As part of the European Commission’s Clusters Meet Regions event in Regensburg, Cross-Session I: Smart City × Cluster Innovation demonstrated how Regensburg translates cross-innovation into practical, scalable solutions at the intersection of mobility, urban development, and digital technologies. Representing the Cluster Mobility & Logistics, Anne Häner presented central initiatives that show how close cooperation between companies, research institutions, municipal actors, and the regional innovation ecosystem generates measurable value.
At the core of the session stood the Living Lab R_Lab Mobility, Regensburg’s real-world test environment for data-driven mobility innovation. It enables rapid prototyping, agile development cycles, and practical evaluation of new technologies. Several pilot activities were introduced, including the AI Driver’s License—developed together with i40 – the future skills company, the City of Regensburg, and REGENSBURG_NEXT—as well as data-driven traffic analysis, digital monitoring of stationary traffic, smart public lighting, and the deployment of environmental sensors.
The presentation also showcased key partner projects that enrich the city’s innovation landscape: Project SDP (sdp GmbH), Project DARuV (DCX Innovations GmbH), Project ReSense3D (digitalwerk GmbH and NewSense Engineering GmbH), and the environmental sensor box initiative (AVL Software and Functions GmbH). These projects collectively strengthen Regensburg’s capacity to better understand and optimise mobility patterns, environmental conditions, and urban infrastructure.
The session was jointly guided by Franziska Meier, who structured the discussion and provided contextual links to the broader Smart City agenda. A testimonial from Wolfgang Brandl added an important practitioner’s perspective, highlighting the value of collaborative development and real-life testing environments for accelerating urban innovation.
Across all contributions, the session made clear that Regensburg’s approach is defined by co-creation, practical experimentation, and an ecosystem geared towards enabling transformation. The combination of Living Lab structures, strong cluster cooperation, and engaged partners positions the city as a forward-looking model for Smart City and mobility innovation within Europe.