Augmented Reality brings magic to Belfast City Hall
A new Augmented Reality experience has opened as part of Belfast City Hall's visitor exhibition.
New Belfast Innovation Commissioner appointed
Dr Adrian Johnston MBE has been appointed as Belfast's new Innovation Commissioner.
£280,000 5G Funding Competition
Grants of up to £100,000 to support projects making use of 5G and other advanced wireless connectivity.
Augment the City – Immersive tech innovators help to capture Belfast stories
Major new funding competition supporting local SMEs to innovate in immersive technologies to enhance visitor experiences in the Belfast region.
Belfast and South Korean city of Sejong become innovation twins
Belfast has signed an Innovation Twins Roadmap with Sejong to harness urban innovation and support growth in both regions.
Belfast 5G Innovation Region – £3.8m wireless innovation funding
Driving economic growth and innovation by unlocking the opportunities presented by advanced wireless connectivity and digital technologies.
Yardmen Trail AR Stories immersive app
Celebrating the historic links between the Maritime Mile and east Belfast.
HUB-IN funding brings innovative visitor experiences to Belfast’s Maritime Mile
Belfast HUB-IN aims to further enrich and animate Belfast's Maritime Mile through digital innovation.
Maritime Mile Interactive Experience
Telling the story of Sailortown in new and interactive ways.
Voyage AR – HMS Caroline Augmented Reality Experience
A new augmented reality experience highlighting HMS Caroline’s heritage.
Memory Anchors Treasure Hunt Quest
Exploring new ways to preserve heritage and local stories through interactive digital sculpture and storytelling.
Maritime Mile 3D Virtual Rooms
Telling the story of Belfast's Maritime Mile through 3D virtual reality rooms.
Maritime Echoes: An AI Voyage to the Past
Bringing local historical figures from Belfast’s maritime past to life using the latest AI technology.
Augment the City – £575,000 fund for innovation in immersive tech
Major new funding competition to support local SMEs to innovate in immersive technologies to enhance the visitor experience.
HUB-IN: Transforming Belfast’s Maritime Mile through innovation
Belfast HUB-IN aims to further enrich and animate Belfast's Maritime Mile through digital innovation.
Homes for Healthy Ageing testbed in Belfast
A new healthy ageing testbed has been set up in Belfast to trial innovative approaches to tackling isolation and loneliness in older people as part of the £2.5 million Connected Places Catapult 'Homes for Healthy Ageing' Programme.
Smart Belfast Urban Innovation Framework 2022 – 2026
The Smart Belfast Urban Innovation Framework aims to harness urban innovation to tackle Belfast's major economic, social and environmental challenges.
NI’s first public data panel launched
Northern Ireland's first public data panel will work with citizens to consider how data is used in research, innovation and decision-making in Northern Ireland.
Healthy ageing innovation showcase
Businesses showcased and shared insights on the innovative products and services they trialled in real-world settings through a pioneering healthy ageing testbed in the Markets area of Belfast.
FinTech: Better access to business support and finance
Making it easier for local businesses to find and receive support and finance to help them grow.
Innovative Procurement Challenge – Belfast and Sejong
Belfast City Council worked with Connected Places Catapult and the South Korean city of Sejong to develop an Innovative Procurement Playbook to better understand the challenges related to innovative procurement.
Using machine vision to manage active travel routes in Belfast
This pilot is looking at how machine vision and machine learning can help to identify obstacles along Belfast routes that can reduce the capacity for more active travel.
Using IoT and data analytics to improve waste management
Belfast City Council trialled sensors to better understand how litter bins are being used in the city.
Belfast electric delivery bikes pilot
Belfast is supporting a trial of electric delivery bikes by local company, streetdock.
Civic Dollars app trial in Belfast
Belfast trialled a community currency mobile app which enables people to earn ‘Civic Dollars’ for the time they spend in local parks.
Belfast companies win funding for innovative open data projects
Belfast City Council is working with locals companies Xpand and Allstate NI on two innovative data projects.
Free AWS cloud computing skills training
Innovation City Belfast and TechTalent Academy are collaborating with Amazon Web Services to deliver a new, free online training programme – AWS re/Start.
New Innovation City Belfast partnership launches
Innovation City Belfast, formed by six of the city’s key institutions, aims to accelerate growth in Belfast’s most exciting knowledge economy clusters, while at the same time supporting Belfast to prepare for the impact of innovation.
Belfast introduces 450 new ‘smart’ bikes to public hire scheme
Belfast's public bike hire scheme has introduced 450 new 'smart' bikes with upgraded features using a smart technology framelock, solar energy and GPS technology.
Amazing Spaces, Smart Places pilot projects in Belfast parks – Phase 2
Using data and innovative technologies to ensure our parks are safe, accessible and enjoyed by all.
Belfast launches first climate plan for the city
Belfast's Resilience Strategy aims to transition the city to an inclusive, zero-emissions, climate-resilient economy in a generation.
Belfast pioneering new global policy roadmap for the ethical use of smart city technologies
Belfast is collaborating with other leading smart cities and global experts to refine policies in areas such as privacy protection, cybersecurity, open data and digital connectivity.
Belfast consortium to develop zero-emissions ferry
Belfast aims to be a global leader in zero emissions maritime technology with the development of the world's most environmentally friendly high-speed ferries.
Covid Connect NI website launched to tackle Covid-19 challenges
Belfast City Council has launched a new website to connect organisations and provide solutions to Covid-19 challenges.
Amazing Spaces, Smart Places pilot projects in Belfast parks – Phase 1
Using data and innovative technologies to ensure our parks are safe, accessible and enjoyed by all.
Belfast companies win funding for innovative open data projects
Belfast City Council is working with locals companies Xpand and AllState NI on two innovative data projects.
Belfast’s ‘smart’ loading zones proving popular with drivers
Belfast is trialling innovative solutions to help manage loading bays and electric vehicle charging points at two sites in the city as part of the Last Mile Delivery challenge.
Translink launches Northern Ireland’s first hydrogen buses
Northern Ireland's public transport provider, Translink has launched Northern Ireland’s first sustainable fuel cell buses powered by hydrogen from local on-shore wind energy.
Belfast unveils new electric vehicles for city parks
Belfast City Council is reviewing its vehicle fleet, with long-term ambitions set for transition to low carbon transport options in the future.
Draft Belfast Resilience Strategy launched
Individuals and organisations across Belfast have worked together to identify the shocks and stresses which make the city more vulnerable, and could threaten our economic, social or environmental future.
Belfast Glider buses boost passenger numbers
The Belfast Rapid Transit Glider service has contributed to 1.67 million fewer car journeys in 2018-19, reducing congestion and enhancing city air quality.
Phase two of Last Mile Delivery challenge
Smart, low cost solutions to optimise freight and cargo deliveries in urban centres, and improve traffic management, air quality, noise pollution and road safety.
Belfast Harbour in UK first for 5G technology, using AR and VR
BT brings 5G future to Belfast Harbour with live demonstrations of augmented and virtual reality.
Belfast Bikes help to reduce car usage and traffic congestion
Belfast's public bike hire scheme is helping to reduce car usage and traffic congestion, while offering a low cost and healthy way to travel around Belfast city centre.
Measuring the economic impact of Belfast’s investments
We want to understand the needs and ambitions of your company and how digital investments can help you innovate and grow your business.
Using machine learning to support business rates collection
We explored how data analytics and machine learning can maximise the accurate collection of business rates, as well as maintain an up-to-date register of businesses in the city.
What is ‘Hello Maritime Mile’?
We're part of a pilot project that’s using technology to create an engaging and fun experience for visitors and residents exploring the Maritime Mile in the Belfast's Titanic Quarter.
Belfast trailblazing in 5G
Queen’s University Belfast researchers win major global award for 5G network research.
Belfast joins global ‘City Possible’ programme
Belfast has just signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Mastercard to become the latest member of its new 'City Possible' programme.
iPedal intelligent city cycling pilot
Cycling is a key solution to urban mobility. More cyclists means less commuters, reduced congestion and pollution while increasing the health and happiness of our citizens. Knowing more about cycling behaviour can help planners make our city more welcoming to cyclists.
Belfast Region City Deal – £1 billion investment
Belfast Region City Deal partners welcome news of £350 million investment from the UK Treasury. As part of the deal, the NI Executive is expected to add at least a further £350 million and councils will contribute over £100 million.
Smart Belfast investing in urban innovation
The region offers more than just skilled people, competitive costs and great infrastructure; it's a location that delivers altogether more for investors.
Using satellites to study urban air pollution
We're part of a UK Space Agency Space for Smarter Government project that’s using satellite technology to help our planners and residents understand urban air pollution.
Building a resilient city
Belfast is part of the Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities global programme to support us in dealing with the physical, social and economic challenges of the 21st century.
The future of city planning
We have been working with partners to explore the future of planning and the potential of new digital technologies to support systems that are more responsive to radical change and more centred around the future needs of citizens.
Bringing immersive tech to the mainstream
Belfast has become a magnet for talent in music, theatre, film and television. In a statement of our ambition the city has established a national Immersive Lab that seeks to bring Virtual and Augmented Reality Tech into the home, the office and on to the factory floor.
Collaborating for urban innovation
Working with Invest NI we established the ‘Smart Belfast Collaborative Challenge’ which provides funding to SMEs to work together to explore innovative opportunities in the areas of Active Living, Tourism and Transport.
Urban drone technologies
With a strong aeronautical engineering tradition, it’s not surprising that Belfast is also emerging as an ideal testbed for urban drone technologies.
Illuminate the playable city
The concept of a playable city is one which encourages city-dwellers to engage with public spaces in playful, fun and creative ways.
Building a personal visitor experience
Our tourism industry is thriving; we have a unique offering and our visitors love it. We’re working with partners to find better ways to collect, share and analysis real-time tourist data in order to build the world-class offering.
Belfast, leading the way in urban innovation
The Smart Belfast framework is about creating the circumstances in which cross-sectoral innovation can flourish to address urban challenges.
Securing smart cities
Belfast is gaining a global reputation as a cyber security hub with the Centre for Secure Information Technologies now the largest cyber security centre in Europe.