At a decisive moment for the implementation of climate neutrality in European cities, Paulo Ferrão, a professor at Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, and researcher at the Center for Innovation, Technology and Policy Research (IN+), has been appointed chair of the Cities Mission Board by the European Commission, with immediate effect. This board is part of the governance structure of the European Mission “100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities by 2030”, which is included in the Horizon Europe programme.
The appointment comes at a time when more than a hundred cities have already obtained the “Mission Label” after submitting their respective Climate Contracts for the City. “This means that they have taken on the political goal of climate neutrality, defined measures to achieve it, and prepared funding plans”, says the professor. Despite this progress, Paulo Ferrão identifies structural constraints: “They continue to face challenges beyond their control, particularly regarding funding rules and the difficulty in mobilising investment on the necessary scale.”
For the new president of this advisory body, of which he has been a member since 2022, the “Cities Mission” highlighted “a test of the system,” demonstrating that while “local ambition exists, the framework is not yet adjusted to the speed of climate transition.” In this context, he believes that the Council’s role is to strengthen coordination between decision-making levels, “from European policy to the reality of those implementing it on the ground”. He also emphasised that “investing in cities is an opportunity to promote competitiveness, energy autonomy, and quality of life in Europe”.
“The main priority will be to turn existing plans into real investment in concrete projects”, says Paulo Ferrão. To this end, he advocates creating conditions that allow “cities to invest in a stable and predictable manner”, as well as greater consistency between financial instruments and political objectives.
“There is a clear opportunity for Portuguese institutions to contribute with knowledge, innovation capacity, and expertise in concrete projects”, he adds, stressing that “climate transition in cities increasingly highlights the importance of the connection between science, technology, and public policy”.
Técnico has been working in this area through its affiliated research unit IN+, chaired by Paulo Ferrão, which provides the technical support for the “Cities for Climate” network. This network brings together 22 cities and regions, including Guimarães, Lisbon, and Porto, promoting cooperation and the sharing of solutions for climate neutrality.
The contributions from Técnico/IN+ include developing urban digital twins, with a particular focus on energy consumption in buildings and mobility; creating decision-support tools for cost-benefit assessments of various measures; and training municipal technicians.
“The ability to demonstrate solutions in a real-world context is now one of the most important contributions from universities, which involves students, professors, and researchers from different scientific fields in a joint effort towards transformation”, he concludes, advocating for a stronger institutional commitment. “We need to intensify our internal efforts to set an example”.
His confirmation in office ensures continuity in the strategic direction of this body at a crucial time for meeting the 2030 targets and reinforcing the European goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050.
