Smart City initiatives and projects become increasingly important throughout Europe for several reasons but basically these projects focus on technical innovations (green urban technologies, ICT) and are often top down driven by investors, global technology concerns or building developers. This approach excludes other urban actors that could play a crucial role for the quality of results and broad acceptance of the solutions for urban challenges. The project addresses the most relevant urban actor groups of the sustainable city as target groups (decision makers in public administrations and enterprises, science, research, NGOs, citizens and civil society organisations) and introduces a training concepts for so called “smart city coaches” with a view to spread this role at different levels of society as multipliers for the development and support of smart cities. Participants: A) Governance level - Decision makers in public administrations (70), Decision maker in public owned companies delivering services to citizens (30), B) Business Level - Decision makers in enterprises (70), Decision makers at "associations" level (70), C) Citizens level - People from NGOs, interest groups, associations (140), representatives of "citizens oriented" services: schools, universities, etc. (140) Activities and methods: WP1 - PROJECT COORDINATION, WP2 - PROMOTION AND DISSEMINATION WP3 - EXCHANGE OF PRACTICES: exchange process based on three concept levels and namely practices in the field of smart consumers, smart governance, smart enterprises and how these practices have been (or are) guided/trained (in other words, if a coaching/multiplying approach have been used or structured on top of these three “titles). A 5 days joint staff training event on the state of the art and needs, defining the framework for the development of innovative practices INTELLECTUAL OUTPUT 1: SMART CONSUMERS, SMART GOVERNANCE AND SMART ENTERPRISES IN EUROPE – OVERVIEW AND BENCHMARKING OF RUNNING PRACTICES WP4 - INTRODUCE INNOVATIVE PRACTICES IN THE FIELD OF SMART CITY COACHING: DEPLOYMENT OF INNOVATIVE TRAINING MODULES. The project will not only further design these modules but also run a horizontal pilot phase in 3 Level 1 Pilot Countries (Austria, Italy, Netherlands) which will last 12 months). Level 1 Pilot Countries will elaborate and test the concept while Level 2 Pilot Countries (Hungary, Serbia and greece) will be involved in the elaboration process through dedicated sessions but will test the concept only at a second stage. A second 5 days long joint staff training will be arranged for coachers. INTELLECTUAL OUTPUT 2: CROSS SECTORAL TRAINING MODULES WP5 - RECOGNITION AND DIGITIZATION This part of the project will focus on "validating" the concept, the methodology, extend its benefits at Eu level also through Open Educational Resources and a dedicated e-learning platrofm. INTELLECTUAL OUTPUT 3: E-LEARNING PLATFORM WP 6 – EXTENDING THE PILOT. In order to extend the impact of this approach and fine-tune it according to other contexts, a second pilot phase will be introduced where the training and its tools will be tested (Greece, Hungary, Serbia). At its end the partnership will work and deliver operational, financial and policy guidelines in order to make replication and extended use of the smart coaching model happen. INTELLECTUAL OUTPUT 4: RECOMMENDATIONS: OPERATIONAL, FINANCIAL AND POLICY GUIDELINES Main results expected are: a) availability of checklist to identify training needs of the target groups related to smart cities, b) comprehensive list of training needs, c) State of the art / collection of training and capacity building approaches (for adult education) related to smart cities, d) Raised stakeholder dialogue and exchange of experiences and practices. The expected results on completion of the project: a) Development of innovative training concepts leading to high quality capacity building at different levels of society // integrating ICT-learning tools, b) Evaluation schemes of pilot trainings and availability of transferability methods, including a permanent e-learning platform, c) Smart city coaching curriculum for multipliers at different levels of society, d) Availability of protocols, revenue models and policy guidelines to expand the training concept. Short Term impact: mutual and interdisciplinary learning processes, contacts and networkss- increase level of knowledge based on exchange of international know how in smart city training within Long Term impact: introduce concepts into daily practices, contribute to changes in communities and working environments, introduce training practice into ongoing professional training curricula (enterprises), qualification courses (public administrations) or educational contexts (schools, universities, etc.), increase qualification in future oriented topics andjob opportunities in the mid-term, develop ideas for improving the urban quality of life for (all) citizens.