UTTC – Digital Solutions for Green Transition

The Urban Twin Transition Center (UTTC) project aims to support Swedish cities in their efforts to become climate-neutral by increasing the use of validated digital solutions for the climate transition.

Digitalization is a crucial tool for achieving climate goals. But how can we create the conditions to make this a reality? How can we foster collaboration between digitalization and sustainability functions within our organizations? How can we establish solid, research-based conditions for digitalization that contributes to sustainable transformation? And how can we identify and scale digital net-zero solutions?

These are the questions addressed by the Urban Twin Transition Center (UTTC), a new competence center that will support Swedish cities in their journey toward climate neutrality by increasing the use of validated digital solutions for the climate transition in municipalities and regions.

The initiative is led by the Internet Foundation (Internetstiftelsen), the University of Gothenburg (Göteborgs universitet), and RISE, with the goal of providing cities with the right decision-making tools in their path toward climate neutrality.

ElectriCITY contributes with its long experience of testing digital sustainability solutions.

PURPOSE AND GOALS
The ambition is to structure the most important knowledge within digital green transition to help Swedish cities make the right choices, based on validated solutions.

To achieve a green transition and climate-neutral cities, there needs to be a rapid scaling up of technical solutions to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions, that is, net-zero solutions. UTTC will support the scaling of such solutions, among other things, by validating net-zero solutions and identifying and spreading best practices for scaling.

IMPLEMENTATION AND RESULTS
UTTC will operate both through research and practical implementation support, with the knowledge from the center being open to all. A prioritized target group is the 23 Swedish cities — representing 40 percent of Sweden’s population — that are mobilizing for climate neutrality by 2030 within the innovation program Viable Cities.

UTTC will contribute to the climate-neutral cities in four main ways:
• Increasing the pace and scope of scaling net-zero solutions.
• Influencing suppliers so their solutions become scalable as standard.
• Increasing the market size and export opportunities for national net-zero solution providers.
• Reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Swedish cities and municipalities through increased use of net-zero solutions.

The validation process consists of three steps and is based on a scientifically developed model that enables the widespread use of digital solutions for the climate transition in municipalities and regions. By combining the assessment of the solution itself, in terms of its contribution to climate transition and scalability, with the organization’s necessary conditions, a decision-making basis is created that clearly shows how the municipality and region need to act to benefit from a specific solution.

Through scientifically validated net-zero solutions, we create a battery of solutions ready for use. Validated solutions are presented on the UTTC website, along with their validation level and a connection to the climate-related challenges the solution addresses.

RESEARCH
UTTC is coordinated by the University of Gothenburg, with the primary validation carried out by researchers at the University of Gothenburg and the research institute RISE. Alongside this, follow-up research and targeted research efforts will develop new knowledge based on evidence. The research results will be published in parallel through UTTC’s website and in scientific channels.