LEPIDA SCPA

Their core work

Lepida is the public ICT infrastructure and digital services company of the Emilia-Romagna region in Italy, providing broadband connectivity, cloud platforms, and digital solutions for public administration and citizens. In H2020, they contributed expertise in deploying IoT and digital platforms in real-world public service environments — from smart living solutions for elderly care to co-creation of public services and cybersecurity for critical infrastructure. Their role is that of an infrastructure operator who brings large-scale deployment experience and real user bases to EU innovation projects.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Lepida's H2020 involvement began with citizen-facing digital services — IoT for elderly care (ACTIVAGE, 2017) and public service innovation (CoSIE, 2017). Their most recent project, PRECINCT (2021), marks a clear shift toward security, specifically protecting critical infrastructure from cyber-physical threats using digital twins and serious games. This trajectory suggests a move from deploying public digital services to securing and stress-testing them.

Lepida is moving from building and deploying public digital infrastructure toward securing it — a natural progression that makes them relevant for future projects on resilient smart cities and secure public services.

How they like to work

Lepida participates exclusively as a partner, never as coordinator, which is consistent with their role as a regional infrastructure provider contributing deployment environments and real user populations to larger consortia. With 119 unique partners across 19 countries from just 3 projects, they operate in very large consortia (averaging ~40 partners per project). This makes them a reliable, low-overhead partner who integrates well into big multi-country efforts without seeking the lead.

Despite only 3 projects, Lepida has built a wide network of 119 partners across 19 European countries, reflecting the large-scale Innovation Actions they joined. Their connections span public authorities, research institutions, and technology companies across Western and Southern Europe.

What sets them apart

Lepida's key differentiator is that they are not a research lab or a technology vendor — they are the actual operator of regional public ICT infrastructure serving millions of citizens in Emilia-Romagna. This means they can offer something rare in EU consortia: a real-world deployment environment with genuine users and operational constraints. For any project needing to pilot digital public services, IoT platforms, or cybersecurity tools at scale, Lepida brings the infrastructure and the user base that most partners can only simulate.

Highlights from their portfolio

• ACTIVAGE
  Largest funding (EUR 372,925) — a major IoT deployment for elderly care across multiple European sites, where Lepida provided real infrastructure for pilot testing.
• PRECINCT
  Most recent project representing a strategic pivot into critical infrastructure cybersecurity, using digital twins and serious games for preparedness training.