EU Horizon Europe PUREPOLIS
PUREPOLIS (Dynamic Abatement Strategies for maximized environmental and societal health in cities) is designed to transform urban health by developing advanced decision-support tools that enable policymakers to take high-impact, targeted action. The project addresses urban pollution and its health consequences through a participatory approach that actively involves citizens, policymakers, and local stakeholders in the co-design and implementation of dynamic pollution abatement strategies.
The work of PUREPOLIS is structured around six objectives (O) and nine project results (PR).
O1. To co-develop practical methods and tools with two pilot cities, ensuring they can be rapidly deployed, easily adopted by other local authorities, and effectively support policymakers in prioritising impactful actions.
O2. To tailor project outcomes through enhanced stakeholder engagement and real-time environmental monitoring, supported by a citizen science application (PR1).
O3. To identify and address priority urban pollutants by using a Near‑Real‑Time Pollution Source Apportionment (NRTPSA) tool (PR2) and a risk‑based health impact assessment framework (PR3), enabling precise links between exposure to 36 pollutants and 10 critical health risks.
O4. To enhance the impact, cost‑effectiveness, and public acceptability of Zero‑Pollution Measures (ZPM) by analysing and quantifying their health, socioeconomic, environmental, and climate impacts, including co‑benefits and key success factors (PR6). These insights will underpin the development of a Dynamic Abatement Strategies (DAS) toolbox (PR7).
O5. To address the social dimensions of Zero‑Pollution Measures (ZPM) by integrating behavioural science insights and socioeconomic contexts, enabling more effective responses to pollution and its related health impacts through a vulnerability (PR4) and a behavioural framework (PR5).
O6. To maximise the impact of PUREPOLIS on healthier urban environments across Europe by delivering project results with strong uptake and upscaling potential for cities and regional authorities, supported by a visualisation tool (PR8) and targeted policy reports (PR9).
The EU Horizon Europe project PUREPOLIS is implemented by a multidisciplinary consortium of 21 partners from 10 European countries, coordinated by Helmholtz Zentrum München, Germany (HMGU).
UMIT TIROL contributes to several Work Packages (WPs) and leads two tasks within WP4, “Evaluating Zero‑Pollution Measures”, as well as one task within WP5, “Development of predictive models and integration in digital tools”.
Within WP4, UMIT TIROL leads two key tasks. The first focuses on the identification and prioritisation of decision criteria and assessment dimensions for implementing dynamic abatement strategies (DAS). This task applies the WHO‑INTEGRATE framework to support evidence‑informed decision‑making on relevant Zero‑Pollution Measures (ZPM). Its main output is an evaluation framework comprising a structured set of criteria to guide decision‑making related to DAS.
The second WP4 task led by UMIT TIROL addresses the health impact assessment of ZPM. This includes conducting systematic reviews of existing measures and performing quasi‑experimental studies using routine data to assess the health effects of previously implemented pollution reduction and health protection interventions.
In WP5, UMIT TIROL leads a task on the ex‑ante assessment of co‑designed DAS, developed together with case study cities. The results will provide cities with rigorously assessed, implementation‑ready DAS, serving as a model for replication and scale‑up across other European urban contexts.
PUREPOLIS is a Horizon Research and Innovation Action and has received funding from the EU Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Program under the Grant Agreement number: 101234870
Total Project Budget: 4 937 518 Mio. EUR, UMIT TIROL share: 449 737 EUR
Duration: 01/01/2026 – 31/12/2028 (36 months)
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03 – 05 February 2026
PUREPOLIS Kick-off meeting in Munich
The PUREPOLIS project has officially begun with a vibrant and collaborative kick‑off meeting held in Munich from 3–5 February 2026. Representatives from all 21 partner organizations across Europe participated, including several members of the UMIT Tirol team, marking a strong and enthusiastic start to the project.
Over the three days, partners aligned on the project vision, objectives, and next steps. Key highlights included:
- Project overview and roadmap
The coordinating team from HMGU presented the full project timeline, milestones, and upcoming deliverables, ensuring a shared understanding of the work ahead. - Insights from the case cities
Representatives from Nantes and Valencia outlined their expectations and practical considerations as the project’s pilot cities. In addition, the European Commission / CINEA introduced the broader Zero Pollution Cities framework in which PUREPOLIS is embedded. - Work package sessions
Teams convened for their first dedicated work package meetings, setting priorities, refining tasks, and establishing strong collaboration structures.
The kick‑off meeting set an excellent foundation for the project, fostering a shared commitment to advancing innovative pollution‑reduction strategies across Europe.