Topic: smart cities

With citizen science YOU can make the difference

«Citizen science is a way for average people, like you and me, to do real “help answer the big questions” science, even if you never finished high school». So Chandra Clarke, president of editing and proofreading company Scribendi.com, recently speaking at the TEDx Chatham-Kent event on the topic of citizen science. Her talk highlighted the potential of amateur science and the various ways in which the public can engage in academic research. Continue reading


weLand connects “prosumers” into a glocal network

weLand Association is a cultural NGO founded in Asti, South Piedmont (Italy), in August 2012. Its aim is to develop a regional network of individuals and groups interested in aggregating, sharing and reusing open data for GLAMs, education institutions and tourism stakeholders. The idea of the association arises from the firm belief that innovation (and so the elements which innovation is generated by, culture and creativity) should take into account a bottom-up engagement of the community, in order to fully realise its potential and to become a real driver of social and economic development. Continue reading


Competitive European technology at Net Futures 2015!

On 25-26 March 2015, in Brussels, the Net Futures 2015 conference was held, gathering more than 1000 people with the aim to maximise the competitiveness of the European technology industry. The event formed an interconnected community involving companies, organisations and people in Research & Innovation, Market Validation & Living Lab Research, Business Development, Entrepreneurship & Enterprise Strategy, Policy Making. It is firm belieg of the organisers that by bridging the gaps between these communities, innovations will more easily and effectively find their way to the market. Continue reading


Getting cultural heritage to work for Europe

The report “Getting cultural heritage to work for Europe”, by the Expert Group on Cultural Heritage established under the Horizon 2020 Work Programme 2014, provides the rationale for setting a renewed European Research & Innovation policy agenda on cultural heritage. It outlines the general framework about cultural heritage in Europe and the contribution it can make towards smarter, more inclusive and more sustainable development. The report further describes recommendable actions, drawing upon successful cases where cultural heritage has been a positive driver for sustainable development. Continue reading


Future Everything’s XX anniversary

FutureEverything celebrated its 20th anniversary. For the last two decades the festival has brought people together to imagine, shape and question the vision of a truly participatory society. A belief in the emancipatory and creative potential of new technologies runs throughout digital culture. It is found both in the open source community and in the rhetoric of Silicon Valley start-ups. In recent years, the contradictions in this vision have come to the surface. The digital age has brought a collision of positives and negatives. This year was an ideal opportunity for FutureEverything to hit pause on its headlong rush into the future, to reflect on the consequences of the past decades and the prospects for the decades to come. Continue reading


Jornades APP, mobile applications for cultural and natural heritage and tourism

The Jornades APP,  organized by The Generalitat de Catalunya – Departament de Cultura (GENCAT), i2Cat and Kònic thtr, will be held during the 1st, 2nd and 3rd of October at the headquarters of the CaixaForum in Girona city (Catalonia). For … Continue reading


EC published the brochure on “Sustainable Urban Dynamics”

EC published the brochure “Research and Innovation on Sustainable Urban Dynamics”. The brochure is the result of a stakeholder workshop organised last year to shed light on the Horizon 2020, Societal Challenge 6 – Inclusive, innovative and reflective societies – chapter on “The promotion of sustainable and inclusive environments through innovative spatial and urban planning and design”. Continue reading


Internet Festival 2013 Edition

For the Internet Festival, closed on 13th October, Incubator was the keyword for 2013. The organizers have already published the first official data of the event: 60 countries directly or virtually represented; more than 23.000 devices connected (smartphones, pc, tablets); … Continue reading


Agorà of Polis comes back: Mobility, Cultural Heritage, Sustainable Building

The annual event organized by Polis (Polo di Innovazione delle Tecnologie per la Città Sostenibile – Innovation Pole of the Technologies for a Sustainable City) was held in the Engineering College of Siena’s University on the 26th – 27th September 2013. It has hosted two days of debate about the “Smart Specialization Strategy” general topic, structured on the three Polis themes MOBILITY, CULTURAL HERITAGE and SUSTAINABLE BUILDING. Continue reading


SMART CITY: creative, sustainable and user-centred cities

In France, a full-scale experimentation has been led in the south of Paris since 2007, in partnership with the Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris. This exceptional area is turned into a unique observatory for urban, social and technologic innovation. The project can count on a network of very valuable European partners. Continue reading