Advancing Urban Smartness: The Role of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Horizon Initiatives

This study investigates how I&E initiatives contribute to achieving urban smartness. To ensure a thorough analysis, we focused on 40 projects with complete data sets. This analysis revealed that pilots, stakeholder collaboration, engagement activities, training and mentoring, idea creation and startup support are crucial practices. Interestingly, only a small portion of projects focused on creating physical infrastructure. Existing infrastructure sufficiency, proposal’s call, or even the COVID-19 pandemic could be underlying causes behind this observation. By promoting these practices, cities can achieve sustainable and efficient urban development, such as increased citizen participation and the creation of green technologies.