The Next Step in the Effort to Drive Local Energy Transition—With an Eye Toward the EU Innovation Fund September 4, 1:00–3:00 p.m., online Register How can Swedish cities work together to accelerate the energy transition, strengthen their resilience, and at the same time attract significant European capital? In recent years, Swedish municipalities—with support from the Swedish Energy Agency, Viable Cities, and other stakeholders—have developed new approaches to local energy transition. In 2026, the Accelerator for Implementation and Scaling was launched, focusing on local energy transition, with several of Viable Cities’ member cities participating. At the same time, the EU’s Innovation Fund is opening up for investments in large-scale and groundbreaking solutions that can contribute to Europe’s energy transition. Now, Viable Cities, together with the City of Lund, is inviting municipalities, municipal companies, national stakeholders, and financial partners to a joint strategy meeting to explore the possibility of developing a joint Swedish application to the EU Innovation Fund focused on local energy transition. The starting point is the experiences from Lund, Örebro, and Eskilstuna, among others, where new models for energy sharing, energy communities, local flexibility, storage, and digital energy infrastructure are being developed to meet future needs. EnergyNet is highlighted as a potential system solution for creating open, resilient, and scalable local energy systems.   We especially welcome representatives from: the 2030 Cities (the 48 cities within Climate-Neutral Cities 2030) Municipal energy companies Sweden’s public utility companies Financing entities and investors, government agencies national collaborative organizations https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-NlUq-DK4sFramtidens energy systems - Panel discussion from Transition Lab Forum 20 in Eskilstuna in 2026 with Göran Persson and Jonas Birgersson https://youtu.be/1VS-tR0Zb4YAtt democratizing the energy systems of the future - Post-event discussion from the Transition Lab Forum in Eskilstuna in 2026 with Göran Persson and Jonas Birgersson. The Viable Cities outlook highlights how local energy systems can become a central building block in the climate-neutral cities of the future. EnergyNet as a potential system architecture for a more robust, cost-effective, and flexible energy system—where local production, storage, flexibility, and digital coordination are designed as a cohesive system. Read the full outlook in our publications Program 1. Welcome and Introduction – Anders Wijkman, Chairman Cities, and Olga Kordas, Program Director at Viable Cities 2. The Need for a Resilient Energy Transition and Lessons from the System Demonstrator in Lund 3. Requirements for Applying for Funding from the EU Innovation Fund 4. A Vision for Europe’s Future Energy System – Josefin Levander, Viable Cities 5. Local Energy Transition in Practice – Opportunities for Swedish Cities – Jonas Birgersson, ViaEuropa 6. Experiences and Ambitions from Cities – Markus Paulsson, City of Lund 7. Local Organization and Funding Structure through the Viability Fund for Cities – Olle Dierks, Viable Cities 8. Process for Collaborative Engagement – Toward a Potential Application to the EU Innovation Fund