M100Academy – Interdisciplinary Training for Climate-Neutral Cities
Project nr. : 2025-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000360687
Project acronym: M100Academy Project code: 2025-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000360687 Programme: Erasmus+, Key Action 2 – Cooperation Partnerships in Higher Education (KA220-HED) Funding authority: National Agency for Community Programmes in the Field of Education and Vocational Training (ANPCDEFP – Romania) Coordinator: Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation Funding (UEFISCDI) Duration: November 2025 – November 2028 (36 months) Total budget: EUR 400,000
Project Overview
M100Academy is a transnational Erasmus+ cooperation partnership that contributes to the objectives of the EU Mission: 100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities by 2030 by developing an interdisciplinary training programme dedicated to the urban transition towards climate neutrality.
The project strengthens the role of higher education institutions as key actors in supporting cities’ climate ambitions. By combining expertise in climate science, urban planning, engineering, digital transformation, governance, and project management, M100Academy equips universities and local stakeholders with the knowledge and skills required to design and implement integrated climate solutions.
A distinctive feature of the project is the direct involvement of universities located in seven cities participating in the EU Cities Mission: Cluj-Napoca, Suceava, Bucharest Sector 2, Thessaloniki, Limassol, Košice, and Podgorica. This ensures strong alignment between academic content and real urban transition processes.
Objectives
M100Academy pursues three main objectives:
· To develop a modular, interdisciplinary curriculum addressing the complexity of climate-neutral urban transformation;
· To train three key target groups—students, academic staff, and representatives of local public administrations—through an integrated, practice-oriented approach;
· To align higher education training with the European Green Deal, the EU Cities Mission, and relevant national sustainability strategies, ensuring long-term impact and transferability.
Training Structure
The training programme is structured into five complementary modules:
1. Fundamentals of climate-neutral and resilient cities
2. European and national climate policies and funding mechanisms
3. Sustainable urban planning and built environment solutions
4. Data, digital transformation and smart city instruments
5. Capacity building and project management for climate initiatives
All modules integrate case studies and best practices from EU Mission Cities and are jointly developed by at least two partner institutions, ensuring interdisciplinarity and transnational co-creation.
Activities
The project includes:
· Development of a comprehensive interdisciplinary curriculum and training materials;
· Pilot testing and refinement of course content;
· Delivery of training activities to approximately 200 participants across partner countries;
· Preparation of policy recommendations for integrating climate neutrality topics into higher education curricula;
· Dissemination and sustainability actions to ensure long-term uptake of results.
An open-access digital manual will consolidate the training content, methodologies, and examples of good practice, enabling replication by other higher education institutions and urban stakeholders.
Expected Impact
M100Academy will contribute to:
· Enhanced institutional capacity of universities to support climate-neutral city transitions;
· Improved competences of students, academics, and public administration representatives in addressing urban climate challenges;
· Stronger collaboration between higher education institutions located in EU Mission Cities;
· Increased awareness and structured integration of climate-neutral city topics in higher education programmes.
Partnership
The consortium brings together nine organisations from Romania, Greece, Cyprus, Slovakia, and Montenegro:
1. Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation Funding (Coordinator, Romania)
2. Ștefan cel Mare University of Suceava (Romania)
3. Babeș-Bolyai University (Romania)
4. Technical University of Civil Engineering of Bucharest (Romania)
5. Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece)
6. Frederick University (Cyprus)
7. Technical University of Košice (Slovakia)
8. University of Donja Gorica (Montenegro)
9. Institute of Modern Technology Montenegro (Montenegro)
Through this collaboration, M100Academy consolidates knowledge and experience from Central, Eastern, and Southern Europe, fostering a coordinated academic contribution to Europe’s climate-neutral transition.