INNOAIR – part of the Conference on Civic Engagement in European Missions in the framework of the French Presidency of the Council of the EU.

 The event took place on 21 March 2022 in a hybrid form – online and at the French Economic, Social and Environmental Council in Paris. The project was presented among the good practices that provide solutions to the great challenges of our time, in particular on the topic Carbon-neutral cities.
The reason for including the project in the prestigious event is its cross-cutting approach, innovative measures and co-design with citizens, local stakeholders and others, in order to tackle the complex societal challenge to improve air quality.

SofiaCoin - inspiration for the winners of the hackathon "Improving air quality in Bulgaria"

The hybrid event took place on February 25, 2022 and brought together representatives of business, NGOs, students, citizens and local authorities in search of solutions for cleaner air in cities in Bulgaria. Among the speakers in the hackathon was Teodora Polimerova, director of the Climate, Energy and Air Directorate at Sofia Municipality and a member of the INNOAIR team.

In the second part of the event took part the most active citizens, who, with the help of mentors, worked on ideas for cleaner air. The jury rated all the projects as very meaningful and despite the difficult choice, identified three of the ideas as the most applicable and significant.

First prize was awarded to the team with an idea for application called "Green Path", which leads to a gradual improvement of air quality indoors and outdoors, through training and gamification. The mobile application builds on the already existing app SofiaCoin, as the idea is to transfer it on national level, to target students and employees, to initiate competitions between schools and between companies.

"Innovative solutions for urban transport in Plovdiv"

The project activities became a driver of student ideas with a business orientation for a greener future and more efficient transport. The ideas were presented during an interactive practicum on "Innovative solutions for urban transport in Plovdiv", held at PU "Paisii Hilendarski" on February 19, 2022.

Among the proposals were a mobile application that provides information about the route and schedule of public transport, with useful features such as "Discover travel ideas", development of a ticket system and incentives for companies offering vouchers for transport to their employees. The presence of the local authorities at the event provides an opportunity for possible implementation of the proposals in real conditions.

We are glad that INNOAIR continues to expand its stakeholder circle and serves as an example at both local and European level.