Innovate4Cities is underpinned by the Global Research and Action Agenda on Cities and Climate Change Science (GRAA) – a key outcome of the IPCC Cities Conference in 2018, and the foundation for the research and innovation needed to meet Paris Agreement goals.
The Global Research & Action Agenda helps frame the need to catalyse action and implementation, focuses on new and emerging research gaps for the topical areas and cross-cutting issues identified in the GRAA, and hones in on regional insights to highlight variation in research and implementation gaps across different contexts.
The City Research and Innovation Agenda identifies and tackles the data, information, and technology gaps that cities have prioritised and, if addressed, would drive science-based, technology-driven, replicable sustainable action and implementation at the scale the world needs and cities demand.
Building on the Global Research & Action Agenda (GRAA) and the City Research & Innovation Agenda (CRIA), Innovate4Cities identifies and tackles the data, information, and technology gaps that cities have prioritized and – if addressed – would drive science-based, replicable, and sustainable action at the speed and scale the world needs and cities demand. Recognizing that no one sector or organization alone can realize the actions needed to limit global warming to 1.5ºC, Innovate4Cities builds partnerships across national and regional government, academia, business, and civil society to deliver on local needs and accelerate global action.
The 2024 Innovate4Cities Conference, part of the Innovate4Cities initiative, builds on insights from the first Global Stocktake, the SURGe initiative launched at COP27, and the recent launch of the Coalition for High-Ambition Multilevel Partnerships (CHAMP) initiative to broker knowledge, research, and solutions that meet urban needs – as enshrined in the GRAA and CRIA.
The Melbourne Centre for Cities at the University of Melbourne is a proud knowledge partner of I4C24.
