Call for Peer Reviews
EUI – Capacity Building

What is a Peer Review? 

A Peer Review is a capacity building activity offered by EUI to support European cities to improve the design and implementation of their Sustainable Urban Development (SUD) strategies, through a process of benchmarking and peer learning.

Each Peer Review involves one ‘city under review’ (primary beneficiary), working with individuals from up to six cities acting as ‘peer reviewers’ (secondary beneficiaries) to address a challenge in developing, implementing or monitoring an effective SUD strategy.

‘Cities under review’ identify the challenge that they wish to address according to their specific needs and are matched with ‘peer reviewers’ who can share their experiences, approaches and ideas in addressing the same challenge.

Applicants to this call may apply to be a City under Review and / or a Peer Reviewer.  

Everything you need to know about the Peer Review. 

What’s in it for cities under review?

At the heart of the EUI Peer Review activity are the cities under review. Cities under review benefit from:

1. A structured self-assessment process to help identify specific needs in developing, implementing or monitoring their SUD strategy.
2. Specific, tailored feedback, reflections, and inspiration from their peers to directly address a challenge they are facing related to their SUD strategy.
3. Constant expert support, guidance and advice from the team of approved EUI experts and the EUI Secretariat.

Check the testimonies from past cities under review.

What’s in it for peer reviewers?

While the primary focus of each peer review activity is the city under review, peer reviewers – and the cities they represent – also benefit in multiple ways:

1. Peer reviewers learn from, as well as inspire, the city under review – the learning always goes two ways.
2. There are also opportunities to learn from the other peer reviewers taking part, hearing about a range of inspiring practices and approaches from cities across Europe.
3. Finally, through the process of sharing their own approaches and practices, peer reviewers are encouraged to critically reflect on their own successes and remaining challenges.

Check the testimonies from past peer reviewers.

The European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) and Directorate-general for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO) are currently inviting rural or other non-urban authorities to submit applications for their territorial peer reviews. Similar to the EUI peer reviews, the territorial peer reviews are a two-day workshop for local authorities responsible for designing and/or implementing a development strategy in non-urban areas under the EU Cohesion Policy 2021-2027. The application deadline is May 2, 2024, at 13:00 CET. Further information can be found on the Territorial peer reviews website.