Urban Foresight has been commissioned to set-up and run a programme office that will invest over £1.4 million to establish a real-world test and experimentation environment in Dundee.
The Mobility Integration Living Laboratory (The MILL) will invest in projects that enable leading companies to trial innovative technologies and business models in Scotland’s fourth largest city. This will include projects focused on car sharing, smart parking and open data platforms.
“The idea of a living laboratory is to enable companies to test and develop new products and services in the real world” explained Dr. David Beeton, Managing Director of Urban Foresight. “Our role will be to assist Dundee City Council in the procurement and delivery of innovation projects, helping companies to develop, test and commercialise mobility solutions.”
The MILL has received over £1.4 million funding from Dundee City Council and the Scottish Cities Alliance, which is a collaboration of Scotland’s seven cities and the Scottish Government.
The project will be a flagship initiative of the Alliance’s Smart Cities Scotland programme which aims to make services across Scotland’s cities become more efficient and greener while making the cities themselves more attractive to potential investors. This includes investing up to £10million in European Regional Development Funding (ERDF) to be matched with £14 million from the cities.
“Our aim is to demonstrate how innovations in mobility can improve wellbeing and quality of life, such as connecting people with essential services and enhancing economic opportunities” explained Dr Beeton. “This will include running workshops that engage citizens in activities to design and co-create new transport products and services that better meet their needs. We also hope to build a long-term platform for The MILL by developing a future pipeline of projects to realise further positive benefits for the city, country and wider sector.”