Due to the effects of rapid urbanization and industrialization in the recent years, many of the socio-economic challenges present in the Euro-Mediterranean region include an urban dimension. That is also why, an integrated approach to urban development throughout the region is needed, in order to create smart strategies for developing inclusive, sustainable and energy efficient cities in view of improving the living conditions of its citizens.

That is why, the main objective of the project is to develop and implement Smart City Innovation Centres in three South Mediterranean cities members of the Euromed Cities Network.

 The proposed cities of the first phase implementation are:

• City of Fes in Morocco
• City of Tunis in Tunisia
• Governorate of Alexandria in Egypt.

In the first phase, the project foresees to carry out the pilot implementation (referred to also as Proof of Concept - POC) of the Nice Metropolis’ Smart City Innovation Centre model in order to demonstrate its replicability by testing and adapting the model in the 3 partner cities, subsequently allowing the beneficiary cities to proceed to the second phase, namely a complete collaborative platform, by capitalizing on the pilot implementation.

In the second phase, the platform will be composed of tandems of Mediterranean cities, consisting of one city of the North and one of the South. In addition, the project anticipates and encourages the creation of such tandems between other cities of Southern and Northern Mediterranean in order to foster greater knowledge exchange between both shores of the Mediterranean. Meaning that in the aftermath the project is expected to be replicated across the region, creating new tandems between Southern and Northern Mediterranean cities while unifying the existing platform and encouraging regional integration.

An estimate of 7.300.000 citizens of all the three cities: City of Fes (1.100.000), City of Tunis (1.040.000) and Governorate of Alexandria (5.160.000).

• Local government 
• Regional government 
• City network
• Private company
• Research institutes / Universities
• Public utility

Starting date: 01/10/2018

Ending date: 31/12/2019

1st Phase:

Since the aim of the first phase of the project is carry out pilot implementations of Smart City Innovation Centres in the participating cities, the nature of funding to cover its activity should be grants, rather than loans.

Foreseen potential funders to be approached:

• United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), particularly through its multi-stakeholder programmes United Smart Cities and United for Smart Sustainable Cities (U4SSC).
  
• United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).
• Technical Assistance and Information Exchange instrument (TAIEX) of the European Commission.
• Agence Française de Développement (AfD).
  

2nd Phase:

Since the project has the potential to build some revenue in its second phase, it could be funded by combination of loans, grants and support of International Financing Institutions, donors and the private banking sector in the participating cities: 

• European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD): Invest4Cities, Green Cities framework.
  
• European Investment Bank (EIB).
• Agence Française de Développement (AfD).
• The Global Fund for Cities Development (FMDV).
  
• Potential private investors, such as the CISCO’s City Infrastructure Financing Acceleration Program (CIFAP) offering financing for cities and operators of urban services for developing and implementing innovative smart city solutions.
  
• The private banking sector in the three cities.
  

Beneficiaries:

• 3 Countries (City of Fes, Morocco, City of Tunis, Tunisia, and Governorate of Alexandria, Egypt).
  
• An estimate of 7.300.000 citizens of all the three cities: City of Fes (1.110.000), City of Tunis (1.040.000) and Governorate of Alexandria (5.160.000).
  
• 9 research and academic institutions.
  
• 30 private and public SMEs involved in Smart City Innovation centre (10 per each involved territory).
  

1. First phase results: The project foresees a pilot implementation (Proof of Concept - POC) in order to demonstrate the replicability of the Nice’s SCIC model by testing and adapting it the participating partner cities.

In terms of quantifiable results, the first phase will develop:

• 1 Term of References.
  
• 3 Pilot implementations (Proofs of Concept), one for each of the three cities.
  
• 30 SMEs involved in Smart City Innovation centre (10 per each territory).
  
• 30 public-private partnerships promoting demand-driven innovation in the public and private sector (10 per each territory).
  
• The impact on stakeholders after the implementation of the first phase:
  
• Evaluation or/creation of the necessary conditions for the development/launch of the ecosystem.
  
• Increased territorial capacity building in the development and implementation of the urban development projects and initiatives.
  
• Greater support to private and public SMEs in accessing research and innovation data received by the Innovation centres and associated Research centres.
  
• Better and more efficient use of the appropriate data.
  
• Improved satisfaction of local population due to the creation of the new public services in terms of efficient waste management, administrative modernization, urban mobility, and energy provision.
  

2. Second phase results: The project perceives to further develop the pilot implementations (POCs) in terms of newly established urban services as well as to develop the network through tandems across the region.

The impact on stakeholders after the implementation of the second phase:

• Advanced intra-territorial cooperation between different public and private stakeholders
  
• Greater regional integration in terms of urban planning policies.
  
• Acquisition of knowledge in the implementation of innovative urban development policies with the regional component.
  

Conditions to be met prior to the implementation of the first phase in order to secure successful implementation of the project:

• Partner declaration signed by all three participating countries and the academic partners, acknowledging the content and scope of the project as well as their role in the partnership.
  
• A database provided by public authorities or any other local actor.
  
• An academic research sector eager to cooperate in co-development with companies.
  
• An urban and local economic ecosystem able to organize clusters which have the capacity to process the Smart City Innovation Centre results.
  
• The cities in which a Smart City Innovation Centre will be implemented shall have the minimum of digital infrastructures (data creation, transmission, secured storage, data formatting), a university with the required human capacities and technical skills, and a dedicated industrial environment.
  

Nice Metropolis’ Smart City Innovation Centre:

https://www.nice.fr/fr/actualites/ouverture-du-smart-city-innovation-center?type=articles