CHALLENGES

OUTCOMES

The STICS consortium accelerates innovation-led transformation through our own development, testing, and implementation of solutions, and through cross-sector collaboration. We remove barriers between demand and supply, lay the foundations of a functioning innovation market, and do so transparently—through co-creation and co-design with all relevant stakeholders. Innovation stalls most within municipalities; that’s why STICS turns the data jungle into a clear highway of innovation and opens it to anyone who wants to improve life in towns and cities and strengthen Slovakia’s competitiveness.

To translate ideas into practice in a measurable and sustainable way, STICS rests on four pillars:
• Governance
Clear, evidence-based management and planning. We create the conditions for effective innovation processes, coordinate actors across pillars, safeguard ethics, risks, and impacts, and prevent unwanted effects. (see WP2)

• Social Innovation
We co-create solutions with users. Together we design new services, processes, and models, increase participation, and use behavioral approaches so that innovation truly addresses societal needs. (WP2, WP6, WP7, WP8)

• Digitalization
We build interoperable data spaces: unified APIs, ontologies, open data, and standards (e.g., JSON-LD, OAS3, Gaia-X). Data flows securely and repeatedly across services—from collection to use. (WP3, WP4)

• Business Dimension
We bring innovation to market. We help find product–market fit, support demand (smarter municipal procurement) as well as supply (solution acceleration), create references, and scale to additional cities and regions. (WP5, WP6, WP8)

Below you’ll find the project’s key tasks that deliver this goal:
1. Build a functional innovation ecosystem
By connecting the needs of the territory, the expert capacities of research, the innovation capabilities of companies, and the initiatives of the civic sector, an environment is created in which ideas can grow into concrete solutions. STICS creates a framework and cooperation mechanisms that enable joint planning, testing, and scaling of innovations across all of Slovakia.

2. Create an open data ecosystem
The STICS Data Broker will unify heterogeneous data (sensors, GIS, open data portals) and ensure data sovereignty – the municipality always decides what data it makes accessible and to whom.

3. Build 6 Living Labs
(Rural LL, Mobile & Systemic LL, Urban LL, LL for Public Services and Data Center, Quadruple Helix LL, Social Innovation LL). These are real “playgrounds” where prototypes are co-created, impacts are evaluated, and scaling scenarios are developed.

4. Launch the Marketplace & Accelerator
A catalog of ready-to-use tools + a program of hackathons and investment pitches that turns data and ideas into scalable products.

5. Train key people
At least 250 municipal employees, 120 corporate experts, and 100 students will undergo training in evidence-based decision-making, data economy, and innovative procurement processes.

6. Advance policy changes
A White Paper and recommendations for digital, innovation, and municipal legislation + active participation in national working groups.

LIVING LABS

A Living Lab is a key pillar of the project—a comprehensive innovation approach that connects all key actors and gives the end user a leading role. It’s not just a testing site (an environment), but also a well-designed co-creation methodology and a coherent innovation governance system.

STICS goes further, pioneeringly combining all three forms of the Living Lab (environment–methodology–system) into a single framework. This creates an ideal “testbed” where ideas are validated in real-world operations, their impact is measured, and they are rapidly scaled across disciplines and sectors.

How we work in practice: we co-create → pilot-test (with UX experinces) → measure (KPI) → iterate → scale → transfer further. Transparent, data-driven, with clear governance—and with the user at the table from the start.

Below we present six pilot Living Labs that together cover municipalities, cities and regions, social innovation, data and digital governance, security, and campus-to-practice transfer:

1. Smart Ecovillage Horné Srnie

Smart Ecovillage Horné Srnie is a rural Living Lab that integrates social, technological, and environmental innovations directly into the everyday life of the community. The village becomes an open testing ground where new solutions are co-designed, piloted, and improved in real time. The Living Lab aims to build a model of a smart, sustainable, and resilient rural settlement that can be replicated elsewhere.

2. CEDLIO

CEDLIO is a national mobile and system-level Living Lab dedicated to researching, testing, and deploying biodefense innovations. As biological threats evolve—due to emerging pathogens, climate change, migration, or hybrid warfare—CEDLIO provides a critical national safety infrastructure. Combining cutting-edge laboratory environments, mobile testing units, and interdisciplinary collaboration, it supports cities and regions in preparing for and mitigating biological risks.

3. Blockchain Transformation Grid Kežmarok

The Blockchain Transformation Grid Kežmarok is an urban Living Lab that merges participatory planning, data-driven governance, and blockchain technology to accelerate the city’s smart and green transformation. Located in a region with socioeconomic challenges, climate impacts, and marginalized communities, Kežmarok becomes a model city for inclusive innovation, modern governance, and digital infrastructure. This Living Lab tests new solutions for energy, resilience, and citizen engagement directly in the real urban environment.

4. TP LAB

TP LAB is an open regional centre integrating territorial, spatial, and thematic data into a unified platform that directly supports public services. As a Living Lab, it acts as a smart, data-driven gateway between regions, municipalities, experts, and the public. Its purpose is to enable more efficient spatial planning, unlock new data-driven services, and improve quality of life through better understanding of territorial development. In a landscape where local authorities often struggle with fragmented data and insufficient capacity, the TDSC introduces a modern, transparent, and interoperable data ecosystem.

5. Smart Green Campus

The Smart Green Campus is a permanent physical and virtual Living Lab connecting academia, business, the public sector, and citizens into one dynamic innovation ecosystem. The university campus becomes a “living laboratory” where technologies, processes, and social innovations are tested in real-life conditions—ranging from energy management and microclimate control to participation and commercialization of ideas. It is a space that accelerates innovation transfer, supports the creation of startups and spin-offs, and gives students hands-on learning opportunities.

Goal:
To accelerate the transfer of research into practice, create a sustainable innovation environment, develop student competencies through “learning by doing,” and enable the campus community to co-create and test solutions for green transformation.

Benefits:

long-term integration of the quadruple helix (academia – business – public sector – citizens)
increased creation of startups and spin-offs
stronger links between research and real-world application
safe and real environment for testing innovations
a green, energy-efficient campus that serves as a model for others
improved microclimate and quality of life on campus
opportunities for new smart services and solutions

For whom:

Students & academia: hands-on experience, innovation incubation, career development
Companies: prototyping, scaling, access to talent and applied research
Local governments: tested solutions ready for deployment in cities and towns
Investors: access to promising early-stage innovation

Expected outputs:

El1: STICS Quadruple Helix Hub - the central physical and virtual collaboration hub of the entire STICS community. It supports strategic coordination, multi-stakeholder interaction, participatory planning tools, and testing of methodologies created within WP2, WP4, and WP5.

El2: Smart Green Transformation Centre - a publicly accessible sustainability hub located at the centre of the university campus. It provides space for coworking, co-designing, training, and showcasing innovations. It brings together students, university staff, external experts, and citizens to co-create solutions for climate adaptation and green transformation.

El3: Smart Green Learning by Doing - a set of transformation activities integrating all campus stakeholders in hands-on innovation development. Activities focus on reducing carbon emissions, adapting to climate change, smart energy and microclimate management, decision support, and sustainability awareness across technical and technology-oriented fields.

Transfer potential:
High – the campus Living Lab model can be replicated at other universities and innovation centres.

6. SILAb

SILAb is a dynamic Social-Innovation Living Lab that enables communities, towns, and regions to identify their challenges, co-design solutions, and test them directly in real-world conditions. It is a modern collaborative environment bringing together public authorities, citizens, businesses, universities, and NGOs—all working toward more resilient, inclusive, and future-ready territories. SILAb provides a safe and creative space where social innovations with tangible impact can emerge and grow.

RESOURCES

In this section, you’ll find all our “tangible” outputs: everything we’ve produced on the path to delivering the expected outcomes—from materials, analyses, plans, methodologies, and manuals to reports, recommendations, and case studies, as well as datasets, templates, and other resources ready for immediate use. Our goal is to inspire you, make it easier to implement innovation, and help you scale proven solutions in your organization or municipality. If you don’t find what you’re looking for here, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Na stiahnutie

STICS Milestones

STICS Deliverables