The journey of cities to digitize administration, mobility, education and a host of other areas of daily life requires partners who understand the complexities involved in this transformation process. The combination of a network of smart city experts coupled with technological know-how, innovative procurement strategies and proven project management promises success. Reason enough for the new partnership between UNITY, Smart Cities Lab and Detecon International, which is to jointly drive the digital transformation of cities.
The journey of cities to digitize administration, mobility, education and a host of other areas of daily life requires partners who understand the complexities involved in this transformation process. Political and cultural considerations are at play where technology solutions alone do not suffice. Often, only the combination of a smart city expert network, coupled with technological expertise, innovative procurement strategies and proven project management skills can succeed in this environment. Based on recent studies in Germany, a majority of city stakeholders appreciate external and neutral consultants to accompany the various stakeholders in their journey to design strategy and implementation.
To this end, three powerful digital consulting houses have recently partnered to provide services to cities in Germany and beyond: Detecon International, a consultant powerhouse with strong relations to T-Systems; UNITY, a management and innovation consultancy; and Smart Cities Lab, a leading international smart city think tank.
The collaboration’s main objectives are: to drive the digital transformation agenda in cities and local communities; to support the proliferation of Open Source technologies and services in smart cities; and to create funding opportunities through participation in national and EU-wide public calls and research funding. The partners betting on the Open Source FIWARE technology framework, but not limited to.
The first joint projects will run in a number of German cities, with each partner utilizing their specific strengths. Detecon, one of the top international consultancies, have decades of experience in the Smart City sector, and can draw on the strengths of T-Systems to help implement and operate of smart city services. UNITY has been working with clients from the automotive and industry sectors for 20 years. Smart Cities Lab, with its wide network of smart city associations and professionals, will add an international perspective that relates to a range of currently running and former smart city projects.
