Innovators

Meet the innovators behind breakthrough ideas, bringing expertise and technology to shape the future of smarter, more resilient cities.

Company

Academia

Non-Profit

Our Smart City Innovators

UTA collaborates with a diverse network of smart city innovators, including entrepreneurs, researchers, and organizations developing cutting-edge urban solutions. These innovators contribute to pilot projects, implement technologies in partner cities, and share insights that drive sustainable urban transformation. Explore our list of innovators to learn about their projects, successes, and contributions to the global smart city ecosystem, and discover how their work shapes the cities of tomorrow.

Companies

UTA’s ecosystem includes large technology companies, innovative SMEs and startups contributing solutions and expertise.

🇫🇷 France

Kentyou

Kentyou provides advanced open-source data integration and digital twin platforms designed for complex Smart City environments. Their AI-powered hypervisor unifies heterogeneous IoT streams into actionable insights, enabling real-time analytics, forecasting, and decision support. Active internationally, they drive mobility optimization, climate resilience, and open innovation ecosystems.

🇩🇪 Germany

Data in Motion

Data In Motion is a German software company specializing in urban data platforms, interoperability and model-driven data infrastructures. Founded in Jena, the company develops open and modular technologies that enable cities and public organizations to integrate heterogeneous datasets, connect IoT infrastructures and build scalable smart city services while ensuring transparency, interoperability and effective data governance.

🖥️ Systems

Jriss

JRISS (Japan Research Institute for Social Systems) focuses on methodologies and research for risk assessment and resilience of infrastructures and urban systems. The organization develops analytical frameworks and modeling tools to support evidence-based decision-making for resilient cities and critical infrastructure.

Latitudo 40

Latitudo 40 leverages satellite data, geospatial analytics, and AI to support climate-resilient and sustainable urban planning. By transforming complex environmental datasets into accessible, decision-ready intelligence, they help cities address urban heat islands, air pollution, and regeneration challenges while aligning with European space and open data standards.

NTT East

NTT East is a Japanese telecommunications company and a subsidiary of the NTT Group. Established in 1999, the company provides regional telecommunications services in eastern Japan, including fiber-optic broadband, fixed-line communications, and digital infrastructure solutions. NTT East supports connectivity and digital transformation for households, businesses, and public institutions through its telecommunications networks and ICT services.

🇮🇪 Ireland

Real Sim

RealSim specializes in system simulation and decision-support models for complex systems such as cities, infrastructure networks, and energy systems. Their tools allow organizations to test policies and strategies in virtual environments, supporting long-term planning and risk-aware decision-making.

🇫🇷 France

Caspera Lab

Caspera Lab is a French company specializing in the design and support of urban and digital innovation projects. It provides methodologies and tools to help cities and organizations co-create user-centered digital solutions and accelerate the sustainable and digital transformation of urban territories.

📡 Connectivity

🇧🇪 Belgium

CrowdScan

CrowdScan develops urban analytics technologies focused on real-time crowd monitoring. Their solutions help cities, event organizers, and transport operators better understand human flows in public spaces, improving safety, mobility management, and operational decision-making through data.

🇰🇷 South Korea

WeMB

WeMB develops digital energy management solutions for buildings and smart districts. Their technologies combine IoT, data platforms, and analytics to monitor and optimize energy use, helping cities and operators improve efficiency and support smarter urban energy systems.

Academia

UTA collaborates with leading academic and research institutions recognized for their expertise in smart cities.

🇰🇷 South Korea

KAIST

KAIST is South Korea’s premier science and technology research university and a global powerhouse in AI, autonomous mobility, and smart city innovation. Through its specialized Center for Advanced Urban Systems (CAUS) and the Cho Chun Shik Graduate School of Mobility, KAIST develops cutting-edge “Urban AI” and Digital Twin technologies. The university serves as a vital testbed for future-proof infrastructure, transforming metropolitan challenges into scalable, data-driven solutions for sustainable urban living.

Keio University

Keio University is Japan’s first modern institution of higher learning. Founded on the principle of Jitsugaku (empirical science), it bridges academic excellence with practical application. Through its specialized Graduate School of System Design and Management (SDM), Keio develops advanced digital frameworks and social systems to address complex urban challenges such as aging populations and environmental sustainability.

Nagoya University

Nagoya University is a premier Japanese research institution committed to creating world-leading intellectual achievements. As a “Comprehensive University,” it bridges engineering, humanities, and social sciences to address modern societal challenges, with a particular focus on sustainable urban mobility, carbon neutrality, and digital innovation through deep-tech partnerships.

University of Cantabria

The University of Cantabria (UC) is a premier Spanish research institution globally recognized for its pioneering work in the Internet of Things (IoT) and Smart Cities. As the architect of the “SmartSantander” project, UC has transformed the city of Santander into one of the world’s largest urban living laboratories. Through its specialized ICT research groups, the university develops high-scale sensor networks and data platforms that optimize urban services, from smart parking to environmental monitoring, setting international standards for future digital cities.

Universidade da Coruña

Universidade da Coruña (UDC) is a public Spanish university at the forefront of digital transformation and sustainable urban development. Through specialized research centers like CITIC (ICT) and CITEEC (Civil Engineering), UDC develops advanced AI, big data, and smart infrastructure solutions. The university excels in translating academic research into practical applications for intelligent transportation, sustainable construction, and efficient resource management, fostering resilient and data-driven urban ecosystems.

University of Tsukuba

The University of Tsukuba is a leading Japanese research institution and the anchor of Tsukuba Science City. It specializes in “cybernics” (robotics and AI), sustainable environmental design, and digital urban governance. As a key architect of Japan’s “Super City” initiative, the university develops data-driven platforms and robotic solutions to address aging populations and urban efficiency.

Non-Profit

UTA collaborates with leading non-profit organisations recognized for their expertise in smart cities.

🏛️ Governance

🇨🇿 Czechia

Czech Smart City Cluster

Czech Smart City Cluster is a Czech innovation cluster that connects companies, municipalities, research institutions and technology providers working on smart city solutions. The organisation supports the development and deployment of smart city projects by facilitating cooperation, knowledge sharing and international collaboration. Its activities focus on helping cities implement innovative technologies and sustainable urban solutions.

Feuga

FEUGA is a non-profit foundation serving as the Technology Transfer Office (TTO) for the three public universities of Galicia (USC, UDC, and UVigo). With over 40 years of experience, it bridges academic research and the business sector, managing over 600 research groups. FEUGA excels in R&D project management, innovation consultancy, and talent training, driving socio-economic development through international cooperation and digital transformation in urban and rural ecosystems.

🇨🇭 Switzerland

IoT Lab

IoT Lab is an international platform headquartered in Geneva that supports digital transformation and Internet of Things innovation. Created through a European research programme, it connects industry, research organisations, and public authorities to develop, test, and deploy IoT solutions. Its activities include IoT architecture design, interoperability testing, smart city solutions, and research collaboration using large-scale European testbed infrastructures.

Knowledge Capital

Knowledge Capital is an open innovation ecosystem located in Osaka, Japan, designed to connect companies, researchers, startups, and citizens in collaborative innovation activities. Through dedicated spaces such as laboratories, offices, and public exhibition areas, the initiative supports experimentation, co-creation, and technology demonstration. The platform fosters cross-sector collaboration and promotes the development of new products, services, and knowledge through interaction between industry, academia, and society.

🇨🇦 Canada

Urban Opus

Urban Opus is a nonprofit smart city innovation initiative that explores how urban data and citizen participation can shape the future of cities. The organisation supports the development of data-driven civic applications and services that improve urban life and foster collaboration between governments, developers, and communities. Through experimentation with open data and civic technology, Urban Opus promotes new approaches to citizen-centered smart city innovation.

Smart City Consortium (SCC)

The Smart City Consortium (SCC) is a cross-sector organisation based in Hong Kong that promotes the development of smart city initiatives through collaboration between industry, academia, government, and civil society. Founded in 2016, SCC facilitates knowledge exchange, innovation partnerships, and public dialogue on digital transformation, supporting the development of sustainable and technology-driven urban ecosystems.

Become an Innovator

Join the UTA ecosystem and contribute to the development of smart city solutions, collaborate with cities and partners, and showcase your expertise on real-world challenges.

Partner Organisations

Strategic partners supporting UTA’s mission and international outreach.