Coordination and Transfer Office Model Projects Smart Cities (KTS)

Digitalisation is changing the places where people live and the way in which they live together locally. There are plenty of challenges: digital solutions are being sought for dealing with climate change or for upgrading city centres with new digital services. In the Model Projects Smart Cities (MPSC) funding programme, the German government is currently funding 73 model projects, which have been selected in three phases since 2019, with a total of 820 million euros. This gives the municipal Model Projects Smart Cities the opportunity to develop into smart city pioneers for all municipalities.

The aim of the funding programme is to strengthen the Model Projects Smart Cities in exploring a wide range of practical solutions in order to make the knowledge gained available to others on the way to a smart city.

The Coordination and Transfer Office Model Projects Smart Cities (KTS) has been providing substantial support for this process and the need for coordination through its tasks and services since summer 2021.

It supports the Model Projects Smart Cities in the targeted and effective implementation of their projects. It motivates them to test, implement and disseminate their own solutions for sustainable and community-orientated urban and municipal development. In this way, the added value of the funding programme becomes apparent, so that ultimately all municipalities in Germany can use the experience of the Model Projects Smart Cities to implement their own smart city measures.

Tasks of the Coordination and Transfer Office Model Projects Smart Cities

Knowledge Transfer: Sharing Smart Knowledge

The Coordination and Transfer Office Model Projects Smart Cities "translates" the expertise and practical knowledge gained, structures the transfer of knowledge and makes the knowledge of the municipalities and stakeholders available, especially for the specialist community. In addition, the Coordination and Transfer Office Model Projects Smart Cities is the central point of contact for all local authorities in Germany. It structures the knowledge and insights gained from the Model Projects Smart Cities in order to make model solutions widely accessible. The aim is to derive needs-based solutions for all municipalities in Germany and to expand the network of Model Projects Smart Cities into a self-learning system throughout Germany.

Networking: Smart Together

Another task of the Coordination and Transfer Office Model Projects Smart Cities is the regional, national and international networking of stakeholders with the aim of strengthening the inter-municipal exchange of experience and modelling existing smart city approaches. This will make good examples and solutions transferable and usable for all German municipalities.

Research: Creating Smart Knowledge

With these tasks and activities, the Coordination and Transfer Office Model Projects Smart Cities is making a significant contribution to building a general understanding of smart cities in Germany in accordance with the Smart City Charter. The Smart Cities Knowledge and Networking Platform (in German only) therefore enables all municipalities to network independently to form a smart city community and learn from each other in order to share the added value and benefits of their experiences and solutions with everyone and actively promote learning processes.

At a Glance: Tasks of the Coordination and Transfer Office Model Projects Smart Cities (KTS)

Individual support for the Model Projects Smart Cities, networking.
Supporting the Model Projects Smart Cities in the targeted and effective implementation of their projects.
Establishing, strengthening and expanding the mutual transfer of knowledge.
Accompanying research and scientific evaluation of research results, taking into account opportunities, risks and trends in urban development and digitalisation.
Derivation of well-founded findings for the entire municipal practice.
Transferring newly acquired and existing expertise to a wider audience.
Perspective: Qualification and transfer programme for municipal managers.
National and regional events for transfer and networking.
Establishment of central infrastructures such as digital and analogue spaces for collaboration.

How the Coordination and Transfer Office Model Projects Smart Cities (KTS) Supports the Objectives of the Federal Funding Programme

Organisation and support of knowledge transfer and networking of the 73 Model Projects Smart Cities, through
- professional contact, counselling and training via the Coordination and Transfer Office Model Projects Smart Cities Project Office;
- coordination of working and development communities;
- conception and realisation of congresses for the Model Projects Smart Cities.
Advice for non-subsidised municipalities on the Start Smart services offered by the Coordination and Transfer Office Model Projects Smart Cities.
Development and maintenance of a Knowledge Repository (in German only) with relevant information for all municipalities in Germany.
Press and public relations.
Preparation of studies and expertise on smart cities topics.
Implementation of the evaluation of the Model Projects Smart Cities Funding Programme.
Supervision of the reporting system for the subsidised Model Projects Smart Cities.
Examination of the content of smart city strategies and measures.
Conception and realisation of various event formats.
Supervision of the Smart City Standard Forum.
Information on open source in the Model Projects Smart Cities funding programme.
Support from the Federal Ministry for Housing, Urban Development and Building (BMWSB).

Wir unterstützen die Modellprojekte Smart Cities bei ihren Vorhaben auf dem Weg zur lebenswerten Smart City. Wir unterstützen den Wissenstransfer und Erfahrungsaustausch mit und zwischen den Modellprojekten. Wir identifizieren gemeinsam Innovationsfaktoren und geben Impulse für erfolgreiche Transformationsprozesse - Smarte Städte und Regionen gemeinsam gestalten! — KTS Mission

Clients and Co-operation Partners

The Federal Ministry for Housing, Urban Development and Building (BMWSB) and the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR) are among the clients of the Coordination and Transfer Office Model Projects Smart Cities (KTS) for this funding programme. The Coordination and Transfer Office Model Projects Smart Cities also cooperates with the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) (in German), which is responsible for the financial and administrative support of the subsidised model projects on behalf of the BMWSB.