Unexpec

A forum where art, science, business, creative industries and philosophy come together to shape the future.

Barcelona fair with many opportunities for Lund

Published
November 24, 2023
In November, the big fair for smart cities will be held, the Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona and Lund has many representatives on site. Already on Monday, the Lund company Cleantech Scandinavia organized The Smart City Business Forum, a networking meeting with 500 European and international invited delegates who gathered to discuss key challenges for climate-neutral and smart cities. Climate-neutral Lund will be presented and several representatives from Lund will participate and exhibit during The Smart City Business Forum. A parallel track is a trade fair with future technologies in the food sector as well as contacts with Design Hub Barcelona, discussions in the KKN area and new collaborations in the textile industry.

Pictured: Philip Sandberg, Markus Paulsson, Juliet Leonette and Anders Almgren, all from Lund Municipality.

During The Smart City Business Forum There was a special focus on the role of cities in the energy transition and business opportunities with the technological solutions that can make the transition possible. In this context, representatives from Lund Municipality, Alfa Laval and Kraftringen, among others, were speakers during a workshop entitled “A city's journey to a fossil free heating and cooling system - and what the future holds”.

The day after, Tuesday, November 7, the big fair starts Smart City Expo World Congressp. During this day, Lund Municipal Board Chairman Anders Almgren will be one of the speakers during the program item Tomorrow Building - Innovation in the Race Towards Net-Zero. The Nordic & Baltic Pavilion will also be hosted at the fair this year, where representatives from cities, companies and organisations present projects and technologies. AXIS Communications, for example, will also be present at the fair.

Representatives from Lund Municipality, including Opposition Councillor Philip Sandberg and Councillor Anders Almgren and officials from the Department for Sustainable Growth, are on hand to discuss climate-neutral cities together with Future by Lund with other cities and representatives of the European Commission.

- The visit to Barcelona has several purposes, says Peter Kisch, Director of Operations for Future by Lund. One clue during our visit is that climate-neutral Lund presents itself. Another important part is a meeting with the City of Barcelona on behalf of the Lund Innovation District. Of course, we will also monitor the outside world, scout, book interesting meetings and plan for the future.

Charlotte Lorentz Hjorth, Isabel Roig and Pia Kinhult.

Charlotte Lorentz Hjorth from Lund University and Future by Lund and Pia Kinhult, ESS and Future by Lund, will be at the second meeting and event. Among other things, there will be discussions with Design Hub Barcelona and a visit to the Design Museum. During the week there will be a food fair where future technologies in the food field are presented and the foundations are laid for future collaborations. This summer Charlotte Lorentz Hjorth was one of the speakers at the start of Spain's presidency of the European Union. At the time, she presented the large European project EKIP, which deals with policies in the creative and cultural industries. Discussions are now taking place on a follow-up to Spain's draft strategy for the KKN area. During the visit there are also booked visits with companies for future collaborations, for example in the textile field.

Read more about when ekip was launched in Barcelona.