Data4City brings together experts from the UK, Spain, Austria, and Norway to use data and artificial intelligence to make cities greener, fairer, and more resilient. The project will combine urban planning, geoinformatics, and data science to develop new tools that analyse how people move, how energy is used, and how public spaces shape wellbeing. Using “digital twins”, virtual city models built from satellite, sensor, and open data, researchers will test solutions for cleaner transport, energy efficiency, and equitable access to green space. Initial work by each partner has identified urban sustainability challenges and prototype models. 

Collaborative exchanges will build lasting international capacity and expertise in urban data science, ensuring that knowledge continues to benefit cities, policymakers, and citizens long after the project ends.

ICF funding will allow collaborators to align these efforts, refine methods, and prepare a full MSCA Staff Exchanges proposal. Collaboration priorities are to (1) align interdisciplinary expertise in geospatial data science, urban planning, and AI; (2) refine case studies and mobility plans; and (3) co-design training and impact pathways for European funding.

ICF visits will strengthen partnerships with leading EU institutions (Manchester, Madrid, Salzburg, NTNU) and harmonise existing prototype models into a unified framework. Through short exchanges, the team will produce a clear research structure and consortium agreement, directly supporting a robust Horizon Europe submission and long-term EU collaboration.