So... are Smart Cities really helping us fight climate change—or are they just digital distractions?
This episode dives into the future of Smart Cities projects and challenges the narrative behind EU innovation funding.
You’ll discover:
🌱 Why many Smart Cities projects fail to reduce emissions
💡 How city size, water stress, and energy use are often ignored
🌍 Why climate-neutral cities are not a tech problem—but a governance one
🔗 Why connecting cities matters more than scaling them
📊 What makes a good vs. bad Horizon Europe proposal
🎤 I talk with Antonio Álvarez Romero, from OpenNebula Systems, who brings over a decade of experience with EU funded projects. He shares:
how private companies can secure EU innovation funding
the three reasons OpenNebula joins EU projects
a wild story about proposal deadlines, heatwaves, and a newborn baby
what he'd change about the EU project process to make it faster and fairer
We also discuss the university alliance U!REKA and their vision for climate-neutral Smart Cities across Europe.
🎧 Listen or Watch Now
Watch the episode and subscribe here:
📺 YouTube (Video)
🟣 Spotify (Audio Only)
🍎 Apple Podcasts (Audio Only)
📩 Or directly on Substack
👤 Guest Contact – Antonio Álvarez Romero
📧 Email: aalvarez@opennebula.io
💼 LinkedIn
🏢 OpenNebula Systems
🙌 Like what you heard? Support the show:
✅ Like or rate the podcast on your favorite platform
✅ Subscribe here on Substack or in your podcast app
✅ Comment with your thoughts and experiences
✅ Share with a colleague working on EU funded projects or innovation
📬 Want to be featured in a future episode? Send me a private message and let’s talk
Thanks for being part of InnovEU – The EU Project Chronicles.
Together, let’s win the future. 🚀
📊 Last Week’s Poll Results Are In!
We asked:
“What’s the real reason Green Tech is so controversial?”
Here’s how you voted:
It threatens old energy lobbies – 0%
It’s made in “the wrong” countries – 33%
It’s not that green after all – 67%
It’s too cheap to control – 0%
💬 My take? It’s the perfect storm. Green tech threatens incumbents, defies trade norms, and forces policymakers to choose between ideology and survival. That’s exactly what we unpacked in Episode 16—so if you missed it, go back and listen!
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