The City of Luxembourg and the Interdisciplinary Centre for Security, Reliability and Trust of the University of Luxembourg have signed a Partnership Framework Agreement for a strategic collaboration.

Together they want to develop Luxembourg as a European centre of excellence and innovation for secure, reliable, and trustworthy information and communication technology (ICT) systems and services.

With its WiFi network “HotCity” (www.hotcity.lu), the City of Luxembourg has already met a great challenge in infrastructural development and has thus embarked on a strategic, future-oriented path in communication technology. Based on this strong and ideally-suited platform, more such endeavours are being planned. The aim is to make the City even more attractive for its residents, but also let the whole country benefit.
In this context, secure, reliable and trustworthy mobility, supported by modern technology, is one indispensable foundation. One example: In their scientific program “Smart City – Urban Sensing”, both partners jointly aim to optimise traffic flows in vehicular networks. Managing such flows is a never ending optimization effort. To be able to keep pace with the present and future volume of traffic, all infrastructural potentials must be taken into account. Car-to-Car-to-Environment Communication opens up a new dimension with considerable influence on traffic dynamism. A real life test on voluntary base with the use of the HotCity infrastructure can deliver valuable knowledge which supports the development of future traffic monitoring systems. In this context both partners want to elaborate alternative traffic monitoring methods for urban areas like Luxembourg.

With the signature of this Partnership Agreement, Ville de Luxembourg becomes the 12th member to join the SnT Partnership Program. This program enables SnT and its corporate partners to develop research collaborations and new technologies. Research is conducted jointly in partnered projects where SnT and partners contribute know-how and resources to achieve common goals. Partners contribute to SnT at all levels: from a representation on the governing board, to operational support through the industrial advisory board, as well as by contributing resources to projects.

Paul Helminger, mayor of Ville de Luxembourg, explains: “The development of technologies which allow for an enhanced degree of data transmission security through different communications platforms provide new opportunities for service diversification and geographical extension. The partnership between Ville de Luxembourg and SnT provides citizens with optimized technological possibilities and thus contributes to a major degree to their quality of life.”
Björn Ottersten, Director of SnT states “We are excited to expand our research collaboration with Ville de Luxembourg with this partnership agreement. Through our Smart City – Urban Sensing program, we will support the City’s goal of bringing innovative services to its citizens – an ambition which has already placed VdL as the number one European Smart City, www.smart-cities.eu ”.

Ville de Luxembourg- Multiplicity

The City of Luxembourg , capital of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a “euregional” economic metropolis, at the centre of the Greater Region of SaarLorLux. A workplace for thousands of cross-border workers, the City welcomes them in ultra-modern business centres and districts with an extensive and accessible public transport network. It is also keeping its promises of dynamism: clean and safe, the streets welcome visitors and users looking for a good restaurant, a luxury store or a quality shop. Information for getting there, as a complement to the City Tourist Office, can be delivered by the Hotcity terminals, intelligent relays on phones and laptop computers. At night, the City of Luxembourg opens its heart and is wrapped in warm lights in the streets of the Old Town, Grund and the Centre for a charming escapade in a human-sized capital. Cultural life offers whatever you desire: concerts, festivals, exhibitions, cultural events etc. are on offer throughout the year, responding to the most demanding cultural desires. Coming to Luxembourg to visit, to work or to live also means giving yourself a moment of life, a comfortable break, rich with discoveries, sensations and emotions. www.vdl.lu

SnT

SnT, launched in 2009 by the University of Luxembourg, SnT is an internationally leading research facility that together with external partners establishes Luxembourg as a European centre of excellence and innovation for secure, reliable, and trustworthy information and communications technologies (ICT). To create great impact, SnT follows an interdisciplinary research approach, taking not only technical aspects into account but also addressing business, human, and regulatory issues. SnT provides a platform for interaction and collaboration between university researchers and external partners.