on September 17th, the fifth Smart cities Conference will take place at Riga Technical University (RTU) during European Mobility week, bringing together representatives of the urban, public administration, research, entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem from Latvia and Europe. The conference will focus on smart city development, digital transformation and how innovations go from ideas and pilot projects to practical and scalable solutions.
This year, the conference will be a platform for the exchange of experience and knowledge between Latvian and European cities. It aims to promote practical dialogue between players in the innovation ecosystem and representatives of cities, identify urban development challenges and seek solutions that can be implemented and developed on a wider scale.
The conference this year will discuss smart city management, innovation adoption, digital transformation, sustainable mobility and urban collaboration with technology companies and startups. An important role in the programme is devoted to exchanging the experience of Riga and other European cities on how to implement and scale innovations practically. Riga will not only gather international experts at the conference, but will also engage in discussions on city governance, the innovation ecosystem, the implementation of new technologies and cooperation with developers of innovative solutions.
Representatives of all three Baltic capitals – Riga City Executive Director Jānis Lange, Tallinn City Secretary Prīts Lello (Priit Lello) and Vilnius City Municipal Administration Director Adoms Bužinskas (Adomas Bužinskas) – will participate in one of the central panel discussions on urban transformation, governance models and scaling innovation. The discussion will also be joined by former Tampere City Executive Director Tepo Rantanen (Teppo Rantanen), who will also share Tampere's experience on the road to one of the leading “CitiVERSE” cities at the conference.
“Riga competes with other European cities for residents, businesses, investments and talent, and our closest competitors are also the neighboring capitals Vilnius and Tallinn. Therefore, the introduction of technologies and innovations is not an end in itself – it is an essential component of the city's competitiveness. It is important for Riga that smart solutions do not remain only at the level of pilot projects, but help to manage the city more effectively, improve the daily life of residents and create a more attractive environment for entrepreneurship. This international exchange of experience allows us to learn from the successes of other cities and at the same time to implement solutions faster that help Riga maintain and strengthen its position on the Baltic and European scale,” emphasizes J. Lange.
International experience will also be available in other thematic discussions of the conference. Estonian representatives will share insights on the use of innovation procurement and city cooperation with technology companies. Lithuanian representatives will participate in the discussion with the use of drones for the needs of the city, while Finnish experience will complement the conversation on cooperation between cities and start-ups and how to build an effective path from defining a city challenge and a pilot project to implementing and scaling a solution.
“A smart city starts with collaboration and the ability to tackle the city's day-to-day challenges together. The Smart cities Conference is a place to meet, share experiences and jointly seek solutions that can not only be tested but also implemented in the urban environment on a larger scale,” emphasizes RTU Vice-Rector for Innovation Alise Pizika.
A significant part of the conference will be dedicated to “EIT Urban Mobility” opportunities for cities, the development of innovation ecosystems and cooperation with startups, presenting the network opportunities to “EIT Urban Mobility” representative Willem-Frederik Matzelar (Willem-Frederik Metzelaar). Conference attendees will also have the opportunity to attend start-up and SME presentations, networking activities, as well as the EXPO Zone.
The conference is organized by RTU, the Riga City Council, the Open Innovation movement “VEFRESH” and the University of Latvia. The event takes place with the support of the EIT Innovation Community “Urban Mobility”.
The conference will take place at the RTU auditorium center “Domus Auditorialis”, Zunda krastmala 8. The working language is English, but if necessary, a Latvian translation will be provided.
In the introductory program of the conference “Day 0” on September 16th, a group of invited participants will have the opportunity to get acquainted with Riga's urban development and mobility pilot projects, attend technology demonstrations and participate in thematic workshops on connected mobility, autonomous transport, digital twins and innovations in the public sector. Informal networking in the “Startup House” premises will conclude the day.