AYUNATMIENTO DE A CORUNA

Their core work

A Coruña is a major Spanish coastal city government that brings municipal infrastructure, citizen networks, and urban policy expertise into EU research projects. Their participation focuses on deploying nature-based solutions in urban settings, engaging citizens in environmental and science awareness campaigns, and piloting community-driven education initiatives like makerspaces and FabLabs. They serve as a real-world testing ground — a "front-runner city" — where research concepts meet actual urban governance and public engagement challenges.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Early projects (2014-2018) centred on science communication and public awareness — making nanotechnology understandable (SeeingNano) and changing citizen attitudes toward ocean health (SeaChange). From 2017 onward, the city shifted toward active co-production: deploying nature-based solutions in its own urban fabric (CONNECTING Nature) and embedding hands-on maker education in communities (Make it Open). The trajectory moves clearly from passive awareness-raising to participatory, citizen-driven innovation.

A Coruña is evolving from a communication partner into an active urban living lab, increasingly offering its city as a testbed for participatory innovation and nature-based urban solutions.

How they like to work

A Coruña participates almost exclusively as a third party or minor partner — they have never coordinated an H2020 project. Their role is to provide a real urban context: city infrastructure, citizen access, and municipal policy backing for pilots. With 87 unique partners across 29 countries, they connect into large, diverse consortia rather than leading small focused teams, making them an accessible partner for projects needing a mid-sized European city as a deployment site.

Despite only 4 projects, A Coruña has touched 87 unique partners across 29 countries — a reflection of the large CSA and IA consortia they join. Their network spans broadly across Europe with transatlantic connections through SeaChange.

What sets them apart

As a coastal Atlantic city with active participation in both marine and urban sustainability projects, A Coruña offers a specific combination rarely found: ocean-facing geography plus municipal commitment to nature-based urban transformation. For consortium builders, they provide something hard to substitute — a willing, experienced city government that can mobilise citizens, open public spaces for pilots, and navigate local policy. Their track record in awareness campaigns makes them especially suited for projects requiring genuine public engagement rather than token municipal participation.

Highlights from their portfolio

• CONNECTING Nature
  Their only directly funded project (EUR 334,630), positioning A Coruña as a front-runner city for nature-based urban solutions alongside major European cities.
• Make it Open
  Most recent project (2020-2023) signalling a strategic pivot toward maker education, FabLabs, and citizen science — a new direction for the municipality.
• SeaChange
  Transatlantic scope on ocean literacy — uncommon for a municipal government, reflecting A Coruña's identity as an Atlantic coastal city.