VICINITY · Project

One Platform to Connect All Your Smart Devices — Regardless of Brand or Standard

digitalPilotedTRL 7

vicinity2020.eu

Imagine every smart device in your building — thermostats, sensors, lights, energy meters — speaks a different language. Right now, getting them to talk to each other is a nightmare of custom integrations. VICINITY built something like a social network for devices: you plug them in, and the platform automatically translates between them so they can share data and work together. It was tested across 8 real facilities in 7 countries covering energy, buildings, health, and transport.

By the numbers

Real facilities used for large-scale demonstration

Countries where the system was demonstrated

Partners in the development consortium

Countries represented in the consortium

Total project deliverables produced

SMEs involved in development

62%

Industry ratio in the consortium

The business problem

What needed solving

Most organizations running smart buildings, energy systems, or IoT infrastructure are locked into vendor-specific silos. Each device brand and protocol requires its own integration layer, creating expensive maintenance burdens and making it nearly impossible to get a unified view across systems. Cross-domain services — like using building occupancy data to optimize energy trading — remain out of reach because the underlying devices simply cannot communicate.

The solution

What was built

VICINITY built an open interoperability platform with a gateway API that automatically connects IoT devices across different vendors and standards without custom middleware. Key deliverables include the Open Interoperability Gateway API (publicly available with libraries and adapter examples), an Agent and Auto-Discovery platform that semantically detects and maps IoT devices, and a suite of value-added services including micro-trading of demand-side management and AI-driven district optimization — all validated across 8 facilities in 7 countries.

Audience

Who needs this

Commercial property managers running multi-vendor building management systemsEnergy service companies aggregating distributed energy assets across different protocolsSmart city program managers integrating transport, energy, and health IoT systemsIoT system integrators tired of building custom connectors for every new projectHospital and healthcare facility managers connecting medical IoT devices with building systems

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Building Management & Smart Buildings

enterprise

Target: Commercial property managers and facility operators running multiple building systems from different vendors

If you are a facility manager dealing with dozens of incompatible building systems — HVAC from one vendor, lighting from another, security from a third — this project developed an open interoperability gateway that automatically connects them without custom middleware. It was validated across 8 facilities in 7 countries, covering energy, building automation, health, and transport domains.

Energy & Utilities

mid-size

Target: Energy service companies and district energy operators managing distributed assets

If you are an energy company struggling to aggregate data from scattered smart meters, solar panels, and storage systems that use different protocols — VICINITY built a platform enabling micro-trading of demand-side management capabilities across connected devices. The system was demonstrated with value-added services including AI-driven optimization of smart urban districts.

IoT Platform Providers & System Integrators

SME

Target: IoT solution providers building cross-domain applications

If you are an IoT integrator spending months on custom connectors every time a client adds a new device brand — VICINITY created an open API gateway with auto-discovery that detects new IoT devices and semantically maps their data without manual configuration. The platform includes 53 deliverables worth of tested components, from client libraries to agent-based discovery tools.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to implement this interoperability platform?

The VICINITY platform was developed as open-source with publicly available API packages and integration support materials. Deployment costs would depend on the scale of your IoT infrastructure and number of device types to connect, but the open gateway API reduces the need for expensive custom middleware.

Can this work at industrial scale across multiple sites?

Yes. VICINITY was demonstrated at large scale across 8 facilities in 7 different countries, covering energy, building automation, health, and transport domains simultaneously. The architecture is decentralized by design, meaning it scales without a central bottleneck.

What is the IP situation — can we license or use this technology?

The Open Interoperability Gateway API packages were publicly published on the internet and made accessible for wide public use. The project followed an open approach, with libraries and adapter examples available. Specific licensing terms should be confirmed with the consortium lead, RPTU Kaiserslautern.

How does this handle data privacy and security?

VICINITY was designed with privacy as a core principle — users fully control their desired level of information sharing through privacy-respectful, user-defined configurations. The platform includes cryptography capabilities as noted in its technology classification, allowing granular access control.

How long would integration take for our existing systems?

The platform includes an auto-discovery feature that semantically detects existing IoT devices and retrieves their parameters from device repositories automatically. Based on deliverable descriptions, the client components went through multiple upgrade cycles with continuous bug fixes, suggesting a mature integration process.

Does this work with our existing IoT devices and protocols?

That is precisely the problem VICINITY solves. The gateway API acts as a universal translator between different IoT standards and vendor protocols. Users without technical background can connect to the ecosystem and configure their setups according to the services they want to use.

Is there ongoing technical support available?

The project ended in December 2019. The consortium of 16 partners across 9 countries included 10 industry players and 5 SMEs. For current support status, contact the coordinator at RPTU Kaiserslautern or check the project website at vicinity2020.eu.

Consortium

Who built it

The VICINITY consortium is heavily industry-oriented with 10 out of 16 partners from the private sector (62% industry ratio), including 5 SMEs — a strong signal that commercial viability was a priority from the start. The 16 partners span 9 countries (DE, DK, EL, ES, NO, PT, SI, SK, UK), giving the solution broad European market validation. With only 3 universities and 1 research organization, the consortium was clearly weighted toward building something deployable rather than purely academic. The coordinator, RPTU Kaiserslautern in Germany, anchors the technical leadership while the industry majority drove real-world requirements.

RHEINLAND-PFALZISCHE TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITATCoordinator · DE
ETHNIKO KENTRO EREVNAS KAI TECHNOLOGIKIS ANAPTYXISparticipant · EL
BAVENIR SROparticipant · SK
ENERCOUTIM - ASSOCIACAO EMPRESARIALDE ENERGIA SOLAR DE ALCOUTIMparticipant · PT
GNOMON PLIROPHORIKIS AEparticipant · EL
HAFENSTROM ASparticipant · NO
ATOS SPAIN SAparticipant · ES
DIMOS PYLAIAS CHORTIATIparticipant · EL
ORGANISMOS TILEPIKOINONION TIS ELLADOS OTE AEparticipant · EL
GORENJE GOSPODINJSKI APARATI DOOparticipant · SI
ATOS IT SOLUTIONS AND SERVICES SROthirdparty · SK
UNIVERSIDAD POLITECNICA DE MADRIDparticipant · ES
AALBORG UNIVERSITETparticipant · DK

How to reach the team

Contact the coordinator at Rheinland-Pfälzische Technische Universität Kaiserslautern (Germany) via their university website or research department listings.

Order a report on this consortium See RHEINLAND-PFALZISCHE TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAT profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore how VICINITY's IoT interoperability platform could solve your device integration challenges? SciTransfer can connect you directly with the research team and help assess fit for your specific use case.

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