The European project SME4SMARTCITIES organised its Final Conference in Malaga, Spain on the 21^st June 2023, after 4 years of hard work and the development of technological solutions. The solutions responded to urban challenges that participating cities from the Mediterranean Basin had.

The location of the Final Conference was at the Urban Environment Observatory of Malaga (OMAU), and it Kicked Off with a very warm welcome from Mr. Carlos García Giménez, the Territorial Delegate for Economy, Finance, European Funds and Industry, Energy and Mines in Malaga, also President of BIC Euronova. The event was attended by the General Director of the Area of ​​Innovation, Urban Digitization, Promotion of Technological and Business Investment and Investment Attraction of the Malaga City Council, Mr. Víctor Solla Bárcena, and the General Director of BIC Euronova, Mr. Álvaro Simón de Blas.

This event marks the end of 4 years of activities focused on facilitating the access of Mediterranean SMEs to the Smart Cities market, fostering collaboration and understanding between them and those responsible for innovative public procurement to develop technological solutions that truly respond to the current urban challenges.

During the Final Conference, the main results of the project were announced. Amongst these we remind: an online course on smart cities that has more than 50 topics and interviews with experts in the sector, a web platform that pursues the development of a collaborative network around smart cities, guides that include channels and current trends in innovative public procurement, business missions organized between the project territories and a multitude of events carried out to support innovative and technological SMEs in the Mediterranean; as well as helping cities to be pioneers in innovation. In addition, the event has counted with round tables that deal with the experience in the project regarding the co-creation of solutions to the urban challenges presented by the participating cities; being an opportunity to learn about other projects and initiatives closely related to SME4SMARTCITIES, some of them having as their objective precisely the capitalization of their results.

In its welcome speach, the territorial delegate for Economy, Finance, European Funds and Industry, Energy and Mines, Mr. Carlos García, highlighted that Malaga has become an international meeting point for debate and exchange of experiences regarding the challenges faced by cities to reconcile demographic growth and environmental sustainability. In this sense, he pointed out that "from the Andalusian Government we believe that in these initiatives the best policy involves public-private collaboration, because associations between institutions and private companies generate synergies that attract experts and talented people, and contribute to the development of projects that make us more attractive for investment, development and the generation of employment and wealth”.

Thank you to all the participants, contributors, organisers and project partners for making the SME4SMARTCITIES Final Conference a success!