The Intelligent Cities Challenge (ICC) is an initiative of the European Commission, which brings together 136 cities to achieve smart, socially responsible and sustainable growth through modern technology.

The fourth edition of the ICC City Lab took place from 30 November to 10 December, where the participating cities discussed and exchanged good practices on how to accelerate their sustainable development and improve their conditions for digital and social progress.

The Digitalization, Innovation and Economic Development Division of the Sofia Municipality (Innovative Sofia) had the opportunity to participate in several intercity discussions held within the two-week program. Some of them were available to the wide public, while others were internal meetings between the participants in the initiative.

Within the Intelligent Cities Challenge, Sofia Municipality participates with a focus on the field of “E-government and citizen participation”, where they develop a methodology specially prepared by the European Commission. By the end of the initiative, specific projects, tools or processes promoting smart development in the field of e-government are expected to be implemented. In previous editions of ICC City Lab, four such projects were presented by the team of Innovative Sofia and they are:

1. Integrated platform for citizen participation, communication and information;

2. Development of data policy, data access and open data;

3. Development / upgrading of technological solutions;

4. “Living” solutions for informing and involving citizens.

During the last ICC City Lab, progress on potential solutions was presented, as well as the steps to be taken towards the previously set Roadmap to the ICC Project Action Plan. Two working international group sessions were organized, in the first participated – Rome, Ljubljana, Las Rosas, Trikala and Sofia, and in the second – Poznan, Velika Gorica and Sofia. Each city presented its innovative solutions on the given topics and there was an opportunity for feedback between the participants.

The European Commission’s 100 Intelligent Cities Challenge (ICC) initiative is a 30-month program. The fourth edition of the ICC City Lab continued the discussion on the third phase of the project – “Implementation”. Further the implementation of the four solutions, developed jointly with partners from the local ecosystem, is to be done.