The main objective of the meeting was to debate the legal mechanisms needed to establish 'Living Labs,' spaces for testing innovative pilot projects. Practical cases and lessons learned about sandboxes were shared, particularly from cities already implementing this mechanism, such as Barcelona, Huelva, Valencia, Riba-roja de Túria, and Alcoy, which has already developed about twenty projects.
The day began with a minute of silence to mourn the victims of the railway accident that occurred in Toledo. Subsequently, it became a forum for analyzing this novel instrument that uses cities as testbeds for experimenting with technological projects applied to the urban ecosystem. Questions addressed included the ideal legal form for its implementation, its processing, criteria for selecting experimental projects, and the necessary procedures for real application in municipalities.
The mayor of Riba-roja de Túria, Robert Raga, highlighted during the opening ceremony that sandboxes "address a crucial challenge for municipalism: how to move from the theory of innovation to real practice in our streets." Raga emphasized the importance of work in innovation and the firm commitment to defining local policies that drive the shift towards a knowledge-based production model and R&D&I.
Riba-roja de Túria received the "City of Science and Innovation" distinction from the Ministry of Science and Innovation in the 2022 call, officially ratified in March 2023. According to Raga, "this integration was a boost to our management and opened a door to collaboration with other municipalities and cities, which stand out for their good management practices and from which we learn daily thanks to this Network."
This is the second technical event hosted by the municipality from the Innpulso Network, following its role in March 2025 as the venue for presenting the Innovation Program for Climate Resilience. With this meeting, the Innpulso Network has reinforced its commitment to climate resilience and the recovery of municipalities affected by the DANA, promoting science and innovation as drivers of territorial transformation.
