On 1 January 2021, the new Horizon 2020 project AURORAL (Architecture for Unified Regional and Open digital ecosystems for Smart Communities and wider Rural Areas Large scale application) started. The University of Deusto participates in this new European project funded by the European Commision, within a consortium of 25 institutions from all over Europe.

AURORAL, coordinated by Commission for the Regional Coordination and Development of Alentejo (Portugal), focuses on delivering a digital environment of interoperable services through platforms able to trigger dynamic rural ecosystems of innovation chains, applications and services. AURORAL contributes to increasing economic growth in rural areas and to tackle significant societal challenges. AURORAL digital environment is demonstrated by cost-efficient and flexible cross-domain applications through large-scale pilots in five European regions. It builds on an open, API-based, interoperable and federated IoT architecture and includes a reference implementation supporting flexible integration of heterogeneous services, bridging the interoperability gap of the smart object platforms and creating markets for services in rural areas. AURORAL digital environment addresses the integration of data and information across different platforms, establishment of an open marketplace, large-scale demonstration, multiplication of novel applications, the leverage of infrastructure and inclusion of public services. It supports a vibrant ecosystem of developers, service providers and user communities and addresses barriers currently opposing the socio-economic development of rural areas.

For more information about the project, please consult this page and/or subscribe to the project's newsletter.