Livable cities, shaped by data.
Innovation Tank combines sensor technology, participation and research to solve social and urban challenges. Scientifically grounded and impact-oriented.
- Measures sound levels only, no voice recording or audio.
- Privacy by design, 100 % GDPR-compliant.
The HEAR pilot project runs in research cooperation with the City of Heidelberg.
Technology must serve people, not people serving technology.
Innovation Tank works at the interface of research, municipal practice and urban society. The focus is the value created for the people who live in a city, work there and shape it.
Three fields, one goal: the livable city.
Social innovation, data-driven urban management and the balancing of urban interests interlock. Research connects the three fields into effective solutions.
Social innovation
Technology creates impact when people shape it. Participation, education and empowerment are central, from co-creation with urban society to the maker space.
Learn moreSmart city
Data makes cities manageable without surveilling people. Sensor technology creates an objective basis for decisions. Privacy by design is a prerequisite, not an add-on.
Learn moreUrban living
Vibrant city centres need balance. Data-based solutions bring nightlife, business and residents into balance: quiet enough for residents, lively enough for everyone.
Learn moreSustainable cities, considered as a whole.
For Innovation Tank, data-driven city-making is a contribution to sustainable, livable cities. Three fields interlock here.
Sustainable tourism
Vibrant nightlife and tourism in balance with residents' need for protection. Attractive city centres stay livable instead of being stifled by bans.
Quiet as quality of life
Healthy sleep and recovery are part of urban quality of life. Data-based noise management protects health without sacrificing a city's vibrancy.
Effectively designed cities
From mobility and sensible public transport to resource use: where cities rely on solid data, services can be shaped more effectively, efficiently and sustainably.
HEAR: Heidelberg Acoustic Research
HEAR creates an objective, data-based foundation to bring vibrant nightlife, tourism and business into harmony with residents' need for quiet.
Smart sensor technology continuously measures the acoustic situation in Heidelberg's old town, fully compliant with data protection law. No conversations are recorded and no audio data is stored. The measurements form a reliable noise profile as a basis for fair, traceable decisions.
At a glance
- Status
Pilot phase since October 2025 - Location
Heidelberg old town - Research cooperation
City of Heidelberg
Become part of the next phase as a pilot municipality.
The first pilot runs in Heidelberg: sensors are in operation, and applications such as a gastro alert and a municipal dashboard are being tested. For the next phase, Innovation Tank is looking for further municipalities as pilot partners, scientifically supported.
Become a pilot partner- Objective real-time data
Reliable measurements instead of subjective impressions.
- Privacy by design
GDPR-compliant, no personal data.
- No audio recordings
Sound levels only, no voice recording, no audio data.
- Scientifically supported
Methodology and analysis follow scientific standards.
- Impact-oriented
Solutions are measured by their real-world effect.
From measurement to impact.
A traceable three-step process connects evidence with participation and concrete results.
Measure
Sensor technology and research create an objective, data-protection-compliant basis of facts instead of assumptions.
Act
Based on the data, concrete measures are developed together and put into action.
Have impact
Measures are implemented and their effect is measured. This creates a learning cycle.
From research and practice.
24 February 2026
Project HEAR creates a shared basis of facts for Heidelberg's old town
A smart sensor network objectifies the conflict between nightlife and residents through objective data.
07 March 2026
Girls' Innovation Club
A safe network with safety by design for young tech talents.
10 February 2026
STEM Wednesday
The future lab becomes a tinkering workshop for free projects.
Making a city more livable, together.
Municipalities, research institutions and partners find a reliable, impact-oriented partner in Innovation Tank.