Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft | Morgenstadt
Project Phase III
What is being done in Phase III?
The third phase of »Morgenstadt: City Insights« is directly related to phase I "Understanding Sustainable Urban Systems" and the project phase II "Sustainable Urban Pilot Projects" and is taking place between 2017 and 2020 (see graph).
Together with the Morgenstadt partners, the Fraunhofer Society is focusing on the identification and implementation of new technology concepts, as well as creative solution strategies for sustainable and adaptive cities.
The focus of Phase III is, on the one hand, on the market development of urban solutions for sustainable cities that have already been developed (see graph). On the other hand, the developed solutions are continually being improved and adapted to the respective framework conditions of a city. The Morgenstadt partners can draw on a large repertoire of possibilities and research results, which have been developed since 2012. This is the ideal basis for dealing with the ambitious challenges faced by cities in the coming years. Among other things, innovative urban districts will be realized in the current phase, and business models and flexible processes for sustainable and networked solutions will be further developed. An example of such a quarter is the Rhinequartier of Oberlahnstein, where a guiding concept was developed to improve the infrastructure and future urban development together with the local city administration.
The three phases of Morgenstadt initiative
This graph illustrates the focus of the three phases of the Morgenstadt initiative. In Phase III, the focus is on the further development of our urban solutions for marketability.
Objectives / Activities in Phase III
In Phase III, the Morgenstadt partners focus on the concrete implementation of innovative urban projects with three key areas:
1. Solutions for cities and enterprises
Using the extensive repertoire, developed and tested with numerous cities and companies over the past years, cities are developing concrete implementation strategies for innovative and sustainable urban development at city and dirstict level through City Labs, Smart Districts or Innovation Partnerships collaboratively with partners from industry and research.
Cities can also be analyzed using the Morgenstadt City Index, and investors or companies can use the Morgenstadt City Collaboration Index to estimate the smart city potential of a city.
In addition, the newly developed offers, Bable and Smart Society Academy, have been created within the framework of the Morgenstadt network as Fraunhofer spin-offs, which are designed to address the unique needs of individual cities and companies. Bable, the online-based "Morgenstadt Marketplace", has been developed as an interface between urban demand and a commercial solutions. Local partners receive a catalog of measures, which are individually adapted to their specific needs. Company partners can offer their own products and services as components of holistic urban system solutions. The Smart Society Academy is a joint initiative of the Smart City Center Eindhoven and the Morgenstadt Initiative and offers a comprehensive training program for interested representatives from municipalities and businesses who want to deepen their know-how in the area of sustainable urban development.
2. Research clusters
Based on the experience gained from Phase I and Phase II of the Morgenstadt Initiative, the Fraunhofer Institutes developed eight thematic research clusters (see graph). These research clusters are solutions for urban problems and are implemented together with Fraunhofer institutes and companies. Similar to a tool kit, cities can pick and choose between urban system solutions for their individual problems using coordinated and individually scalable components. Different investment and operating models for each solution are suggested for the proposed solutions. The pilot project will be initially supported through research funding. In addition, the three cross-cutting areas "Value Creation and Business Models", "Urban Planning and Governance" and "Digital services" will be considered for all eight research clusters.
3. Funding management
The joint acquisition of public research funding by Morgenstadt consortia continues to be an important focus. Cities can use the public research funding to test pilot projects, where companies can embed their innovative technologies. In addition to participating in European and national funding programs, we offer our partners up-to-date information on calls, tenders and application procedures offering a comprehensive overview of the research funding landscape.
If your company or city would like to become part of the interdisciplinary innovation network of Morgenstadt, you can find more information about our partnership programs here.
Further information
Morgenstadt Phase III
Get further information about the current Morgenstadt project phase as PDF: