By collecting, sharing, and using real-time data, municipalities and regions can make faster and more informed decisions. Digitalization and smart, connected solutions can accelerate the necessary transformation of society, but they are not being used to a sufficient extent today. Many initiatives get stuck in the pilot phase and are never scaled up.

Region Skåne is now joining forces with Smarta Byar, Future by Lund, Collage Communication, and the InnoTech Taskforce project to launch a new initiative to create a national Living Lab for smart communities. The base will be in Veberöd, but the goal is to show a way forward for the entire country. The initiative is funded by the strategic innovation program IoT Sverige.

"The goal is to create a concrete model and a long-term development hub for how we can truly develop and scale sustainable and smart communities," says Anna Gillquist, Digitalization Strategist at Region Skåne.

A scalable model, not just a local test

The initiative is built on over eight years of experience from the village of Veberöd, where Smarta Byar has conducted around fifty tests involving everything from digital twins, AI, and autonomous delivery robots to apps for citizen dialogue and sustainability data. What makes it unique is not just the technology, but how the test environment has been built with genuine community engagement, rapid iterations, and open sharing. A joint organization is now being formed around the testbed.

Smarta Byar has been a key part of the SOM (Smart Public Environments) and FLOW projects, led by Future by Lund. The project aimed to explore how sensor technology can be used to create solutions that provide societal benefits. Smarta Byar has provided an opportunity to test how smart technology can be used in a village, while also demonstrating the many advantages of a small community—such as the fact that people largely know each other, which facilitates feedback, and that it is quick to get sensor tests up and running.

The model being built is not intended to stay in Veberöd. Through openness, interoperability, and documentation, a platform is being created that other municipalities, districts, and villages can easily access and build upon.

"We have tested the future in miniature. Now the time is right to build something long-term," says Jan Malmgren, founder of Smarta Byar.

A long-term platform – even after the project ends

At the center is the creation of a Living Lab for smart communities, where municipalities, companies, and researchers can meet to test, validate, and disseminate smart solutions. At the same time, an independent, non-profit organization is being established to manage and develop the work in the long term, even after the project concludes.

The initiative includes, among other things:

• A physical test environment with a digital twin

• An app for citizen dialogue and sustainability data

• Interoperability tests for technology

• Workshops with municipalities, companies, and academia

• An open knowledge platform

• A future "village university" for practical research

National and international interest

Universities such as Boston University have already shown interest in connecting to the work, as have several Swedish higher education institutions. The new organization will open for membership to municipalities, regions, companies, academia, and cluster organizations to work together toward transformation.

📍 Contact persons:

Jan Malmgren – Project Manager, Smarta Byar – jan@veberod.nu – 0708–446699

Anders Trana – Future by Lund – anders.trana@futurebylund.se – 070-6049930

Martin Güll – Collage Communication – martin@coll-age.se – 0733–030063

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