BERGEN KOMMUNE

Their core work

Bergen Kommune is the municipal government of Bergen, Norway's second-largest city, actively using EU research projects to modernize urban services and infrastructure. Their work spans urban water management under climate change, protection of critical water infrastructure from cyber-physical threats, community resilience planning, urban logistics transformation, and nature-based solutions for healthier cities. As a city authority, they serve as a real-world testing ground and implementation partner — bringing regulatory authority, urban infrastructure, and citizen engagement to research consortia.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Bergen's early H2020 involvement (2015-2017) centered on water — both climate adaptation for water management (BINGO) and cybersecurity of water infrastructure (STOP-IT). From 2019 onward, the city broadened significantly into community resilience, zero-emission urban logistics, and nature-based urban design. The shift reflects a municipality moving from sector-specific infrastructure challenges toward integrated urban transformation across transport, environment, and security.

Bergen is clearly moving toward integrated smart-and-green city strategies, making them a strong partner for projects combining resilience, sustainability, and urban livability.

How they like to work

Bergen Kommune has participated exclusively as a partner, never coordinating — consistent with a municipality that provides real-world urban context and pilot sites rather than driving research agendas. With 116 unique partners across 18 countries in just 5 projects, they work in large, diverse consortia (averaging 23+ partners per project). This makes them experienced in multi-country collaboration and comfortable operating within complex project structures.

Bergen has built a broad European network of 116 unique partners spanning 18 countries through just 5 projects, indicating participation in large-scale collaborative initiatives. Their geographic reach covers much of the EU, with no obvious concentration in a single region.

What sets them apart

Bergen offers something most research organizations cannot: a full-scale Nordic city as a living laboratory. As a municipality with direct authority over urban infrastructure, transport policy, and public services, they can pilot and validate solutions in real operating conditions. Their combination of water management experience, resilience planning, and green urban logistics makes them particularly valuable for projects needing a mid-sized European city demonstration site with strong sustainability credentials.

Highlights from their portfolio

• BINGO
  Their highest-funded project (EUR 96,250), addressing the critical intersection of water management and climate change adaptation.
• ULaaDS
  Tackles the growing challenge of urban last-mile logistics with a zero-emission, on-demand service model — directly relevant to EU Green Deal goals.
• VARCITIES
  Their most recent project (running to 2025), combining nature-based solutions with urban health and wellbeing — signals their current strategic direction.