The MICATool is envisioned to support municipalities, public authorities, and local / regional policymakers by:

• Supporting local / regional governments to gain better insights into energy policy impacts by identifying causal chains from energy efficiency measures to their multiple impacts;
• Making monitoring and reporting on energy efficiency measures and policy impacts more comprehensive and accessible to a wider audience (i.e., other governance levels and stakeholders);
• Demonstrating and communicating the multiple benefits of energy efficiency to a variety of local stakeholders (citizens, civil society organizations, SME);  
  Helping policymakers and officers identify concrete linkages between different policy fields (i.e., energy, health, social welfare, economy) and strengthen inter-departmental collaboration to achieve common policy goals;
• Assessing the economic benefits of energy efficiency measures.

A MICATool Pilot City is an ambitious local/regional municipality who commits to work with the MICAT project team in a structured collaboration process to co-develop and explore the Tool’s efficacy in the context of the Pilot City’s local sustainability, energy efficiency, and/or climate action planning processes. MICATool Pilot Cities will be selected through a one-time open call for services (January 2021).  The MICAT project is seeking applicants who have both a topical interest in energy efficiency and the capacity (expertise and time) to provide practice-based guidance and constructive feedback during the Tool’s development and validation stages.

Any of the following authorities established in a Member State (MS) of the European Union (EU) are eligible to be a MICATool Pilot City:

• Any local urban authority (city, town, suburb) active in energy planning and climate policy with a population greater than 30,000 inhabitants.

• Any regional authority responsible for local energy planning and climate policy.

• Any associated authority or grouping of local urban authorities active in energy planning and climate policy (e.g., a city’s climate protection agency). This may also include associations or groupings of public authorities, agencies and companies, NGOs and advocacy groups working in partnership in the same city-region.

The MICAT project can support three MICATool Pilot Cities.

MICATool Pilot Cities will receive exclusive training, networking opportunities, and financial support (up to 9,000€ per municipality) in exchange for their active participation and expertise to help develop and validate the Tool in their municipality. The Tool’s functionality will be crafted - to the greatest extent possible - to meet the interests and objectives of the participating municipalities.

MICATool Pilot Cities commit to co-create and test the Tool’s efficacy over a two-year period (Spring 2021 – Spring 2023) with support from the MICAT project team. MICATool Pilot Cities are expected to convene relevant local stakeholders and host three workshops with the MICAT project team:

• Embedding the Tool (Spring/Summer 2021)
• Analyse Assumptions and Methodology (Spring/Summer 2022)
• Implementation and Training (Fall 2022) 

For more details about the activities and expected outputs, please consult the MICAT Tender for Services Document.

While it is desirable, MICATtool Pilot Cities do not have to have an adopted Climate Action Plan (or similar plan) to participate in the project. However, the municipality should demonstrate that it is actively working with energy efficiency data at the local or regional level, and have permission to disclose relevant local data to the MICAT partners.

Yes, but you must have a signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the municipality represented that stipulates your authority to take the actions necessary to meet the project requirements on their behalf.

The MICATool Pilot City Application is comprised of two parts:

• The MICATool Pilot City Online Application
• The MICATool Pilot City Application Signature Form

Both the Online Application and Application Signature Form need to be completed and submitted to be considered for participation.
The application period closed on 2 March 2021.

Applications to be a MICATool Pilot City are due before 17:00 CET, 1 March 2021.

MICAT is pronounced MEE – KAHT.