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Aurora Velez

Smart Regions

Alternative to agricultural irrigation with double treated wastewater

In partnership with the European Commission

Olive trees irrigated with treated wastewater: in Puglia, southern Italy, a pilot project thus combats drought and emerging pollutants. The molecule is generated by combining hydrogen peroxide and ultraviolet rays. The results of this experience will be known in two years.

26 October 2026

Smart Regions

Ai Stratis, Greece’s pioneer in energy self-sufficiency with renewable

In partnership with the European Commission

In ten months, the small island of Agios Efstratios has gone from relying entirely on fossil fuels to producing more than 90% of its electricity from renewable sources. Thanks to an EU-funded project, this volcanic island is now self-sufficient with green energy.

12 October 2026

Smart Regions

Līvāni: the fibre-optic capital of Latvia

In partnership with the European Commission

Latvia is focusing on a technological niche: fibre optics. It exports more than 90% of its production. This versatile technology, made from synthetic quartz, is flexible and capable of transmitting ultraviolet and infrared rays.

28 September 2026

Smart Regions

People’s photos are helping scientists record marine life in real-time in the Canary Islands

In partnership with the European Commission

Photographing marine flora and fauna to gauge the ocean’s condition on a day-to-day basis. This is the aim of RedPROMAR, an EU project, which invites members of the public to upload photos to its platform of what they find in the sea around the Canary Islands.

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Smart Regions

The free digital campus training people in cutting-edge technologies

In partnership with the European Commission

Germany’s Schleswig-Holstein has launched a digital campus with over 600 online and in-person courses on AI, virtual and augmented reality and other cutting-edge technologies. It is free of charge and open to all.

Smart Regions

Industrial tourism: a different kind of holiday experience

In partnership with the European Commission

What do an old steelwork, a 17th-century mill and a car factory have in common? All three are industrial sites... and tourist attractions! Six regions from six European countries are promoting tourism in industrial areas through the IndusTour project.

Smart Regions

Reunion airport gets a bioclimatic terminal, the first in the tropics

In partnership with the European Commission

The airport on the island of Reunion has been equipped with the world's first bioclimatic terminal in a tropical zone. The arrivals and baggage reclaim terminal operates without air-conditioning: the ventilation system is all-natural.

Smart Regions

The pioneering project integrating drones into air traffic control

In partnership with the European Commission

Piloted aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, drones... How do we make sure that all of these aircraft can fly in the same airspace without colliding? At Odense airport, Denmark, full-scale tests are being carried out.

Smart Regions

Atlantic Europe: Rapid alert against coastal risks, reinforced

In partnership with the European Commission

Observation, alert and assistance systems for geological risks are being reinforced on Europe’s Atlantic coast, thanks to the AGEO project. In the Canary Islands, citizens can help by reporting a landslide on an app, which notifies others of road closures.

Smart Regions

A new form of rural transport: driverlesss monorail cabins

In partnership with the European Commission

In North Rhine-Westphalia, the old, abandoned railway tracks have found a new lease of life – transporting people in futuristic monorail cabins around the region. The cabins are compact, driverless and can carry up to six passengers at once and operate on a single rail line.

Smart Regions

Czech Republic: Pioneering postnatal support project for families at psychosocial risk wins award

In partnership with the European Commission

Breastfeeding difficulties, depression, violence... A pioneering project in the Czech Republic offers psychosocial support for mothers. The first step is a simple questionnaire, which nurses give them a day or two after giving birth.

2 February 2026

Smart Regions

In Sweden, organic steel production is already in progress

In partnership with the European Commission

The CO₂-free production revolution is coming to heavy industry. In Sweden, SSAB, the country's leading steel mill, has kicked off this radical shift. By the end of 2029 it will produce green steel, in a compact plant with an electric arc furnace.

19 January 2026

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Serbia and Hungary monitor Tisza river to predict droughts and floods

In partnership with the European Commission

Serbia and Hungary study the pulse of the Tisza River. The ADAPtisa project brings together researchers, universities and water management organisations from both countries. They share data to create a platform for integrated river basin management in the border region.

24 November 2025

Smart Regions

Climate change is making oat cultivation viable in Northern Europe

In partnership with the European Commission

Climate change is making oat cultivation viable in the Northern Periphery and Arctic. Researchers from Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Norway and Sweden are testing 400 oat varieties to see which ones are best suited to the current Arctic climate and to promote their production in Northern Europe.

27 October 2025

Smart Regions

Climate crisis: how Mediterranean cities fight back

In partnership with the European Commission

The European COMPOSE project brings together cross-disciplinary expertise and proven best practices to support decision-makers in small and medium-sized cities as they tackle the climate crisis and transition to renewable energy.

Smart Regions

Edible seaweed: How can we change our culinary habits?

In partnership with the European Commission

Europe is looking for alternatives to animal protein consumption: is edible seaweed an option? In Denmark, researchers at AlgaeFood, a European interregional project, are convinced. In addition to classifying it, they act to promote its use and raise awareness among the new generations.

Smart Regions

Consolidating peace: A cross-community centre for women in Belfast

In partnership with the European Commission

Northern Ireland launches a space for peace. The Shankill Shared Women's Centre in Belfast is a training and drop-in centre for women and children. Many are still suffering the aftermath of the religious conflict that caused thousands of deaths in the most divided corner of the UK.

Smart Regions

Chopin: Thousands of pages of his life and work available with a click

In partnership with the European Commission

Tens of thousands of scores and objects belonging to Frédéric Chopin, the most famous French-Polish composer in history, have been digitised at the Frédéric Chopin Institute in Warsaw, thanks to a European project that helps to raise awareness of the figure of the genius of Romanticism.

3 February 2025

Smart Regions

'Positive energy': The concept of this Luxembourg building

In partnership with the European Commission

The Luxembourg National School of Health (LTPS) produces more energy than it consumes. This award-winning building in Ettelbruck has become an example at home and across Europe.

Smart Regions

Lithuania: Investing in emotional intelligence to tackle burnout

In partnership with the European Commission

Mental and emotional stress in the workplace can take a heavy toll on individual employees. It also has a financial impact on companies. Investing in resources to tackle burnout can benefit employers and their staff.

25 November 2024

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