Smart future in the regions: 9th Smart Cities & Regions network conference in Nuremberg

23.04.2025

The 9th Smart Cities & Regions network conference was a day full of exciting insights, innovative approaches and practical solutions for the city of tomorrow. Also present: the EU Interreg projects RECENTRE and RTIT, both of which are part of the Materials & Production innovation network and the Mechatronics & Automation and New Materials clusters.

A wide range of stakeholders from the Smart Cities & Regions network networked at the themed tables. Many European projects were also present, including RECENTRE and RTIT. RECENTRE focuses on Industry 5.0 in manufacturing companies in the fields of mechatronics & automation, automotive and bioeconomy in the Alpine region, while RTIT deals with the development of knowledge communities in the field of advanced, sustainable and bio-based materials in the Danube region. We were happy to present ourselves at the "International" theme table and network with the other projects and initiatives.

The supporting program provided important impetus for further development in the area of Smart Cities and Regions:

• Patrick Ruess from Fraunhofer IAO opened with an inspiring keynote speech that impressively highlighted the multi-faceted nature of the smart city topic.
• Andreas Fritzsche from the Chamber of Industry and Commerce for Munich and Upper Bavaria addressed a particularly topical issue: vacancy management in municipalities. Platforms such as the "Standortportal Bayern" allow vacant commercial properties to be reactivated in a targeted manner - a real added value for urban development and business development.
• Sophie Stigliano from Urban Standards presented how intelligent parking space planning not only uses space more efficiently, but can also actively contribute to CO₂ reduction and strengthen sharing offers.
• Matthias Trauner from Luxgreen Climadesign GmbH showed how networked energy concepts for districts and the use of digital twins help municipalities to reduce emissions - provided that uniform and transparent data management is established. The call for clear standards and blueprints for other cities became clear.
• It also became clear that data is the key - municipalities need tools to recognize at a glance how their city is doing. This is the only way to plan and implement targeted measures.

An important conclusion: Smart City is more than just technology - it is also about communication. How do we get citizens on board? How do we make complex issues tangible and motivate active participation?

Tobias Gotthardt, State Secretary at the Bavarian State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy, showed great interest in the exhibits on show - from intelligent traffic monitoring and crisis prevention to autonomous irrigation. In his keynote speech, he emphasized how smart data can help to detect and mitigate heavy rainfall events at an early stage, for example - and how crucial it is to work together on solutions.

The network conference was rounded off with practical examples from Nuremberg, Munich and Regensburg.

More information on the RECENTRE project
More information on the RTIT project