SMART BUILDING CPI – PUBLIC PROCUREMENT OF INNOVATION AS A TOOL TO ACHIEVE INTELLIGENT, SUSTAINABLE, AND EFFICIENT BUILDINGS IN THE RIBERA REGION
The main idea of the SMART BUILDING CPI project is to use the Public Procurement of Innovation (PPI) procedure to stimulate the creation of innovative clusters that improve the competitiveness of companies and local authorities in the Ribera del Xúquer region.
The project aims to promote the development of innovative technologies and/or solutions and their mass deployment in the market in the field of smart buildings. These buildings will act as a basic unit or energy hub to achieve an energy-sustainable territory, integrating the following components:
- Energy efficiency criteria for Nearly Zero-Energy Buildings (NZEB);
- Distributed and local renewable energy production;
- Charging/discharging stations for electric mobility.
Beyond acting as a driver for R&D&i in the Valencian business sector, the project seeks to improve public services offered by municipalities through the incorporation of these products and the reduction of conventional energy demand and CO₂ emissions in municipal facilities.
In general, the participation of municipalities in R&D&i actions is limited, as they are usually buyers of mature and proven technological products/services or solutions. Most successful examples of PPI come from major European cities such as London, Amsterdam, Hamburg, or Stockholm. In the few European examples, these interventions occur in large cities, and it is assumed that R&D&i actions are always supply-driven.
In this project, the new Local Police Building of Alzira (less than 50,000 inhabitants) will be used as a pilot case, facilitating the adoption of PPI as a preferred public procurement policy. Additionally, the project seeks to deepen the creation of innovative clusters (SMEs, business associations, universities, technology institutes, etc.) in the Ribera region and the Valencian Community in general.
The project will focus on the preparation, design, and launch of a PPI procedure for the construction and/or renovation of a municipal building in Alzira, combining NZEB criteria, renewable energy production, and integration of electric mobility.
It also includes training, dissemination, and awareness-raising actions, such as:
- Training sessions on PPI implementation for technical staff and municipal decision-makers;
- Workshops promoting PPI aimed at companies, private actors, and local authorities.
Finally, SMART BUILDING CPI aims to consolidate the innovative cluster for promoting sustainable energy initiated by the European project PROMINENT MED, initially including the municipalities of the Ribera, the Consorci de la Ribera, the Polytechnic University of Valencia, the Valencia Provincial Council, and AVAESEN.
The project has been funded by the Valencian Innovation Agency (AVI) under the program to promote public procurement of innovation (PPI) for the period 2019-2020.
