The Opportunity

A study of 110 global cities has shown that aligning climate targets between cities and businesses can amplify emissions reductions by 67%

Nature Sustainability volume 8, pages 54–65 (2025)

Australia is at risk of lagging behind in the global Net Zero transition.

No single industry currently has the capability to lead the Net Zero transformation, and existing sectors operate in silos, limiting the cross-industry collaboration necessary for large-scale change.

The absence of a robust industry-city partnership weakens our ability to deploy scalable solutions, placing our cities at risk of falling behind global counterparts in attracting talent, investment, and innovation. Without targeted intervention, Australian businesses will struggle to capitalise on Net Zero innovations that drive economic growth and long-term sustainability that are maturing in other economies.  
Cities are engines of cross-sector growth, where industry, business, and community converge to drive prosperity.

International examples, such as the EU’s 112 Net Zero Cities initiative, demonstrate that the city scale presents a unique opportunity for transformational industry acceleration. By concentrating innovation and  investment at the local level, cities can serve as living laboratories for scalable low-carbon solutions, enabling rapid deployment across sectors and regions.
The Net Zero Cities CRC offers a unique, industry-led opportunity to reimagine the way cities function through the lens of Net Zero transformation.

The CRC will deliver coordinated, cross-cutting research and solutions through real-world activation platform and city environment implementation projects. The CRC will build world-class business and research capability and accelerate export growth for Australia's Net Zero Future.
The research programs have been deliberately designed to be cross-cutting, focussing on key areas such as circularity, digital innovation, policy, finance, and social trust.  

Over the past 2 years, the bid team has conducted extensive industry consultations to identify key challenges and define the scope of a major net zero collaboration.
These efforts have culminated in a $127M CRC bid, with a revised submission in 2025.  

The consortium brings together over 50 partners from industry, government, community, and research to drive Net Zero Cities innovations over the next 10 years.

With shared vision, the consortium will redefine city environments, shaping the liveability and resilience for the next generation of cities.
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