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City as Innovation Lab
(CAIL)

Transforming cities into real-world testbeds for innovation and invention

The City as Innovation Lab initiative works with cities to transform them into living laboratories where new solutions are designed, tested, and scaled in partnership with the private sector, civic leaders, and researchers.

 

Urban challenges including climate resilience, infrastructure modernization, digital transformation, public health, and mobility, require more than good ideas; they demand real-world testing, robust research, and cross-sector collaboration. This initiative brings together city governments, private sector innovators, and academic partners to accelerate innovation pipelines that serve the public good.

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Through multi-city projects, pilot deployments, and comparative research, City as Innovation Lab will:

  • Evaluate emerging solutions with measurable impact on urban systems.

  • Bridge the gap between civic priorities and private sector innovation.

  • Generate research and evidence to guide policy and investment.

  • Work with cities to scale proven models across their territories to maximize public benefit.

 

By aligning public need with private capability, the initiative positions cities as engines of invention and creates new pathways for AI, data, and technology to improve urban life.

What CAIL Does

Pilots & Deployments

Cities and companies co-develop and test solutions in real-world settings.

Research & Evaluation

Rigorous measurement of outcomes, scalability, and public impact.

Cross-Sector Collaboration

Partnerships that align civic priorities with private sector capacity.

Scaling Proven Models

Lessons shared across a global network of cities for broader adoption.

Policy & Pathway Development

Work with city leaders to identify regulatory, financing, and governance mechanisms that enable innovations to move from pilots to permanent adoption.

Why CAIL is Needed and Why Now?

Cities today sit at the intersection of mounting challenges and unprecedented opportunity. Climate change, aging infrastructure, digital inequities, housing shortages, and mobility demands are testing civic systems like never before. At the same time, advances in AI, data, sustainable infrastructure, and new technologies offer powerful tools to respond.

 

What’s missing is a structured way to align civic priorities with private sector innovation and to test, evaluate, and scale solutions in real-world conditions. Too often, promising ideas remain in pilot mode, disconnected from the policy, financing, and governance pathways needed for lasting adoption.

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CAIL fills this gap: turning cities into living laboratories where innovation is not only deployed but also measured, governed, and scaled to deliver meaningful, equitable, and resilient improvements in urban life.

Seven Core Focus Areas

AI & Civic Infrastructure

Housing &

Public Health

Climate & energy Futures

Education, Entrepreneurship & Workforce Innovation 

Built Environment & Construction Innovation

Water & Marine Resilience

Mobility & Smart Transportation

Why Partner With CAIL

For Cities

  • Access Emerging Solutions: Tap into cutting-edge technologies and practices tailored to urgent urban needs.

  • De-risk Innovation: Test and evaluate solutions with research-backed evidence before scaling citywide.

  • Shape the Market: Ensure that new products and services are built around civic priorities like equity, resilience, and sustainability.

  • Policy Alignment: Develop regulatory, financing, and governance pathways that enable long-term adoption of new approaches.

  • Capacity Building: Equip city teams with knowledge, tools, and frameworks to sustain innovation beyond pilots.

  • Global Collaboration: Learn from peer cities and contribute to a shared body of knowledge on what works.

  • Visibility & Leadership: Position your city as a national and global leader in public-interest innovation.

For Companies

  • Real-World Testing: Pilot and refine products in diverse urban environments, ensuring relevance and adoption.

  • Evidence & Validation: Generate independent, research-backed proof points that strengthen credibility with future customers and investors.

  • Market Access: Build strategic relationships with city leaders and procurement decision-makers.

  • Policy Insight: Understand the regulatory and governance contexts that can accelerate or hinder adoption.

  • Brand Leadership: Demonstrate commitment to public-interest innovation, sustainability, and equitable impact.

  • Scaling Opportunities: Leverage multi-city pilots and research to expand into new markets more effectively.

  • Collaborative R&D: Co-create with cities and researchers, gaining insights that shape next-generation products and services.

Are you a city leader, company, research organization or non-profit interested in participating in CAIL? Connect with us!

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