The URBAN AND REGIONAL INNOVATION Research (URENIO) is a Laboratory of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Together with Intelspace Innovation Technologies, they form a research group working on smart and intelligent cities, territories and systems of innovation.
The research focus of URENIO and the supply of technological services are in urban and regional development and planning, territorial systems of innovation, smart and intelligent cities. URENIO is part of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning and Development in the Faculty of Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
The Lab has participated in numerous research projects funded by the European R&D Framework Programmes (FP and H2020), the Competitiveness and Innovation Programmes (CIP), the EU territorial cooperation programmes (INTERREG, MED, SEE, etc.), the Innovative Actions of the European Regional Development Fund, and projects of the OECD and the United Nations. Research carried out in the Lab is acknowledged by leading organisations worldwide. It is among the early proponents of intelligent cities, having introduced the concept of intelligent cities as cyber-physical systems of innovation and the most advanced innovative agglomerations. URENIO is certified with ISO 9001 for the Design and Development of Software.
URENIO Research focuses on the innovation-led development of cities and regions, on territories that sustain R&D, human skills, learning and innovation, and on intelligent cities as the dominant paradigm for urban planning and development in the 21st century.
In the field of intelligent cities, we have developed applications for smart cities, platforms for intelligent cities, repositories for hosting software applications and solutions, and a strategic approach for the development of smart/intelligent cities scaling up from learning of strategy design, to development of projects and solutions, and finally to monitoring and assessment.
The Lab is also active in the field of Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialisation, supporting regions in the design of innovation strategies, and strategies for the digital and green transition. In this context, we have developed a series of online applications and methods that facilitate the design and implementation of S3 strategies.