PARTNERS
The consortium brings together an excellent mix of international organisations, research and innovation partners, SMEs and networks organisations.
Project coordinated by:
Consortium:
The Urban Living Lab Center links capacity building and implementation support in the context of transformative living labs. The Urban Living Lab Center is co-hosted by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Technical University Berlin (TUB) and the Wuppertal Institute and facilitates collaboration with UN-Habitat. The objective is to build on a range of joint initiatives and provide the platform for other actors and projects in the field to broaden and sustain the programme. The network of Labs and Hubs is meant to support the implementation of action-oriented urban development projects in Asia, Africa and Latin America, boost synergies and minimise duplications. The Urban Living Lab Center at TU Berlin is the Technical Coordinator of the SESA project.
ICLEI is a global network working with more than 2,500 local and regional governments committed to sustainable urban development. Active in 125+ countries, we influence sustainability policy and drive local action for low emission, nature-based, equitable, resilient and circular development.
ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability is a global network working with more than 2500 local and regional governments committed to sustainable urban development. Active in 125+ countries, we influence sustainability policy and drive local action for low emission, nature-based, equitable, resilient and circular development. At ICLEI Africa, we serve our African members, working with cities and regions in more than 25 countries across the continent. We offer a variety of urban sustainability solutions through our dynamic and passionate team of skilled professionals. ICLEI Africa connects leaders, accelerates action and provides a gateway to solutions through capacity building, projects on the ground and policy influence.
F6S is the leading platform for application management for commercial, corporate, government, university and other accelerator programs, helping more than 17.000 such initiatives worldwide.
RISE is Sweden’s research institute and innovation partner. Through our international collaboration programmes with industry, academia and the public sector, we ensure the competitiveness of the Swedish business community on an international level and contribute to a sustainable society.
A better quality of life for all in an urbanizing world OUR VISION The UN-Habitat’s vision of “a better quality of life for all in an urbanizing world” is bold and ambitious. UN-Habitat works with partners to build inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities and communities. UN-Habitat promotes urbanization as a positive transformative force for people and communities, reducing inequality, discrimination and poverty.
OUR MISSION UN-Habitat works in over 90 countries to promote transformative change in cities and human settlements through knowledge, policy advice, technical assistance and collaborative action. UN-Habitat’s new strategic plan 2020-2023 adopts a more strategic and integrated approach to solving the challenges and opportunities of twenty-first century cities and other human settlements. Our mission embodies the four main roles of the organization, which can be summarized as: think, do, share and partner.
THINK: UN-Habitat’s normative work, including groundbreaking research and capacity-building, sets standards, proposes norms and principles, shares good practice, monitors global progress and supports formulation of policies related to sustainable cities and human settlements.
DO: UN-Habitat’s operational work takes various forms of technical assistance, drawing on its unique expertise in sustainable urbanization and crisis response. UN-Habitat implements projects to provide value-added and tailored support to countries. SHARE: Through advocacy, communication and outreach, UN-Habitat mobilizes public, political and financial support and collaborative action to inspire qualitative change in national development plans, policy frameworks, development practice and investment choices for sustainable urban development at the local, national and global level.
PARTNER: UN-Habitat collaborates with governments, intergovernmental, UN agencies, civil society organizations, foundations, academic institutions and the private sector to achieve enduring results in addressing the challenges of urbanization.
Blekinge Institute of Technology, BTH, has a distinctive focus on the digitalisation of society and sustainability. BTH’s task is to contribute to a more sustainable societal development through higher education, research and innovation. BTH conducts education and research in fields in which society has major needs. Through international excellence, we contribute to digital and sustainable transformation. As an institute of technology, we have a responsibility and a unique opportunity to make our contribution to both regional and national competitiveness and to global sustainability. External engagement with wider society and the private sector contribute to making us more attractive and ensuring that our education and research maintain high quality and relevance.
The Green Energy Park is a platform for testing, research and training in solar energy located in the green city of BenGuerir. It was developed by the Research Institute in Solar Energy and New Energies (IRESEN) in partnership with the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University. This first platform in Africa, a unique model of its kind, allows on the one hand, the creation of synergies and the pooling of research infrastructure to create a critical mass and achieve excellence, and on the other hand, the acquisition of knowledge and know-how by the various partner universities and industry.
At Going Green we manufacture Sunflower cooking oil at a small scale in the rural area of the central region of Malawi (Mchinji district). We are working with 2,000 small holder farmers of whom we supply them with sunflower seeds and they farm on contract basis. Going Green later buys their produce for oil production. We intend to process the sunflower stock after harvest into briquettes to be used in the Bio cooker that we shall be producing.
We at Make It Green, a Swedish green tech company, has dedicated our time to find a better solution for the health problems when cooking food on a cookstove in developing countries.
Leitat is a private technical institute with over 110 years of experience in industrial innovation processes. We transform technological and scientific results into economic and competitive value for our clients and collaborating entities. Over 1500 customers benefit from our talent, creativity and strong commitment. We bring knowledge and innovation to our customers through applied research and technical testing in the fields of chemistry, energy, environment, materials, engineering and life sciences. We rely upon our 350 highly skilled team members who deliver flexible solutions to face any industrial challenge.
We at Make It Green, a Swedish green tech company, has dedicated our time to find a better solution for the health problems when cooking food on a cookstove in developing countries.
Biotechnology company dedicated to the optimization of anaerobic digestion processes, design, construction and commissioning of biogas and biomethane facilities.
As a nonprofit foundation, Siemens Stiftung promotes sustainable social development, which is crucially dependent on access to basic services, high-quality education, and an understanding of culture. To this effect, the Foundation’s project work supports people in taking the initiative to responsibly address current challenges. Together with partners, Siemens Stiftung develops and implements solutions and programs to support this effort, with technological and social innovation playing a central role. The actions of Siemens Stiftung are impact-oriented and conducted in a transparent manner.
As an independent not-for-profit Consultancy and Research Technology Organisation we strive to make the world a better place to live and travel in. We are experts in zero-emission mobility, its energy infrastructure and circular economy. Our motto is to support our customers and partners in “Driving mobility towards a smart and sustainable tomorrow”.
WeTu is a social enterprise leveraging solar to provide mobility, power, and clean and safe water solutions to improve living standards in rural Kenya. We operate in a non-profitable manner, as benefiting society comes prior to our own economic interest. Respect, professionalism, and transparency are values by which we conduct our business. We genuinely care about our clients and protecting the wider ecosystem. We have a growth mindset and work directly with our clients and experts from around the world to learn and innovate through feedback and research. This ensures our products and services respond to the needs that exist. Our innovations solve problems in order to deliver better solutions and better lives.
UNEP is a United Nations entity established by UN General Assembly Resolution 2997 of 15 December 1972. UNEP is implementing its global electric mobility programme, supporting more than 50 low and middle-income countries with the introduction of national electric mobility policies and standards to promote electric vehicles. Within SESA, mobility activities are led by UNEP’s Sustainable Mobility Unit of the Economy Division.
UNEP is a United Nations entity established by UN General Assembly Resolution 2997 of 15 December 1972. UNEP is implementing its global electric mobility programme, supporting more than 50 low and middle-income countries with the introduction of national electric mobility policies and standards to promote electric vehicles. Within SESA, mobility activities are led by UNEP’s Sustainable Mobility Unit of the Economy Division.
Urban Electric Mobility Initiative (UEMI) was initiated by the UN-Habitat and was launched at the UN Climate Summit in September 2014 in New York. The UEMI is a joint initiative of partners, building on international activities in the areas of sustainable urban development, energy, mobility, and focusing on the equal access and provision of urban basic services in Africa, Asia and Latin America. UEMI supports the exchange of innovative and sustainable urban solutions between cities in Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America, amassing a wealth of experience and technical knowledge from international organisations, consultants, cities, and experts involved in transport issues and solutions. The initiative has a secretariat in Berlin which acts as a resource centre and provides opportunities for direct collaboration on projects focusing on sustainable urban mobility and the role e-mobility can play in it. The overall objective of UEMI is to make a substantial contribution to the uptake of innovative and green urban mobility solutions across the world, by facilitating dialogue and exchange, promoting successful policy, providing guidance and tailored advice to city officials, and fostering future cooperation on research, development and innovation, ultimately delivering on the New Urban Agenda and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
All degree programmes and research activities at Aalborg University are problem and project-based and have an interdisciplinary focus. Through strong interplay between staff and students and intense collaboration with public and private sectors, we offer degree programmes with a real-world approach and provide world-class research. This results in new insights, new solutions to societal challenges and knowledge that changes the world.
The Stockholm Environment Institute, or SEI, is a non-profit, independent research and policy institute specialising in sustainable development and environmental issues, with seven affiliate offices around the world. SEI works on climate change, energy systems, water resources, air quality, land-use, sanitation, food security, and trade issues with the aim to shift policy and practice towards sustainability.
Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development as a body corporate which was established by Act 1026. The aims of the University are to:
a) provide higher education in technical, vocational and entrepreneurial training to develop skilled manpower for job creation for economic development.
b) train and provide teachers with the relevant competence for teaching in technical and vocational education and training institutions;
c) train and provide teachers with the relevant competence for teaching entrepreneurial development; and d) develop strong linkages between the University and (i) industry, or (ii) the community, to ensure holistic training of teachers The university promotes the use of critical and practical tools including information and communication technology for teaching, research, dissemination of knowledge and administration.
Problem-based learning techniques that are practical and relevant to technical and vocational education and training; promote the use of teaching and problem-solving methods that ensure critical and independent thinking; undertake research in courses that are within the mandate of the University, but with special emphasis on matters that relate to technical and vocational education and training within and outside the country.
We establish people-focused energy systems that are sustainable, affordable and resilient by working with front-runners in energy space. Founded, as Energy and Livelihoods for Communities (E-LICO) Foundation is a non-profit organization established with the main goal of accelerating access to modern energy solutions for socio-economic development of rural Africa
The Wuppertal Institute is a leading international think tank for sustainability research focused on impacts and practical application. The organisation’s activities are centered on developing transformation processes aimed at shaping a climate-friendly and resource-efficient world.
Sustainable development requires an integrated approach to policy and science because many of the issues it raises cannot be addressed within a single department or using the tools of individual scientific disciplines. This is where the Wuppertal Institute’s research programme begins – by taking an interdisciplinary approach and working towards systems understanding. Applied sustainability research is the Wuppertal Institute’s stated mission. The Wuppertal Institute collaborates with a multitude of universities and institutes around the world.
TECNALIA is the largest centre of applied research and technological development in Spain, a benchmark in Europe and a member of the Basque Research and Technology Alliance. We collaborate with companies and institutions to improve their competitiveness, people’s quality of life and achieve sustainable growth. We do it thanks to people who are passionate about technology and committed to building a better society.
• Our Mission: To transform technological research into prosperity.
• Our Vision: To be agents of transformation of companies and society for their adaptation to the challenges of a changing future. We work with an increasingly strategic business relationship model based on trust, collaboration, and a shared technological approach, whereby our main scopes of action are: smart manufacturing, digital transformation, energy transition, sustainable mobility, Personalised health, and the urban ecosystem. We are the first private Spanish organisation in contracting, participation, and leadership in the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 programme and we are ranked third in European patent applications.
The University of Rwanda (UR) was established by the Government of Rwanda through the law no 71/2013 of 10/09/2013. It resulted from the merge of the nation’s seven public Higher Learning Institutions into a consolidated entity governed by the Board of Governors and an Academic Senate with strong staff and student representation, along with the Vice Chancellor who is the University’s chief executive officer. UR’s Titular Head is the Chancellor, and it consists of the following academic entities:
College of Arts and Social Sciences (CASS) College of Agriculture, Animal Sciences and Veterinary Medicine (CAVM) College of Business and Economics (CBE) College of Education (CE) College of Medicine and Health Sciences (CMHS) College of Science and Technology (CST) The Vice-Chancellor leads the University’s senior management team that will include 3 deputy Vice Chancellors and 6 College Principals. Mission To support the development of Rwanda by discovering and advancing knowledge, committed to the highest standards of academic excellence, where students are prepared for lives of service, leadership and solutions.
Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST), was established as Polytechnic of Namibia in 1994, and transformed to NUST by an Act of Parliament, Act 7 of 2015. The mission is to be an engaged and responsive university, meeting the needs of stakeholders through excellent education, applied research, innovation and service. The University offers 175 qualifications to app. 17 000 students. It boasts of over 80 international academic partners, with a majority of them from Europe with 24 partners in Germany alone. Institutional research activities are geared towards locally and globally relevant applied research and innovation with socio- environmental impact in the midst of the fourth Industrial Revolution.
Smart Innovation Norway’s is a nonprofit research and innovation driven organization, based at Remmen Innovation Park (Halden), which main purpose is to practice independent, applied research (from ideas to commercialisation) within the fields of Sustainable Energy, Applied Artificial Intelligence, Smart City and Digital Entrepreneurship
Hosted at Nelson Mandela University, the uYilo eMobility Programme has been active for the last 8 years on enabling sustainable development in South Africa across the electric mobility ecosystem. The enabling, facilitating and mobiling activities include government lobbying, industry engagement, enterprise development, thought leadership and skills development. Facilities and expertise are supported across battery technology, vehicle systems, and the smart grid ecosystem.