Through its activities and programmes aimed at the “sustainable city”, Austria has laid the groundwork for setting up programme networks and research collaboration arrangements at the EU level. Transnational research cooperation is increasingly important as regards putting the European research area on a firmer footing.

An example of this is the current collaboration between Germany, Switzerland and Austria in this field, aimed at making Smart City pilot projects part of a transnational network. The first such project involves collaboration between the cities of Karlsruhe (Germany), Winterthur (Switzerland) and Salzburg (Austria).

All three cities count as pioneers with regard to sustainable city development, and are already doing a good deal, e.g. in the fields of Smart Grids and electric-powered vehicles. By swapping their experience, the three cities (in their differing circumstances) can learn from one another and create synergies which will help to implement innovations quickly and cost-effectively. The insights gained from this cooperation will then be published so that other cities and agents in the three countries may profit from them.