Innovative public-private partnership to support Smart City: the case of “Chaire REVES”

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss how French universities can play a key role in generating Smart City (SC) through an innovative Public-Private Partnership (PPP) dedicated to urban transformation. Design/methodology/approach – The authors led an action-research study for five years with several research and pedagogic projects, including users or citizens. Findings – The paper points out main factors of SC development. It also presents shared demonstrators’ characteristics, including industrial scale, sustainability, and citizens’ participation. Research limitations/implications – This research is experimented with only one regional multi-case study. Practical implications – Practical implications of this paper include a University of Lorraine diversification strategy through the “Chaire REVES” supported by public and private partners. Social implications – At the regional level, industrial-university-territorial partnerships could tackle both societal and economical issues “with,” “for,” and “by” citizens. Originality/value – Based on the Living Lab concept, this case study shows a concrete regional university strategy involving: user-centric design, collaborative processes, citizens’ workshops, and new financial and organizational answers enabling collaboration between private companies and public institutions. The paper also argues that innovative PPPs involving users are necessary for developing SC.