The project aims to strengthen Dalarna’s small and medium-sized companies through increased collaboration between Dalarna University and the region’s companies in energy efficient urban planning towards innovation and smart specialisation, especially through increased collaboration with the university’s research and education. The project is linked to the Dala strategy Dalarna 2020 and wants to use Dalarna University’s knowledge environment within energy efficient urban planning to increase knowledge-based entrepreneurship and thereby strengthen research and development linked to one of Dalarna’s designated areas of strength. This strategy highlights the development of an economy based on knowledge and innovation as the most important strategy for regional economic development, while promoting the region as the establishment and investment area for new technology and climate-smart solutions. The project also includes initiatives to start regional work on how the gender perspectives in the energy industry should be changed in order to utilise the female perspectives as leverage for development. The goal of the project is that the competence and innovation capacity of the region’s energy actors have become stronger, through various activities summarised by four different sub-goals: Sub-target 1: The Energy Competence Centre is developed as a node for the university’s energy collaboration with the surrounding society and industry. Sub-target 2: The region’s business sector is developing skills and gains stronger conditions to develop within climate-smart and sustainable urban development. Sub-target 3: Dalarna will be a more attractive and stronger region for innovations and development. Sub-target 4: The work with smart specialisation in energy efficient urban development in Dalarna has become stronger and targeted.