The problem/issue being addressed
frontierCities2 (fC2) - Another Level of Impact focuses on supporting the development and market uptake of FIWARE-enabled solutions (powered-by-FIWARE solutions) in the Smart Cities domain. The problem being addressed is how to ensure optimal development and market uptake of smart cities solutions that use FIWARE. More specifically, in addition to seeking to tackle the challenges faced by start-ups and SMEs in developing innovation solutions and bringing them to market, other key problems include specific challenges in bringing solutions to the smart cities market, as well as the fact that they FIWARE ecosystem of start-ups and companies using FIWARE is still relatively small and with limited (but growing) exposure and recognition in cities across Europe. In addition to providing grant funding support through competitive calls, frontierCities 2 will also seek to facilitate grantee company access to cities and other potential customer segments, as well as providing other acceleration support such as fostering partnerships and investment facilitation.
Importance for Society
frontierCities2 is part of the wider emerging ecosystem that is promoting open-source platforms and technologies to foster societal innovations and tackle societal challenges. By fostering the development of start-ups and SMEs that use FIWARE in their solutions this is not only supporting innovation and innovative start-ups and SMEs, but is also increasing the range of open-source smart cities solutions that cities and other smart cities actors can tap into, allowing them to avoid vendor-lock in and increase the capacity to assemble various smart cities solutions as they see fit. This should provide better value for money over time, as well as increase the scope for replication across a larger number of cities, and help Europe in its effort to ensure that it remains competitive in the digital economy.
frontierCities2 Overall Objectives
Key frontierCities 2 Objectives include the following:
1. Build on the current success of the existing fC Accelerator by further developing the range of smart mobility solutions, while broadening into other Smart Cities areas, offering an increased range of proven FIWARE;
2. Building on the existing impact of frontierCities in European Cities to significantly expand the network of trial and deployment partner cities;
3. A significantly strengthened and focussed Market Acceleration Programme, to provide increased support for successful business development and market uptake;
4. A Call and market strategy that will offer superior impact and results in terms of i) Start-up and SME growth and employment and growth and ii) excellent societal impact by prioritising Acceleration2 grants to proven smart mobility solutions from the current frontierCities, thereby providing increased ‘impact return’ for EU taxpayers’ money;
5. A Cities deployment support and acceleration programme, to accelerate interest and take-up among cities, as well as providing learning, experience exchange and capacity development;
An investment and financing support service to support grantees (but also where needed cities) to secure financing and investment, including lending, seed and early-stage venture capital, Crowdfunding.
