From November 4 to 6, 2025, our team proudly participated in the Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC) in Barcelona, one of the world’s leading platforms for advancing urban innovation, sustainability, and climate action.
We had the honour of contributing to the ICLEI-led session, where we presented the exploitation and upscaling activities of the #AthensEnergyPortal. This digital platform supports the City of Athens in addressing climate change, improving energy efficiency, and promoting social equity. The platform, developed by the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), INZEB, and the Municipality of Athens, is funded by the ICLEI Action Fund. It exemplifies how data-driven tools can support inclusive and sustainable urban energy transitions.
Throughout the Congress, we actively engaged in key sessions and side events, including:
- “From Legacy to Leading Edge: How Retrofitting Transforms Ageing Cities”, which offered valuable insights into transforming existing urban infrastructure for greater sustainability.
- Presentations by leading initiatives such as the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM) and NetZeroCitiesEU, highlighting pioneering city-level climate strategies, partnerships, and funding models aligned with the EU Cities Mission.
Beyond the sessions, the Congress provided rich opportunities for networking and knowledge exchange. We had the pleasure of reconnecting with friends and esteemed colleagues from the Technical University of Crete, Sapienza University of Rome, and other institutions. We explored new ideas and potential collaborations for future projects.
Attending SCEWC 2025 reaffirmed the value of cross-sector dialogue and international cooperation in accelerating local climate action. We return inspired and motivated to further scale impact through innovation, collaboration, and shared learning.