PROJECT

BUILD

Best Use In Local Digital Twins

A collaborative European initiative focused on developing the technical, governance and interoperability foundations for scalable Local Digital Twins across Europe.

OVERVIEW

Why BUILD matters for European Cities

Digital sovereignty, climate resilience, and the radical modernization of public administration in European cities are no longer distant visions. They are actively being shaped in practice today.

The European Digital Infrastructure Consortium (LDT CitiVERSE EDIC) represents the European Union’s flagship initiative for deploying scalable, secure, and cutting-edge urban technologies.

To achieve its long-term mandate of connecting local communities into a unified, sovereign European virtual space, EDIC utilizes BUILD (Best Use in Local Digital Twins) project as its primary strategic implementation tool.

PARTNERS

EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

20+

DELIVERABLES

VALUE & IMPACT

What the Ecosystem Delivers

The EDIC ecosystem, supported by the BUILD project, establishes a perfect balance between advanced technical capabilities and practical city management, focusing on real-world impact:

It simplifies digital transformation through precise digital maturity diagnostics (the LORDIMAS tool) and provides direct access to a repository of proven tools – ranging from basic registries to advanced Local Digital Twins (LDTs) for traffic management, strategic planning, and environmental monitoring.

It eliminates technical fragmentation by rigorously promoting open standards. It enables joint cross-border procurement, dramatically reducing software acquisition and long-term maintenance costs for cities.

It guarantees full data sovereignty and uncompromised security in compliance with GDPR, translating directly into safer public spaces, optimized services, and a higher quality of life in cities.

PILLARS

Two Main Pillars of Implementation

In alignment with the EDIC Strategic Outlook, the operational model has been consolidated into two primary strategic pillars:

INFRASTRUCTURE & GOVERNANCE PROPOSITIONS

This pillar focuses on building common technical foundations, interoperability, and addressing market failures to eliminate vendor lock-in and ensure permanent public control over urban data.

EDIC Reference Architecture: An open, horizontally scalable architecture based on global standards and Minimum Interoperability Mechanisms (MIMs).
Open Urban Data Space: Implementation of the core European data space for smart communities (SCDS) utilizing the SIMPL framework, enabling secure data sharing and reuse via “Recipes”.
EDIC Sandbox: A cloud-based testing and validation infrastructure allowing cities and project consortia to verify solutions in practice before full-scale deployment.
Neutral Market Infrastructure: A pre-procurement broker connecting local application marketplaces at the European level without commercial market distortions.

ADOPTION CAPACITY BUILDING PROPOSITIONS

Technology alone will not transform cities; the absolute key lies in the readiness of human capital. This pillar systematically guides municipalities on their journey from initial orientation to full-scale technology deployment.

EDIC Academy & Knowledge Hub: An online educational platform integrated directly into the portal, providing courses, micro-credentials, and workshops tailored to the real administrative processes of municipalities.
National Activation Programmes: Thematically focused initiatives coordinated at the national level, bringing cities and regions together into national ecosystems under a single roof (“umbrella model”). They focus on three priority areas:
1. Integrated Urban Planning & Housing.
2. Resilience and risk management, including flood prevention measures.
3. Green and Circular Transition.
Strategic Partnerships: Close cooperation with established networks such as Living-in.eu, Eurocities, OASC, Enoll, ERRIN, CEMR, and the Committee of the Regions for maximum reach and synergy of educational activities.

PARTNERS

A consortium spanning 9 European countries

The implementation of the BUILD project is ensured by a strong international coalition of 16 prominent institutional partners, including national ministries, innovative capital cities, leading research organizations, and open technology networks:

DELIVERABLES

Key Deliverables & Implementation Roadmap

The BUILD project systematically transforms complex European data architectures into standardized and immediately deployable tools for municipalities. Instead of fragmented solutions, we deliver a clearly structured lifecycle of technical and operational outputs.

EXPLORE LATEST NEWS

CORE FRAMEWORK & INITIAL DELIVERABLES

Stakeholder Mapping & Persona Segmentation – Completed
Completed a detailed matrix of key partners, regional bodies, and customer personas, aligning city profiles with their respective digital and economic priorities.

Data Ethics & Compliance Framework – In Progress
Establishing strict compliance benchmarks for gender equity, institutional ethics, and comprehensive GDPR alignment across all AI, IoT, and Local Digital Twin (LDT) methodologies.

Project Handbook & Quality Protocols – In Progess
Developing a comprehensive operational guide defining governance procedures, risk mitigation, and quality control timelines for the partner consortium.

Initial Core Service Assessment – In Progress
Preparing the first catalog of essential smart city applications, mapping required products against digital maturity levels to address fragmentation in EU communities.

Technical Reference Architecture – In Progress
Developing a technical blueprint based on global interoperability standards (MIMs, ETSI) to eliminate vendor lock-in right from the start.

Ecosystem Communication Channels – Launched
Launched the projectʼs main dissemination web infrastructure • and core communication channels to engage technical and municipal communities.

UPCOMING MILESTONES

FAIR Data Management Plan
Finalizing the complete technical lifecycle protocols for all data collected and generated, ensuring adherence to open-access and long-term data preservation principles.

The EDIC Service Catalogue
Launching a highly structured, online repository featuring standardized “service cards” and optimized onboarding journeys, allowing cities to seamlessly adopt ready-to-use software and tools.

Physical Infrastructure Implementation Plan
Delivering the blueprint for deploying the core technology stack and the joint European LDT Toolbox across smart communities.

Operational & Sustainability Model
Formulating the long-term financial and technical business plan to effectively scale software assets inherited from previous EU-funded research.

The BUILD Academy & Knowledge Sharing Platform
Activating a centralized, web-based environment hosting technical documentation, training materials, and peer-to-peer learning frameworks for municipal teams.

Continuous Infrastructure Validation
Executing a testing phase based on continuous user feedback before deploying any common digital infrastructure into live city systems.

EU Smart Communities Data Space (SCDS) Node
Deploying the first secure, Europe-wide smart community data node running under the SIMPL framework.

Federated Ecosystem Expansion
Finalizing a multi-layered ecosystem strategy to deeply integrate private-sector innovators, academic institutions, and regional networks into the long-term EDIC framework.

FUNDING

This initiative is co-funded by the European Union under the BUILD project grant agreement within the Digital Europe Programme, managed under the operational framework of the LDT CitiVERSE EDIC.