Italian mobile operator Tim has a launched a challenge for companies of any size to come up with ideas that use smart technologies to transform cities.

The goal is to speed up the transformation of Italian cities into smart cities, pooling expertise, experience and technologies with important companies in the sector. The initiative is aimed at start-ups, scale-ups and companies of any size, both domestic and international, to identify innovations for smart cities.

The challenge launched by Tim through its Open Innovation programme promotes the creation of an Italian ecosystem of smart cities also through collaboration with the CNR Department of Engineering, ICT & Technology for Energy & Transport (DIITET), the Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center, the Bikeconomy Observatory and the Startup Intelligence Observatory of Milan Polytechnic, as well as additional partners that join the initiative.

The technology may concern analysis and video-analytics systems based on big data and artificial intelligence, improved road networks and car park management, waste collection monitoring, energy efficiency, and the smart management of buildings.

To encourage the best to enter the market, Tm will offer partners and innovative companies Tim Urban Genius, the urban intelligence platform of Tim Enterprise, an open system that acts as an enabler and encourages integration of the vertical services of third parties with a view to open innovation.

The system collects, processes and correlates data, generating information on the local area to support decision-making processes. This virtual control room equipped with digital technologies creates a sustainable smart city model already adopted by various municipalities, including Venice, for instance, with its smart control room project.

The proposals will be assessed by technical panels, which will select the best innovations to be awarded industrial, commercial or scientific collaborations with Tim and its partners.

Candidacies can be submitted until 31 December on Tim’s open innovation platform.