We organised on 7 and 8 March 2017 the EnRoute kick-off workshop at the Sapienza University of Rome. The aim of this kick-off workshop was to work on a common basis of understanding and goals, to align all participants in the work that they shall be doing, and to work on ‘ownership’ by the participants and ‘community building’. The workshop was attended by about 50 participants representing 20 cities and 19 research institutes. The workshop resulted in enthusiastic reactions of participants. It was highly valued by cities that they could learn of the experiences and knowledge of similar organizations, working together in a network that is aiming to achieve common goals. Participants are ready to start working on their results and present them in the following phases of the project.