During the panel Sustainable Cities People Love: Making the Future City Together on Wednesday 4 November 2026 17:25–18:10 CET at the Cities X People Stage the project will present its Climate Finance Strategy Tool, a free self-assessment tool that helps cities turn climate projects into investment-ready proposals, developed by the Green Digital Finance Alliance (GDFA) and Climate KIC, with contributions from Lisbon Council and other BLOSSOM partners. Visitors will have the chance to test the BLOSSOM Climate Finance Strategy Tool at The Lisbon Council stand (F70, Hall 2) on Thursday 05 November 2026 from 11.00 to 11:30 CET.
From project idea to investor-ready shortlist
Cities have climate projects ready to go, but many struggle to finance them. Public budgets alone cannot cover the investment needed, and private capital flows only to projects that are bankable: projects with predictable revenue, an acceptable balance of risk and return, and a clear legal and contractual structure.
The BLOSSOM Climate Finance Strategy Tool helps municipal finance and climate teams close that gap. It is a web tool that guides users through three independent assessment processes:
- Bankability: a project is scored against 148 readiness criteria across 10 dimensions, plus a revenue assessment.
- Finance instruments: 53 financial instruments, from green bonds and loans to public-private partnerships, are screened down to a shortlist that fits the project and its context.
- De-risking: more than 30 mechanisms, such as guarantees, blended finance and insurance, are assessed to reduce investor exposure.
The tool is built for municipal climate officers, urban finance and treasury teams, project development officers, and regional and national authorities that support local climate action. It is funded under Horizon Europe and is free to use for European municipalities and partners. The tool is available on the BLOSSOM website, www.blossom-project.eu. Users can start as guests or register to save their work across sessions and devices.
Panel programme: Sustainable Cities People Love: Making the Future City Together
WEDNESDAY, 04 NOVEMBER 2026 | 17:25–18:10 CET | Cities X People Stage
MODERATOR: Jeff Risom, senior fellow, the Lisbon Council
SPEAKERS:
- Francesco Mureddu, vice president for development and senior researcher, the Lisbon Council, (BLOSSOM coordinator)
- Jannika Aalto, associate director, Green Digital Finance Alliance (BLOSSOM partner)
- Mette Holm, project manager, City of Aarhus (BLOSSOM partner)
- Vincent Demortier, creative technologist and IT architect, Open and Agile Smart Cities and Communities
- Thomas Osdoba, senior advisor, Climate-KIC (BLOSSOM partner); programme director, NetZeroCities
Six EU projects, three days at one stand
BLOSSOM shares The Lisbon Council stand (F70, Hall 2) with other EU-funded smart city projects. Together they cover digital twins, living labs, air quality, urban space, positive energy districts and social innovation in neighbourhoods. The stand programme opened on Tuesday 3 November and runs until Thursday 5 November.
| Day | Time (CET) | Project | Session |
| Tue 3 Nov | 11:00–12:00 | URBREATH | Toolbox for local digital twins |
| Tue 3 Nov | 14:30–15:00 | EDIAQI | Tailored solutions, practical tools and a roadmap for action |
| Tue 3 Nov | 16:30–17:30 | URBREATH | Local Living Labs |
| Wed 4 Nov | 11:00–11:30 | Urban-Flow | Rethinking urban space for climate neutrality: the Urban-Flow approach to smart public space and sustainable mobility |
| Wed 4 Nov | 15:00–15:30 | ExPEDite | Enabling positive energy districts through digital twins |
| Thu 5 Nov | 11:00–11:30 | BLOSSOM | Climate Finance Strategy Tool demo session Visitors in Barcelona are welcome to stop by to meet the team and try the Tool. |
| Thu 5 Nov | 14:30–15:00 | BRICKS | Co-creating innovation in neighbourhoods through knowledge and social entrepreneurship |
About BLOSSOM
BLOSSOM is a European Union-funded project (Grant Agreement 101214563) that runs for 48 months, carried out by a consortium of 27 partners. It introduces a systemic approach to connect public authorities with private financial partners, addressing gaps in the adoption of bankable transformative climate adaptation and mitigation measures. By setting up Living Labs, testing innovative financing schemes, and utilizing advanced data and AI tools, BLOSSOM aims to accelerate the implementation of sustainable climate solutions across Europe. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Health and Digital Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. This work has received funding from the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI).
Project website available at https://blossom-project.eu/