If you develop AI solutions for smart and sustainable cities, CitComTEF is here to help you bring your ideas to market faster and safer.
In a TEF (Testing and Experimentation Facilities for AI) you can test your AI models and robots for legal compliance (AI Act, Data Act, Machine Act and more). TEFs are specialised in performning tests of AI and robotics solutions. They are open to all European technology providers and public sector.
CitComTEF gives you access to real, virtual, and physical test environments across Europe. With support from 32 partners in 11 countries, you can test AI models, software or robotics in settings that reflect real city conditions. This helps you make sure your solution works reliably, safely and at scale.
You also benefit from CitComTEF’s work in policy and regulation. By contributing to EU and national AI guidelines and certification standards, the initiative helps create a clearer, more supportive regulatory landscape—making it easier for you to deploy trustworthy AI.
Whether you’re an SME, an AI innovator, or an investor, CitComTEF reduces risk, strengthens product validation, and connects you with a strong European network.
In short: CitComTEF bridges technology, infrastructure, and real-life city needs—so you can build AI solutions that make Europe smarter, greener, and more sustainable.
The main target groups in CitComTEF are AI startups and small and medium sized enterprices (SMEs). You can get high subsidies. This is done a bit differently within the CitComTEFs so please get in contact with your local site manager: CitCom Contact nodes
The best way to use CitComTEF is to have an AI model or a robot within the scope of smart and sustainable cities and communitites. The relevant Technical Readyness Level (TRL) is 6-8 and in need of experimentation, and testing it for legal compliance, function and more.
In a TEF you can access real test environments such as traffic management platforms, digital twins, blocks of digitally connected houses and much more.
It is possible to look at the different services that is offered in CitComTEF as well: Services They are divided into physical and virtual testing facilities, legal and ethical services, data support and much more.
The EU has launched a major investment for a total of Euro 2.2 billion to accelerate the development of responsible artificial intelligence (AI) in Europe.
There are four domain-specific TEFs:
- AgrifoodTEF,
- TEF Health,
- AI-Matters (Manufacturing),
- and CitCom.ai (Smart Cities and Communities.
The TEFs offer primarily technical support to innovators to test their latest AI-based software and hardware technologies at scale in real-world environments (Technology Readiness Levels 6-8).
This includes support for full integration, testing and experimentation of the latest mature AI-based technologies (already tested in the lab) to solve issues and improve solutions in a given application sector, including through validation and demonstration.
Coordina TEF
CoordinaTEF acts as the coordination backbone for the 4 AI sectorial TEFs (Testing and Experimentation Facilities), co-funded under the Digital Europe Programme. Its main goal is to spot shared challenges across TEFs and facilitate joint solutions. Not only this makes each TEF more competitive but it also saves costs by avoiding duplicated efforts.
University Business Development Manager at imec & visiting professor at Ghent University.
Senior strategist digitalization and transformation, Coordinator testing AI, RISE Research Institute of Sweden
Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.