CitCom.ai TEF had a highly productive and inspiring presence at the Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC25), the world’s leading event for urban innovation.
During three intense days, CitCom.ai partners actively contributed to discussions, presentations, and workshops that connected AI experimentation, digital twins, and data-driven governance to the future of European cities. The event served as an exceptional opportunity to strengthen collaboration, share insights, and connect with cities, researchers, and industry representatives committed to building smarter and more sustainable urban environments.
Presence at the OASC Booth & Meet and Greet
CitCom.ai was prominently featured at the Open & Agile Smart Cities (OASC) booth (Hall 2, A65), where visitors could learn more about the project’s goals and experimentation services for cities and AI innovators.
On Tuesday, 4 November, a Meet and Greet session brought together partners, policy makers, and experts to exchange knowledge on how the European Testing and Experimentation Facilities (TEFs) are driving innovation across Europe.
Connecting with the CitiVERSE and Digital Twins
A highlight of the first day was the presentation of CitCom.ai by Germán Castignani (Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology – LIST), introducing the project’s mission to accelerate AI adoption in smart communities through real-world experimentation and validation.
Throughout the event, Ernesto Faubel (Head of Smart City & Data Management City of Valencia, Chair of European Digital Infrastructure Consortium on Local Digital Twins towards the CitiVERSE and South Supernode Leader of CitCom.ai) participated in several sessions related to Local Digital Twins (LDT) and the CitiVERSE EDIC (European Digital Infrastructure Consortium).
These sessions explored how shared infrastructures and data-based collaboration can empower cities to develop interoperable, human-centric digital twins.
In the Spanish Pavilion, partners from CitCom.ai – including Libelium, Nunsys, Municipality of València and LIST – showcased the LDT Toolbox, a concrete example of intermunicipal cooperation based on shared data environments. This demonstration illustrated how CitCom.ai supports cities in testing and validating technologies before large-scale deployment.
From Pilots to Impact at Scale
The culmination of CitCom.ai’s participation came on Thursday, 6 November, with the panel: “Increasing the uptake of AI for Smarter Cities: From Pilots to Impact at Scale”, held on the Impact Tech Stage and moderated by Sophie Meszaros (OASC).
The session brought together key representatives from across Europe to discuss how to move from AI pilot projects to impactful, city-wide implementations.
Speakers included: Tamara De Swert – Strategic Development Manager, imec (CitCom.ai Project Coordinator); Marouane Lahmidi – Digital Twin Innovation Centre Manager, LIST; Jesper Algren – Head of Aarhus City Lab, City of Aarhus; Ernesto Faubel – Head of Smart City & Data Management, City of Valencia.
Together, they explored technical and governance challenges, successful use cases in mobility and energy, and how CitCom.ai enables cities and innovators to test, validate, and scale AI solutions in trustworthy and compliant ways.
A Shared Commitment to Collaboration and Impact
The Smart City Expo World Congress 2025 has once again proven to be a vital platform for knowledge exchange, collaboration, and ecosystem building. For CitCom.ai, it represented a unique opportunity to reinforce its mission: helping European cities and innovators move from pilots to scalable, ethical AI adoption that benefits citizens and communities.
We thank all partners, collaborators, and visitors who joined us in Barcelona. Together, we continue working towards a future where AI and robotics help make cities smarter, more resilient, and more sustainable.
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