FESTIVAL · Project

Shared IoT Testing Platforms So You Can Validate Smart City Services Before Deploying

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Imagine you want to launch a smart parking app or an energy-monitoring service for buildings, but you have no way to test it in a real city before spending millions on rollout. FESTIVAL built a network of connected testing grounds — some city-scale, some lab-sized — where developers can plug in their ideas and try them against real sensors, real weather data, and real user behavior. Think of it like a shared test kitchen for IoT products: you book time, run your experiment, and find out what breaks before your customers do. The platforms in France, Spain, Italy, and Japan all speak the same language, so one test can run across multiple cities at once.

By the numbers

consortium partners across Europe and Japan

European countries with federated testbeds (ES, FR, IT)

57%

industry partner ratio in the consortium

total project deliverables produced

EUR 1,499,801

EU contribution to build the platform

SMEs involved in platform development

The business problem

What needed solving

Companies developing IoT and smart city products face a costly chicken-and-egg problem: you cannot prove your service works at scale without deploying expensive sensor networks and city infrastructure, but no city will let you deploy unproven technology. Building your own testbed is prohibitively expensive, especially for SMEs, and testing in isolation misses the real-world complexity of connected urban environments.

The solution

What was built

FESTIVAL built a federation of IoT experimentation platforms spanning city-scale and lab-scale testbeds across France, Spain, Italy, and Japan, connected through common APIs under an "Experimentation as a Service" model. Key deliverables include two releases of integrated reusable EaaS components with technical documentation, totaling 24 deliverables across the project.

Audience

Who needs this

IoT startups needing affordable real-world testing before market launchSmart building technology providers validating sensor and automation productsCity governments evaluating smart city solutions before procurementTelecom operators stress-testing IoT network infrastructureEnergy management companies testing grid-edge devices in realistic settings

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Smart city solutions

SME

Target: IoT platform companies and smart city startups

If you are an IoT company developing connected services for cities — parking, lighting, waste management — and you struggle with testing at real scale before deployment, FESTIVAL built federated testing platforms across 3 European countries and Japan with a shared 'Experimentation as a Service' model. Instead of building your own sensor network for testing, you could access existing city-scale and lab-scale testbeds through a single API, cutting your validation costs and time to market.

Building automation

mid-size

Target: Smart building technology providers

If you are a building automation company that needs to validate energy management or occupancy-sensing products but cannot afford to instrument an entire building just for testing, FESTIVAL developed reusable EaaS components delivered across 24 project deliverables. These platforms simulate real-life building settings with actual sensor data, letting you test your product in controlled conditions that mirror real deployment without the capital expense.

Telecommunications

enterprise

Target: Telecom operators investing in IoT infrastructure

If you are a telecom operator rolling out IoT connectivity services and need to prove your network can support thousands of smart devices reliably, FESTIVAL created federated testbeds that connect cyber and physical worlds at city scale. With 7 consortium partners including 4 industry players contributing real infrastructure, the platform lets you stress-test your IoT network layer against diverse real-world conditions across multiple locations simultaneously.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to access these testing platforms?

The project itself received EUR 1,499,801 in EU funding to build the federated platforms. Based on available project data, specific access pricing or licensing fees for commercial users are not disclosed. You would need to contact the coordinator (CEA, France) for current terms.

Can this scale to test large commercial IoT deployments?

FESTIVAL explicitly designed testbeds ranging from small lab environments to city-scale deployments. The federation model connects platforms across 3 countries (France, Spain, Italy) plus Japan through common APIs, so experiments can run across multiple locations simultaneously. This suggests the infrastructure can handle significant scale.

Who owns the IP and can I license the technology?

The project was coordinated by CEA (Commissariat à l'énergie atomique), a major French public research organization, with 7 partners across Europe. IP arrangements would follow standard EU Horizon 2020 rules where each partner typically owns the IP they generate. Contact CEA for licensing of specific reusable components.

Is the platform still operational after the project ended in 2017?

The project closed in September 2017. Based on available project data, there is no information about continued operation of the testbeds. Some infrastructure may still be maintained by individual partners like CEA, but this would need to be verified directly.

How easy is it to integrate my existing IoT products with these testbeds?

FESTIVAL built the platforms around an 'Experimentation as a Service' model with homogeneous access APIs specifically designed for easy onboarding. The project delivered 'Integrated Reusable components for EaaS' in two releases, suggesting a mature integration layer. Standard API access should reduce integration effort compared to building custom test infrastructure.

What domains can I test beyond smart cities?

The objective explicitly lists smart city, smart building, smart public services, smart shopping, and participatory sensing as supported domains. The testbeds connect cyber and physical worlds, so any IoT application that interacts with physical environments and end-users could potentially be validated on these platforms.

Consortium

Who built it

The FESTIVAL consortium of 7 partners is compact but industry-heavy at 57%, with 4 industry players and 2 SMEs alongside 1 university and 1 research organization. Coordinated by CEA — one of Europe's largest public research bodies — the project had serious technical credibility. The 3-country spread (France, Spain, Italy) plus Japan collaboration gave it geographic diversity for testing. For a business considering this technology, the strong industry presence suggests the platform was built with commercial usability in mind, not just academic interest. The EUR 1,499,801 EU contribution is modest, which means the project was focused and practical rather than sprawling.

COMMISSARIAT A L ENERGIE ATOMIQUE ET AUX ENERGIES ALTERNATIVESCoordinator · FR
INNO TSDparticipant · FR
AYUNTAMIENTO DE SANTANDERparticipant · ES
UNIVERSIDAD DE CANTABRIAparticipant · ES
ENGINEERING - INGEGNERIA INFORMATICA SPAparticipant · IT
SOPRA STERIA GROUPparticipant · FR
EGMparticipant · FR

How to reach the team

CEA (Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives), France — major national research lab. Look for IoT/smart cities division contacts.

Order a report on this consortium See COMMISSARIAT A L ENERGIE ATOMIQUE ET AUX ENERGIES ALTERNATIVES profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore whether FESTIVAL's IoT testing infrastructure fits your product validation needs? SciTransfer can connect you with the right people at CEA and the consortium partners.

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