Control Declaration (OCD) requirements: All entities except those validated as public bodies by EU countries must submit an OCD. It must be self-declared at proposal submission and, if the pilot is awarded, the official OCD must be provided within 14 days of notification. If a consortium member is controlled by an ineligible country, participation will be conditional on submission and acceptance of an adequate guarantee. Scope WS1 is dedicated to connecting and federating LDTs across cities, communities and regions to create a unified, interoperable and reusable EU LDT ecosystem. In doing so, WS1 will support communities in accessing a comprehensive set of technical open specifications and open-source software components to interconnect their LDTs through Data Spaces, with most solutions expected to align with the SIMPL framework where appropriate. These efforts are expected to draw on the European Data Space for Smart and Sustainable Cities and Communities (DS4SSCC) as well as relevant thematic data spaces such as those for tourism, mobility and other domains, with which data exchange is envisaged. By leveraging standards, pilots will break down silos, scale up EU-wide datasets and onboard less-advanced communities into the LDT network. The goal is hence to enhance decision-making (particularly in key EU policies (like mobility, energy efficiency, or environmental), reduce redundancies and foster a collaborative data economy, ultimately laying the foundation for a resilient, interconnected digital infrastructure that supports Europe’s green and digital ambitions. Through real-world use cases, such as cross-border traffic management or multi-city resource optimisation, it is expected that WS1 will transform fragmented local initiatives into a cohesive, replicable, scalable and reusable federation of LDTs, driving collective innovation and efficiency. Available funding and Co-Financing The EU contribution for WS1 under the second call amounts to €2.8 million, to be distributed across approximately 2-3 selected consortia. The co-funding model ensures that EU support covers up to 50% of eligible expenses, with applicants demonstrating the capacity to finance at least 50% of pilot costs from their own resources. Key financial rules: The maximum grant per third-party (across multiple consortia and awarded pilot projects) is €500,000. Any expenses exceeding this amount must be fully covered by consortium members. The maximum cumulative grant per consortium is €1,000,000. Applicants must cover at least 50% of total pilot costs. Co-financing must be a dedicated, auditable cost, explicitly included in the pilot budget and documented according to normal accounting practices. Only direct monetary contributions or monetized resources listed in the budget are eligible; in-kind contributions not monetized in the budget are not admissible. All costs must be actual, incurred during the pilot period, and fully compliant with applicable regulations, including state aid rules and prevention of double funding. Participating local and regional administrations, as well as any other consortium members contributing financially, must demonstrate their capacity to provide at least 50% co-financing through a Letter of Commitment. The pilot consortium will receive 30% of the total grant as pre-financing upon signing the Grant Agreement, with the remaining 70% paid in two instalments based on performance during the midterm and final reporting periods. For more information, please refer to the relevant Call for Pilots Manual at https://ldt4ssc.eu/opencalls/ Additional information We invite applicants to be part of the Stakeholder Forum to engage and network with likeminded organisations aiming to realise the objectives for LDT4SSC. This forum also offers opportunities to directly liaise with the LDT4SSC consortium members. More information at https://ldt4ssc.eu/ Applicants are responsible for checking the LDT4SSC project website (https://ldt4ssc.eu/opencalls/) for updated information related to this Call, including the information about the schedule for Info Sessions. For any inquiries, please contact info@ldt4ssc.eu. Project details Project acronym LDT4SSC Full name of the EU funded project Local Digital Twins for Smart and Sustainable Communities Grant agreement number 101226211 Topic DIGITAL-2024-CLOUD-DATA-AI-07-DIGITALTWIN - Towards networked Local Digital Twins in the EU Programme DIGITAL

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