NEWS

WeGenerate Showcased at Smart City Expo World Congress 2025

Two WeGenerate partners — IREC (Catalonia Energy Research Institute) and the City of Tampere — were at the Smart City Expo World Congress 2025, held in Barcelona from 4 to 6 November. The event brought together over 27,000 attendees, 1,190 exhibitors, and nearly 600 speakers from 143 countries, consolidating its position as the world’s most influential meeting on urban innovation.

IREC participated with a stand at the global gathering of leaders shaping the urban future. The institute showcased WeGenerate through a dedicated video summarising the project’s objectives and ongoing work in sustainable and inclusive urban regeneration. The video attracted considerable attention, helping to disseminate WeGenerate’s vision among visitors, including representatives of other EU projects such as Commit2Green (Barcelona Metropolitan Area - AMB) and REALLOCATE (Barcelona City Council). These new connections are expected to foster collaboration and cross-project learning in upcoming networking sessions.

Visitors to IREC’s stand — among them representatives from Tampere — also had the opportunity to experience virtual reality outcomes from a parallel EU project, ARV.

In parallel, Tampere’s representatives, Anniina Autero and Minna Säpyskä, took part in the conference programme, contributing to discussions on digital twins, AI, and virtual modelling in urban planning. Both speakers highlighted the transformative role of digital tools in creating more participatory, data-driven, and sustainable cities — themes that align closely with WeGenerate’s mission and approach in Tampere.

The Smart City Expo World Congress 2025 once again proved to be a vibrant platform for exchanging ideas and strengthening partnerships. As one of the event’s posts captured it: “The halls of Fira Barcelona were buzzing with ideas, energy, and collaboration.” Within this inspiring context, WeGenerate made meaningful progress in connecting with peers and showcasing its work toward regenerative, inclusive urban transformation.