Ulysseus Brings Together Stakeholders for a Climate-Neutral Seville 

Ulysseus European University and the University of Seville hosted today the event “From Experimentation to Transformation: Strengthening Collaborative Pathways for Climate-Neutral Innovation: e-city”.

The gathering brought together representatives from the Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Seville, the Seville City Council, the Regional Government of Andalusia, Sevilla TechPark and Endesa, among other institutions. The aim of the event was to align priorities and coordinate efforts around the eCitySevilla decarbonization agenda, as well as to present Ulysseus as a meeting point to boost this joint initiative.

The local implementation of eCitySevilla poses a series of challenges, including involving citizens and ensuring their cooperation in sustainable mobility and decarbonization, developing efficient intermodality to increase the use of public transport, and generating and storing local energy through energy communities and investments in energy efficiency. To address these and other needs, the University of Seville and Ulysseus organized this event, divided into two sessions, bringing together institutional representatives and experts involved in these efforts.

Ulysseus and the University of Seville Lead Institutional Dialogue to Accelerate the eCitySevilla Decarbonization Agenda

The first session gathered leaders from organizations responsible for driving this transformation.

In her remarks, Carmen Vargas, Rector of the University of Seville and Coordinating University of the Ulysseus alliance, stressed how the university can contribute with its talent to provide solutions to the challenges of the decarbonization of La Cartuja Park.

In addition, other representatives from local and regional organizations provided their own insights on the status of the journey towards climate neutrality of Seville. This includes Rafael Sánchez, Director of Endesa in Andalusia, Extremadura, Ceuta and Melilla; Mikel Landabaso, Director of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Seville; Antonio Posadas Chinchilla, Secretary General for Research and Innovation of the Government of Andalusia; and Álvaro Pimentel, Deputy Mayor and Delegate for Cartuja, Innovation Parks, Mobility, Economy and Commerce of the Seville City Council. The session was moderated by Luis Pérez, director PCT Cartuja / Sevilla TechPark.

The convergence of all these institutions in Seville encourages urban innovation and the energy transition. However, institutional dialogue needs to be strengthened. For this reason, the central focus of the meeting was to position the Ulysseus Innovation Hub as a connecting point to ensure continuity for all these actions. The goal is to align priorities, identify opportunities, strengthen collaborations, and agree on follow-up actions around the eCitySevilla decarbonization agenda, establishing a stable and replicable model of cooperation.

In this regard, the University of Seville and Ulysseus offered their expertise and the capabilities of their university community to support solutions and ensure continuity in follow-up processes. At the same time, the importance of framing Seville’s decarbonization agenda under the umbrella of the JRC’s Experimentation Journey and the eCitySevilla project was highlighted.

Open Class Brings Together Key Stakeholders to Accelerate eCitySevilla’s Transition

In addition to the institutional session, Ulysseus also hosted an Open Class that brought together innovators, researchers, policymakers and local stakeholders. The purpose of this event was to examine how Seville’s dynamic ecosystem could accelerate its transition toward a sustainable, climate-neutral future. Held in hybrid format and open to the public, the event showcased the collaborative efforts behind the eCitySevilla initiative, the Joint Research Centre’s Experimentation Journey and the collective expertise of Ulysseus European University partners.

The session focused on the status of eCitySevilla’s implementation, presenting recent progress and highlighting the obstacles that had slowed the achievement of its objectives. Participants explored three priority challenges: engaging citizens in sustainable mobility, improving the efficiency of intermodal public transport, and expanding local renewable energy generation and storage. Discussions also addressed ways to reduce private vehicle use and promote energy efficient investments across the region.

A distinguished panel contributed insights from European, academic and municipal perspectives. Speakers included Davide Magagna (European Commission, JRC), Eva Martín (Tech Park), Ángel Arcos Vargas (University of Seville), Régis Martin (Nice City Hall), Prof.-Dr.-Ing. Erwin Franquet (Polytech’Lab) and Francisco Rodríguez (Climatón – Climate Lab). The session was moderated by Julia Reinhard (Haaga Helia University of Applied Sciences).

Participants identified challenges requiring further experimentation or external support and mapped the technical expertise, services, living labs and training resources that Ulysseus could mobilize. The event underscored the value of interregional cooperation as a catalyst for real life, citizen-centred urban transformation.

About Ulysseus

Ulysseus is one of the 73 European Universities alliances selected by the European Commission under its flagship initiative of the European strategy for universities. These alliances, co-funded by the European Commission, bring together almost 650 higher education institutions of all types from across Europe. Led by the University of Seville, the Ulysseus European University Alliance encompasses seven other partner universities: the Université Côte d’Azur (France), University of Genoa (Italy), the Technical University of Košice (Slovakia), MCI | The Entrepreneurial School® (Austria), Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences (Finland), the University of Münster (Germany), and the University of Montenegro (Montenegro).