Project

Preliminary Study SCiLABS

Smart City Labs Ruhr

DigitalisationEnergyMobility

A current path to holistic and sustainable urban development is the transition to the smart city, the digitally connected city of tomorrow. The objective of the preliminary study SCiLABS is to identify research needs in the field of smart cities, as preparation for a following project: the creation of a smart city IT platform.

Starting Point

A current path to holistic and sustainable urban development is the transition to the smart city, the digitally connected city of tomorrow. This is happening within the context of urbanisation, digitalisation, and diverse interconnection, which today presents cities with immense challenges, such as how to handle the social, demographic, climate, and digital revolutions. The uncertainties deriving from these processes affect municipalities and require adjustments in their institutions. Their objectives are improving the quality of life, reducing the use of resources, and positively developing the technological revolution.

Our Solution

The objective of the preliminary study SCiLABS is to identify research needs in the field of smart cities, as preparation for a following project: the creation of a smart city IT platform. For this purpose, major elements of a smart city research laboratory are being built, which should function as a collaborative space for actors from the economy, the scientific community, and public and municipal institutions. In the future, it will be used to explore and develop smart energy and smart mobility use cases, based on the current state of science and technology; these can be used as input for a business cases development. To this end, elements of interconnected living laboratories in urban areas, such as devices and sensors, will be used to gather the necessary data. Using a client-server model for data (sensor) transmission and 3D visualisations for buildings and city neighbourhoods, the project also explores digital twin investigative approaches.

Funding ID

13FH0E53IA

Supported by the Federal Ministry for Education and Research

Project Duration

2020 – 2021

Key areas

Smart city IT platform technologies
Use of IoT sensors in urban living laboratories
Smart energy und smart mobility use cases

Wetterstation SCiLABS — Im Reallabor installierte und an eine Smart-City-IT-Plattform angebundene Wetterstation, © Hochschule Bochum, Paul Ihnen

Projekt Partners

10.07.2025

Throwback: InnovationMeetUp – 10.07.2025

From vision to financing

On 10 July 2025, our InnovationsMeetup on the topic of ‘From vision to financing’ took place in the inspiring location ‘Zum Kuhhirten’ in Bochum’s city centre – organised together with the Bochum Economic Development Agency.
One highlight of the evening was the exciting keynote speech by Jörg Gudat from Labs.Ruhr, who provided valuable insights as an experienced investor: How do you target investors? What prerequisites should start-ups have? And when is the right time for financing? His practical tips provided the participants with important ideas.
Afterwards, two start-up teams, Evovell and Roadstory, presented their business ideas in short, convincing pitches.
The evening offered not only informative impulses, but also plenty of opportunity for personal discussions over cold drinks and pizza – ideal for making contacts and expanding networks.