Data, AI and Cooperation: Cities Exchange on Smarter Urban Governance in Heidelberg and Trier

From 29 June to 3 July 2026, the EU Cities Gateway Programme brought together cities from Europe, Canada and the United States for its Digitalization & Urban Innovation Thematic Cluster Event in Heidelberg and Trier, Germany. The participating cities were:

As the first in-person meeting of the Digitalization & Urban Innovation cluster, the event gave participating cities the opportunity toto practical exchange. Guiding questions were: How can data support better municipal decisions? How can artificial intelligence be used responsibly in city administrations? How can digital tools improve everyday services for residents? And how can cities learn from one another instead of solving the same challenges in isolation? The event opened in Heidelberg with remarks by Prof. Dr. Eckart Würzner, Lord Mayor of Heidelberg, and Irène Mingasson, Head of Unit for Rapid Response in Asia, Americas and Europe at the European Commission’s Service for Policy Instruments. Prof. Dr. Würzner underlined the crucial role of cities as places where innovation is developed, tested and translated into practical solutions that improve people’s everyday lives. He also highlighted the value of open exchange, shared challenges and city-to-city cooperation for shaping the future of urban innovation.

A few key takeaways of the event kick-off in Heidelberg:

• Cities face similar challenges despite different systems: fragmented data, administrative silos, AI governance, staff capacity
• AI only becomes useful when linked to concrete city problems, not treated as a stand-alone technology topic
• Stronger AI literacy in public administration is needed
• Cooperation with research, companies and peer cities can help cities move faster the joint event helped identify action fields for the next cooperation phase

Over five days, participants exchanged practical approaches to artificial intelligence, data-driven decision-making, digital twins, smart city administration and citizen-oriented urban innovation. The programme began with a joint Thematic Cluster Event in Heidelberg and continued with two Advanced Collaborative Missions in Heidelberg and Trier, allowing cities to deepen the exchange through focused site visits, workshops and discussions with local innovation actors.

Setting the agenda in Heidelberg

The first part of the programme brought all participating cities together in Heidelberg to exchange local digitalization priorities, share current challenges and identify common action fields for future cooperation. Key themes included:

• how cities can use data and AI to support better municipal decision-making
• how to address shared challenges such as fragmented data, administrative silos and AI governance
• how digital tools can improve planning, service delivery and internal coordination what cities need behind the scenes: trained staff, clear governance, usable systems and political support
• how innovation ecosystems can connect public administration, academia, research and business

With its strong science, research and innovation environment, Heidelberg provided an ideal setting for this exchange. Discussions included working group sessions, exchanges on Heidelberg’s urban development strategy and a policy discussion on “AI in Urban Development”, covering both opportunities and risks for local governments.

From the joint event to Advanced Collaborative Missions

After the joint Thematic Cluster Event, the programme moved into two Advanced Collaborative Missions. These smaller formats allowed participating cities to go deeper into specific interests and connect the broader exchange with real examples in the host cities. The Heidelberg mission brought together Albuquerque, Edmonton, Heidelberg and Vilnius around data, AI, research and innovation ecosystems. The Trier mission brought together Fort Worth, St. John’s and Trier around resident-oriented innovation, smart mobility, healthcare, emergency management and resilient infrastructure. Together, the two missions showed two complementary sides of digital urban innovation. Heidelberg focused on how innovation ecosystems, AI companies, research institutions and urban data approaches can support better city decisions. Trier focused on how AI, mobility solutions and digital tools can improve everyday public services and urban resilience.

Advanced Collaborative Mission in Heidelberg: turning digital innovation into public value

The Heidelberg Advanced Collaborative Mission explored how data, AI, research and business ecosystems can support better city decisions and create stronger public value. The mission started with a presentation by Aleph Alpha on European sovereign AI, opening the discussion on how artificial intelligence can respond to public-sector needs, governance expectations and European approaches to digital sovereignty. Participants then joined a networking event hosted by the Heidelberg Economic Development Agency, focused on urban regeneration, private-sector development and the role of local economic actors in shaping innovation environments. A key stop was the Heidelberg Innovation Park, a former military site now developed as a future district for IT, AI, digital technologies and life sciences. The visit gave participants insights into Heidelberg’s start-up community, innovation campus and EU-funded incubator facility. The mission then moved into a hands-on format with “The AI Blueprint” and GenAI Entry Point workshop, where participants worked with the City of Heidelberg and city-data stakeholders on how complex urban challenges can be approached through structured problem-solving, data use and generative AI. Exchanges with AMERIA and Paretos brought the discussion closer to concrete applications, showing how private-sector innovation can support public-sector transformation when cities are clear about their needs. At Bahnstadt, participants connected the digital innovation discussion with Heidelberg’s flagship district for sustainable urban development, exploring how planning, sustainability and data-informed decision-making come together in practice. The mission concluded at the Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing at Heidelberg University, where participants discussed data solutions for cities, knowledge sharing and future cooperation

The main takeaway from Heidelberg was clear: digital transformation becomes stronger when cities compare approaches, connect with local innovation actors and turn shared challenges into practical cooperation.

Advanced Collaborative Mission in Trier: from AI insights to everyday city services

The Trier Advanced Collaborative Mission explored how AI, digital tools, smart mobility and resilient infrastructure can support services that matter in everyday urban life. The mission opened with impulse talks on Trier’s economy, regional AI expertise, municipal services, and energy and mobility of the future, setting the scene for a practical exchange on how innovation can support residents and local services. One of the first stops was the Trier Green Innovation Lab at Paulusplatz, where participants explored public space, urban greening and practical innovation with StadtGrün Trier. The delegation then visited Vereinigte Hospitien Trier for discussions on healthcare, care services and municipal support structures, with a welcoming address by Britta Weizenegger, Mayor of Trier. The afternoon focused on mobility and infrastructure with Stadtwerke Trier and Verkehrsbetriebe Trier, including exchanges on CO₂-neutral public transport, charging and storage infrastructure, AI-driven traffic optimisation and smart parking solutions. At the Trier Fire Brigade, participants discussed emergency management and resilient urban infrastructure, highlighting how digital tools can support preparedness, coordination and safety. The mission concluded with the “AI in the City” workshop, moderated by Prof. Georg Rock, AI expert at Trier University of Applied Sciences, bringing together three days of insights and reflecting on how cities can move from inspiration to implementation. The main takeaway from Trier was clear: digital transformation creates stronger impact when it is connected to everyday services, mobility, resilience and the needs of residents.

The main takeaway from Trier was clear: digital transformation creates stronger impact when it is connected to everyday services, mobility, resilience and the needs of residents. Putting these ideas into practice will require cities to address familiar obstacles: fragmented data, limited staff capacity, administrative silos, questions around trust and accountability, and the need to connect digital tools with clear municipal priorities.

Shared challenges, practical cooperation

Across Heidelberg and Trier, the event showed how valuable transatlantic cooperation can be for digitalization and urban innovation. Cities may work in different systems, but many of their questions are similar: how to build AI literacy, connect data across departments, work with innovation partners and keep digital transformation focused on residents.

From exchange to action

The event was not an endpoint, but a starting point for the next phase of cooperation within the Digitalization & Urban Innovation cluster. Participating cities will continue working on shared questions around AI, data governance, digital twins, public-sector innovation and resident-oriented urban transformation. This was only the beginning. Now the real work begins: turning shared AI ambitions into practical tools, stronger city services and cooperation that delivers.

A big thank you to all participating cities, partners and stakeholders who made this exchange possible, and especially to Heidelberg and Trier for the warm welcome, energy and inspiring week.