Civic Innovation Challenge

A Smarter London Together

“A Smart City is a city that integrates its systems – from local labour markets to financial markets, from local government to education, healthcare, transportation and utilities – to drive efficiency for the benefit of its inhabitants.”

Smart London Plan 2013

Chief Digital Officer & Smart London

“A smarter London is a more collaborative, connected and responsive city. It enables greater data innovation to meet citizens’ needs.”

Smarter London Together 2018

Next year’s Civic Innovation Challenge will involve Londoners in the setting of priorities. We want to make sure that innovation and change is inclusive, and involving citizens directly.

In October 2018 Knowledge Quarter Partners attended a breakfast with London’s Chief Digital Officer Theo Blackwell as the speaker. Theo introduced Knowledge Quarter Partners to the Civic Innovation Challenge – an initiative to spur innovation in the tech sector as part of the Smart London Grand Challenge.

Research conclusions from a study of 21 cities globally by Arup and Future Cities catapult were shared with our partners, highlighting what smart city strategies mean in practice, how they differ across the world and the ways in which such strategies can be implemented in London. The foundations of the Smart London Grand Challenge were then introduced, one of which being the improvement of city wide collaboration – something that the Knowledge Quarter works to cultivate.

Knowledge Quarter Partners had the opportunity to discuss with Theo how we can best engage with the Smart London Grand Challenge and how its implementation will affect the Knowledge Quarter. The breakfast also allowed our partners to share and discuss the outcomes of the Knowledge Quarter Science and Innovation Audit with Theo.

The Knowledge Quarter would like to thank UCL for Sponsoring this breakfast.