SME4SMARTCITIES in Israel organised a commercial mission focused on urban sustainable solutions
The SME4SMARTCITIES open call for proposals and co-creation from Israel is focused on the challenge of climate change readiness and mitigation – The increasing urban heat island.
The Entrepreneurial Mission meetings for this challenge took place 9-10 May 2022 and were led by SME4SMARTCITIES project partners Tel Aviv University, Urban Innovation & Sustainability Lab, Dept. of Environmental studies and the Dept. of Innovation & Sustainability, Kfar Saba Municipality.
The first day was conducted at the large transparent atrium of the Porter building at Tel Aviv University. Project partners, participating SMES and municipality representatives from Israel, Italy and Spain met to participate in an intensive program of keynotes, round table discussion, SME solution presentations, a collaboration and co-creation workshop and short innovation and sustainability tours which included the climate exhibition at the museum of natural history, the LEED Platinum Porter Eco-building and CityZone innovation centre. The short agenda is presented below while the full programme can be found here.
Institutional welcome
-Dr. Orli Ronen, TAU Urban Innovation & Sustainability Lab – Opening and Agenda
-Prof. Alex Golberg, TAU head of Environmental Studies
-Marco Sideri, ENI CBC MED Managing Authority – ONLINE
Presentation of the SME4SMARTCITIES challenges
-Antonio García, Cities Forum – Murcia & Malaga challenges
-Maria Nives Riggio, FILSE – Genova challenge
Keynotes – National and Local Sustainability Strategies and Policies
-10.30-10.50 Ophir Paz Pines – Innovation and the City – Partnerships
-10.50-11.10 Prof. Colin Price – Climate Change and Israel – TAU
-11.10-11.30 Dr. Orli Ronen – Cities on the front of Climate Change
After a networking lunch, round tables took place between SMEs and stakeholders, presenting and discussing innovative solutions, creating a dialogue and working towards co-creation.
The second day started with a plenary session at the Herods hotel Tel Aviv. Keynote discussion of the causes and effect of urban heat islands and the specific impact on the metropolitan area of Tel Aviv-Yafo. Prof. Oded Potcher presented research findings and emerging pattens of increasing urban heat in the city of Tel Aviv. Prof. Potcher is the Vice Dean and Chair of The Academic Council Faculty of Society and Culture, Beit Berl College and a researcher at Department of Geography, Tel Aviv University. Dr. Boaz Kedar, Head of Sustainable Planning and Energy, Municipality of Tel Aviv – Yafo talked about the challenge of urban heat and sun radiation within the city. The keynotes were followed with Business to users solutions meetings and Business to procurers meetings in a Round Table format for information exchange between SMEs, users, civil organizations and municipalities. The session was followed by a visit of Tel Aviv urban areas’ heat Islands.
The second part of the second day of the Israel Entrepreneurial Mission ended with two events in Kfar Saba – a workshop at the Kipod Sustainability Center and a conclusion event at the hall of the Municipal Sapir Center.
