Unity Lab / Urban Innovation Policy Lab

In Summer 2025, we are co-hosting the International Telecommunications Society conference at Edinburgh Napier University. The call for papers is still open: there is time until Friday 20 December to submit your abstracts and panel proposals! The conference's theme is Digital #Innovation and #DigitalTransformation in uncertain times. Submissions are welcome on a wide range of topics, including but not limited to: 💠 #ArtificialIntelligence – different types of #AI, their socio-economic impact and how they will be used in specific industries and contexts 📲 #Participation and the use of #ICT by marginalised groups 🏙 The #digitaltransformation of places and communities: #SmartCities, #SmartVillages and smart territories 🔐 The challenges of #cybersecurity when digital ecosystems are complex, evolving and global 💬 Online #misinformation – what it is, how can it be tackled and what role does #digitalliteracy play? ⚖ #Regulation of the #DigitalEconomy – antitrust, international collaboration between regulatory agencies, exporting regulatory initiatives 🔅 The last impact of #Covid19 – the interplay between #WorkingFromHome, networks and #digitalskills; emergence of new digitally mediated business models and technology use in different industries 🛡 #Technonationalism – #protectionism in equipment and software markets, regulatory response, industrial policies 🏛 Place-based approaches to policymaking of digital transformation – the role of #municipal and #regional governments in regulating AI and other technologies 🎓 #DigitalSkills – identifying and then providing the skills needed to participate online, for individuals and businesses ♻ #GreenICT – within specific parts as well as across the whole of value chain(s) ⛺ Innovative ways of providing digital services and digital infrastructures in remote and #rural areas. Check the full #callforpapers 👇 📜 https://bit.ly/3A5zuk0 Abstracts should be about 2 pages (800 to 1000 words) in length and contain the following information: ◾ Title of the abstract / panel session ◾ A clear statement of the research question ◾ Remarks on the methodology adopted in the paper ◾ Outline of (expected) results ◾ Bibliographical notes (up to 6 key references used in the paper) Submissions can be completed via EasyChair 👇 https://lnkd.in/dF-gxePR If you have any questions on the conference or the call, please feel free to reach out to Paolo Gerli, who is the co-chair of this year's conference. #UnityLab #EdinburghNapier #ITS #academicconference #callforpaper #ITSEurope25 #c4p #academiclife #academicresearch

📅 Save the date and join us for our second Technological Forecasting and Social Change (TFSC) #PaperDevelopmentWorkshop - An excellent opportunity to receive insightful feedback on your research from the TFSC team and refine your future submissions to the journal! 📍 In May 2025, we will gather in #Edinburgh for a #PaperDevelopmentWorkshop hosted by The University of Edinburgh – with heartfelt thanks to Neil Pollock, Luciana D'Adderio, and Piera Morlacchi for graciously hosting us! 📝 Important Dates Paper submission deadline: 07 April 2025 Notification of acceptance: 14 April 2025 Registration deadline: 21 April 2025 Workshop date: 16 May 2025 📢 Call for papers Interested in attending the workshop? Please read our #CallForPapers and submit your work (up to 10 pages) to me at L.Mora@napier.ac.uk. Your paper should include the following sections: title, abstract, introduction, methodology, initial results, discussion. All submissions will be reviewed by myself and all other colleagues in our organizing team: Matthias Fink, Charlotta Sirén, Neil Pollock, Luciana D'Adderio, and Piera Morlacchi. 🔗 Know someone who might be interested in joining the workshop? Please help us spread the word by sharing our call for papers! Looking forward to seeing many of you in Edinburgh #PaperDevelopmentWorkshop #TechnologicalForecasting #DigitalInnovation #TechnologyManagement #TechnologyImpact #TechDevelopment #FutureOfTechnology #AcademicWorkshops #ResearchCollaboration #InnovationEcosystem #FutureStudies #EmergingTechnologies #DigitalTransformation #TechnologyFutures #SmartInnovation

📣 The World Smart Cities Outlook 2024 is now available for download 👇 https://lnkd.in/d8QuC4E9 The latest output of our ongoing collaboration with UN-Habitat (United Nations Human Settlements Programme), this report maps the current state of smart city developments globally. Drawing on a wide and comprehensive dataset of qualitative and quantitative data, our team (Paolo Gerli, Luca Mora, Fabio Neves da Rocha & Huong Nguyen) mapped and analysed major trends, upcoming challenges, and future opportunities in six areas of key relevance for the development of #peoplecentered #SmartCities: 1) strategic agendas, 2) policies and regulation, 3) public sector capacity and leadership, 4) collaborative ecosystems, 5) urban digital infrastructures, and 6) smart city applications for public services. The report concludes with a set of actionable recommendations targeting both local, national and international policymakers. We are most proud of this pivotal piece of work and hugely indebted to all people that collaborated with us along the development of this report. Nothing of this would have been possible without the continuous guidance and invaluable support of the UN-Habitat team (Roberta Maio, Milou Jansen, Florencia Serale, Edlam Abera Yemeru), who we have been working with for the past three years to foster the research and policy agenda on inclusive, sustainable and people-centred smart cities. This report will ultimately serve as a foundational reference for the development of the UN-Habitat International Guidelines on People-Centred Smart Cities, whose approval is expected in May 2025. We are also most grateful to all national and municipal experts that, by participating in our research and sharing with us their insights, helped us building such a comprehensive and in-depth analysis of local and global people-centred practices in smart city development. Finally, a special thanks goes to all reviewers (Charlotte Albin, Flavia Biri, Francesca Calisesi, Namrata Mehta, Claudia Scheufler, Masaki Yabitsu, Cristina Bueti, Alton Grizzle, David Gomez Jimenez, PE, Naci Karkin, Kevin Schmidt, Stefano Marta, Victoria Papp, Eyerusalem Siba, Sanjeevani Dilanthi Singh) for enriching our work with their feedback and suggestions! #UnityLab #EdinburghNapier #UNHabitat #UnitedNations #smartcity #SmartCities #digitaltransformation #digitalinnovation #urbaninnovation #urbandevelopment #sustainabledevelopment #SDGs

Excited to announce that we are launching a #PaperDevelopmentWorkshop (PDW) Series for Technological Forecasting and Social Change! This series is designed to: 📘 Enhance the alignment of papers with the journal’s standards. 🌍 Facilitate networking and collaboration among a global network of researchers. ✍️ Offer insights into academic writing to help authors achieve high-quality publication standards more efficiently. The inaugural event will be coordinated by Editor-in-Chief Mei-Chih Hu and myself, and it will take place on 27 March 2025, hosted by National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan. We warmly invite you to join us for this exciting event! Looking ahead, we already have a lineup of PDWs planned for 2025, but we are eager to expand the series. Soon, we’ll launch a #CallForHosts for universities interested in hosting workshops in 2026 and beyond. 📅 Mark your calendars and stay tuned for updates—we hope to see many of you in Taiwan next March! #PaperDevelopmentWorkshop #TechnologicalForecasting #DigitalInnovation #TechDevelopment #FutureOfTechnology #AcademicWorkshops #ResearchCollaboration #InnovationEcosystem #FutureStudies #EmergingTechnologies #DigitalTransformation #TechnologyFutures #SmartInnovation

Just published in Technology in Society (CABS 2 - IF 10.2) - #MaterialMatters: Recommendations for the analysis of relational spaces in #SociotechnicalTransition studies (https://lnkd.in/dJeDCabJ) 🧐 In this article, Ioannis Lykouras and I explore the interplay between #Materiality, #RelationalSpaces, and technological change dynamics. Our goal? To introduce a novel theoretical perspective and a structured analytical process for exploring relational spaces within sociotechnical transitions. 🔗 This perspective emphasizes the often-overlooked role of material arrangements and their relationship with material flows and social dynamics, adopting what we call a #MorphologicalApproach to relational space analysis. 📚 Built upon a robust review of transition studies literature and #SpaceConstitutionTheory, our work enriches the spatial discourse, providing tools to uncover how diverse social and material dimensions influence—and are influenced by—sociotechnical transitions and technological change. What this article offers... 🌍 Advances the spatial discourse in sociotechnical transitions research. 🛠️ Presents a new theoretical lens on materiality in sociotechnical transitions. 🗺️ Introduces new theory and a structured method for analyzing relational spaces. 🤝 Promotes cross-disciplinary approaches to studying social and technological change. 👏 Huge congratulations to Ioannis for publishing the first article of his doctoral journey—a remarkable contribution to transition studies! And many thanks to the anonymous reviewers for their invaluable feedback and to Editor-in-Chief Marina Dabić for her editorial assistance. #UnityLab #SmartCities #UrbanInnovation #SocioTechnical #TransitionStudies #InnovationManagement #Materiality #SpatialAnalysis #TechnologicalChange #CrossDisciplinaryResearch Edinburgh Napier University, Unity Lab / Urban Innovation Policy Lab, TalTech – Tallinn University of Technology, FinEst Centre for Smart Cities

Last week we were hosted by the Technical University of Cluj Napoca for the third general assembly meeting of REN+HOMES. Four demo sites in different contexts in Europe, four plus energy buildings (two new-builds and two renovations), in a consortium of academic and research institutions, and private industry innovators.

Happy People at a Doctoral Writing Retreat 📝🤩 From November 13–15, our PhD students Pauline Baudens and Dominik Beckers attended a doctoral writing retreat in southern part of Estonia, in Pühajärve. The inspiring event brought together social sciences PhD students from across Estonia. The dedicated workspace provided a focused environment, and the shared motivation among participants made staying on task much easier 🤓 Beyond the academic productivity, the retreat offered a serene atmosphere with beautiful lake views and relaxing amenities (hello, pool, jacuzzi, and sauna!), creating a perfect balance between work and leisure. One of the highlights was working together with fellow PhDs, particularly those in social sciences working on digital topics. The connections made during the retreat hold great potential for future collaborations between researchers at different universities. By the way, we at FinEst Centre are very open to collaboration! Reflecting on the experience, Pauline shared how the retreat was a valuable reminder that community and collaboration are essential drivers of academic progress. #PhDlife #SocialSciences #AcademicCommunity #AcademicWriting #DoctoralThesis

We’re proud to congratulate our colleague Clare McTigue on her graduation from Edinburgh Napier University, where she earned a Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching and Supporting Learning in Higher Education 🎓 It was a memorable day for Clare, made even more special by having her baby girl by her side. Well done, Clare, on this well-deserved achievement 🎉

Last week, Unity Lab member Paul Oliver published an article for The Conversation UK, titled "DIY Musicians: How Digital ‘Bedroom Pop’ Has Transformed the Music Industry." 🔗 https://lnkd.in/ep3buFDR In this piece, Paul explores how independent musicians are leveraging digital platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Bandcamp to disrupt traditional industry structures and embrace direct-to-fan business models. This transition reflects how DIY artists are setting a new standard for sustainable, digitally-enabled careers despite having to overcome difficult challenges. #DIYMusic #DigitalTransformation #BedroomPop #MusicIndustry #Innovation Edinburgh Napier University

Only few days left to the launch of the World Smart Cities Outlook 2024, our latest report in collaboration with UN-Habitat (United Nations Human Settlements Programme) 📖 The Outlook provides a comprehensive assessment of the state-of-the-art in the global development of #peoplecentred #SmartCities 📊 Building on international datasets and interviews with more than 150 #smartcity experts, it investigates regional trends, ongoing challenges and upcoming opportunities shaping the #DigitalTransformation of cities across the world regions 🌐 The official launch is planned for Friday 8th at #WUF12 in Cairo (Egypt) 👇 https://lnkd.in/d2xNXmwu The full report will soon be published online - keep an eye on this profile! We can't wait to discuss its findings with our community and to spark new debates on the future of people-centred smart cities. #WorldSmartCitiesOutlook2024 #WSCO24 #UnityLab #EdinburghNapier #SmartCities #SmartCity #DigitalTransformation #DigitalTransition #UrbanInnovation #UrbanDevelopment #WorldUrbanForum #SDGs