Urban Sustainability WISE-PoliSCi

With the European Union project “WISE: From WIdening to Urban Sustainability Innovation and Excellence”, Saarland University is participating in an ambitious initiative that supports universities across Europe within the Transform4Europe European University Alliance in strengthening their research and innovation capacities. Funded by the European Union under Horizon Europe (WIDERA: Widening Participation and Spreading Excellence), the project has a total budget of €4.98 million and a duration of four years. It will start in September 2026. The consortium brings together 16 partners from 12 European countries, including 11 universities and 5 public institutions, companies, and civil society organizations. Together, they form a network in which academia, policy, business, and society collaborate closely.

Urban Sustainability as a Shared Focus

At the heart of WISE is a focus on the field of urban sustainability. Cities are recognised as key arenas for addressing major societal challenges such as climate adaptation, the energy transition, social inclusion, and sustainable mobility. WISE uses this cross-cutting area as a testing ground and learning environment to develop new approaches to research, innovation collaboration, and knowledge transfer, with the aim of later extending these approaches to other thematic areas. 

Three Core Objectives of WISE

1. Strengthening excellence: WISE supports reforms at participating universities through modern research assessment methods, professional research management structures, and strategic research planning.

2. Enhancing international visibility and competitiveness: Joint research projects, international networks, and a European Community of Practice create a shared foundation that enhances visibility among policymakers, industry and society.

3. Supporting careers and retaining talent: The WISE Skills Academy provides key competencies for researchers and research managers, ranging from Open Science and knowledge transfer to entrepreneurship and science communication. 

Subproject PoliSCi

The subproject “PoliSCi: Policy Transfer Driving Sustainable and Resilient Cities”, implemented within WISE, addresses a central yet often overlooked question of urban sustainability over a project duration of three years starting in October 2026: How are EU sustainability policy objectives transferred into municipal practice, and how do cities learn from one another?

PoliSCi examines how policy concepts, strategies, and measures are transferred, adapted, or hindered between the EU level, national governments, regions, and cities. The focus is on decision-making processes within political institutions, public administrations, and civil society networks, namely the day-to-day implementation of sustainability policies. 

Research with Practical Relevance: The Project combines

• analysis of policy documents at the EU, national, and municipal levels,

• qualitative interviews with policymakers, public officials, and civil society actors,

• a comparative perspective on cities in Germany and Slovenia,

• close cooperation with Ukrainian partners to use policy learning and policy transfer for reconstruction efforts and Ukraine’s EU integration.

Impact Beyond the Project

Through practice-oriented outputs such as guidelines and policy papers, the subproject develops a knowledge base on how sustainable urban policies can become more adaptive and resilient. In doing so, the project aims to strengthen municipalities’ capacity to act and make sustainable transformation politically feasible.