The French Riviera, a pioneer in Ecotechnologies.
The entire Alpes-Maritimes is department is firmly committed to the smart city initiative. Born out of the coming together of TICs and renewable energies, smart electricity networks, in particular, are central to the initiatives of its two reference centres, SCS (Solutions Communicantes Sécurisées) and Capenergies (non-green house gas emitting energies). Nice city is one of the top 15 Smart Cities world wide.
The French Riviera is also a large-scale testing ground.
Indeed, a dozen experimental projects both national and European are underway, making the French Riviera the leading region when it comes to these tests in France. Companies are encouraged to take part in these projects and to use the Open Data gathered by the authorities and demonstrators. Various talented startups (Qualisteo, Grid Pocket, etc.) have specialised in reducing energy consumption for the creation of new products dedicated to smart cities. The Nice Éco-Vallée business incubator, the Innovative Company Support Centre (CAEI), assists young companies with these themes.