• The Valencia City Council is seeking innovative solutions based on advanced technologies to improve the management and conservation of the natural park
• The winning proposal will be awarded a 50,000-euro contract to develop a pilot project in the city
• The deadline for submitting applications is May 29 at 11:59 p.m. via the Public Sector Procurement Platform

València Innovation Capital, the innovation strategy of the Valencia City Council, has launched a new challenge as part of its GovTech program with the goal of finding technological solutions capable of determining the volume and quality of the water inflows reaching l’Albufera through its various inlet channels.

This challenge seeks to develop a comprehensive system for measuring, visualizing, and managing the lagoon—one of Spain’s most valuable wetlands—to improve our understanding of its water conditions. Paula Llobet, the councilor for Innovation, emphasized that “innovation must help us tackle the city’s major urban and environmental challenges with real, sustainable, and data-driven solutions.” In this regard, she noted that “l’Albufera is a strategic natural area for Valencia, and this challenge will allow us to move toward a more efficient, transparent, and smart management of its water resources.”

Data-Driven Management and Environmental Protection

L’Albufera, protected under the Ramsar Convention and the Natura 2000 Network, faces two critical threats: a drastic reduction in freshwater flow and pollution resulting from industrial discharges and intensive agriculture. Given this situation, the City Council considers it essential to have its own monitoring system that provides objective and continuous data to defend the lagoon’s water rights, particularly with regard to the ecological flow guaranteed by Royal Decree 35/2023.

The challenge calls for the development of solutions based on advanced technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence, big data, geographic information systems, and real-time data analysis. In addition, proposals must be scalable, sustainable, and compatible with open municipal platforms such as VLCi.

Involvement of the innovation ecosystem

The initiative is part of València Innovation Capital’s Smart City and GovTech strategic initiative, which focuses on putting technology at the service of citizens and improving public services through collaboration with the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem.

“With initiatives like this, we are positioning Valencia as an urban laboratory for innovation in sustainability and as a European leader in GovTech,” Llobet added.

The winning solution will receive a small-scale innovation contract to develop a pilot demonstrator in the city, worth 50,000 euros, excluding VAT. In addition, in recognition of the participants’ technical efforts, the next two highest-rated proposals will each receive a cash prize of 2,500 euros.

The deadline for submitting proposals is May 29 at 11:59 p.m. via the Public Sector Procurement Platform.

Among the criteria to be evaluated in the applications are the ability to address the challenge at hand, technical feasibility, the degree of innovation, scalability, accessibility, and the technological maturity of the proposed solutions.

The selected project will have a maximum implementation period of twelve months and must contribute to improving our understanding of the water conditions in l’Albufera, thereby facilitating technical and policy decisions aimed at its conservation and sustainable management.