Helsingborg and Umeå secure funding for HYDROSYM-2030: Driving industrial decarbonisation beyond city mandates

The Swedish cities of Helsingborg and Umeå have secured €1 million in EU funding under the Horizon Europe programme for their joint initiative, HYDROSYM-2030.

HYDROSYM-2030 is a unique initiative where the City of Helsingborg and the Municipality of Umeå, together with industry stakeholders and researchers, will explore the role cities can play in the transition to a climate-neutral industry.

— The transformation of the business sector is crucial for us to achieve climate neutrality and the City of Helsingborg wants to be an enabler in that work. HYDROSYM-2030 gives us an opportunity to investigate how we can create the right conditions for a sustainable industry with continued strong competitiveness, says Christian Orsing (M), Chairman of the City Council of Helsingborg.

European cities have traditionally focused on emissions from transport and buildings, where they have direct influence. However, industrial emissions – representing nearly 50 percent of EU’s total greenhouse gas emissions — are often beyond municipal control.

Helsingborg and Umeå are now taking a proactive role in the industrial transition. By exploring and establishing strong public-private partnerships, mobilizing finance, and shaping transition roadmaps, HYDROSYM-2030 will create investment-ready projects that can be scaled across Europe.

— Umeå is proving that local governments can shape the future of industry by fostering the right conditions for collaboration and investment. Our work on industrial symbiosis and waste heat recovery will serve as a replicable model for European cities seeking to accelerate their climate transitions, says Hans Lindberg (S), Chairman of the City Council, City of Umeå.

The results of HYDROSYM-2030 will be shared with other European cities facing similar challenges. The project is part of the EU's Industrial Green Deal and the European Mission Cities program, where Helsingborg and Umeå serve as testbeds for the climate-neutral industrial ecosystems of the future.

HYDROSYM-2030 is being carried out in collaboration with Öresundskraft, Umeå Energi, The Lunar Works, IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute, Lund University and Umeå University.

This is HYDROSYM-2030:

HYDROSYM-2030 will deliver a replicable transition framework, demonstrating how cities across Europe can act as catalysts for industrial decarbonisation – even in sectors where they lack direct regulatory authority.

The project will produce:

• A Net Zero Accelerator Framework for Industry, guiding cities in enabling industrial transformation.
• Technical and transition roadmaps to prepare large-scale, investable projects.
• Financial and governance models to reduce strategic risk and mobilise investment.