EU project for 
Climate Neutral
Future

Real labs often exist in smaller geographical and social contexts: experimentation with innovative solutions often takes place in neighborhoods or urban districts. On a small scale, the approach has proven successful for more innovations. Now the European Commission is promoting it on a large scale.

These regions are part of the project

• Emilia Romagna (Italy)
• Lower Silesia (Poland) 
• Western Macedonia (Greece)
• Ruhr Metropolis (Germany)

In the regions, methods for a climate-neutral future are being developed that make a targeted contribution to sustainability. New problem-solving approaches and participation formats are particularly important in this phase. The next step is the transformation out of the real labs and into the respective region (Super-Lab Transition).

It is important that the innovations have the potential to transform permanently. To achieve this, stakeholders from academia, business, government organization and civil society are brought together. New forms of collaboration are encouraged.

Each region sets its own priorities in the project to support climate neutrality. The Ruhr region is traditionally an energy region. On its way to becoming the greenest industrial region in the world, the Ruhr Metropolis is focusing on how hydrogen can accelerate the energy transition along the entire value chain.

The first Transition Super Lab opens up a very special opportunity for the Ruhr Metropolis. As a European hydrogen model region, the Ruhr region becomes internationally visible and thus also strengthens hydrogen stakeholders from the Ruhr Metropolis.

The project runs for two years. Together with the municipalities, a vision will be developed, then the concrete use cases will be determined and subsequently an action plan for possible implementation will be developed.

The TRANSFORMER regions are working on a cross-national roadmap that will include individual projects as well as overarching strategic and structural recommendations for action for other European regions for structural transformation.

Emilia Romagna, Lower Silesia, Western Macedonia and the Ruhr region will together become a model for innovative projects for a faster path to climate neutrality in Europe.