FUNDACION DE LA COMUNITAT VALENCIANA PARA LA PROMOCION ESTRATEGICA EL DESARROLLO Y LA INNOVACION URBANA

Their core work

Las Naves is Valencia's urban innovation centre, operating as a public foundation that designs, tests, and scales city-level solutions for sustainability, health equity, and citizen well-being. They serve as the bridge between municipal policy and EU-funded research, embedding pilot projects into real urban environments — from smart city demonstrations and green infrastructure to energy poverty interventions. Their strength lies in translating research outcomes into actionable urban policies, managing citizen engagement processes, and coordinating replication of successful urban pilots across European cities.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In 2015-2018, Las Naves focused broadly on urban sustainability infrastructure — climate resilience, green/blue infrastructure, sustainable transport, and general city-level coordination (GROW GREEN, SUCCESS, CEPPI 2). From 2019 onward, their work sharpened dramatically toward the intersection of energy poverty and public health, with keywords like "energy efficiency," "vulnerable groups," "health inequalities," and "social inclusion" dominating. Their coordination of WELLBASED in 2021 — explicitly linking energy poverty to physical and mental health outcomes — marks a clear strategic pivot toward social equity in urban energy transitions.

Las Naves is moving decisively toward the social dimensions of the energy transition, positioning itself as a go-to partner for projects addressing energy poverty, health inequalities, and inclusive urban energy communities.

How they like to work

Las Naves operates overwhelmingly as a consortium participant (10 of 12 projects), contributing urban testbed environments, citizen engagement expertise, and policy integration rather than leading technical research. They coordinated only one project (WELLBASED), suggesting they prefer to embed themselves in large multidisciplinary consortia where they bring the city-level implementation angle. With 226 unique partners across 30 countries, they are a well-connected hub — valuable for any consortium needing a Mediterranean city partner with deep experience in urban piloting.

With 226 unique consortium partners across 30 countries, Las Naves has one of the broadest collaboration networks for a city-linked innovation centre. Their partnerships span all of Europe, though their urban pilot work naturally anchors in Valencia and the Mediterranean region.

What sets them apart

Las Naves is not a university or research institute — it is a city innovation foundation with direct access to Valencia as a living lab for urban pilots. This makes them uniquely valuable: they can deploy project results in a real city environment with political backing, citizen engagement infrastructure, and municipal policy channels already in place. For any consortium needing a Southern European demonstration city that can integrate research into policy, Las Naves offers a rare combination of institutional mandate and hands-on implementation experience.

Highlights from their portfolio

• MAtchUP
  Their largest project (EUR 860K) and a flagship smart city lighthouse initiative focused on upscaling urban transformation strategies across European cities.
• WELLBASED
  Their only coordinated project (EUR 529K), marking their strategic commitment to linking energy poverty with public health outcomes through evidence-based urban policy.
• GROW GREEN
  A major green infrastructure project (EUR 730K) where Valencia served as a demonstration city for nature-based climate and water resilience solutions.