The Madrid City Council has completed the technical evaluation of the first call for proposals for Sandbox Madrid aimed at the private sector, marking a new step in the development of Spain’s first municipal urban experimentation environment. Over the past few months, the 71 proposals submitted by companies, startups, entrepreneurs, and other innovative entities have been analyzed. As a result of this work, the Evaluation Committee has issued a favorable technical assessment of 20 initiatives that will continue to move forward in the authorization process established by Sandbox Madrid.
An event that brings together the innovation ecosystem
The first call for proposals aimed at the private sector has confirmed the interest that Sandbox Madrid has generated as a space for developing and validating new solutions in a real urban environment. The call has brought together large companies, startups, innovative SMEs, business associations, and entrepreneurs, creating an ecosystem where established organizations and emerging companies work together to develop solutions designed to improve the city.
Approximately half of the initiatives are led by large companies, and the other half by highly innovative startups and small and medium-sized enterprises, with the participation of business associations.
Technologies to Address Major Urban Challenges
The initiatives that continue to advance in the process showcase a wide variety of technological approaches and innovation models. Notable among them are solutions based on smart sensors and the Internet of Things (IoT) to monitor environmental quality, detect health risks early, or improve the management of green spaces; digital platforms to optimize mobility at large events, on-demand school transportation, or waste management; drones and autonomous systems for environmental monitoring, urban logistics, and infrastructure inspection; robots equipped with artificial intelligence to support the maintenance of parks and gardens or street cleaning; and predictive analytics and computer vision tools capable of detecting incidents in public spaces and improving data-driven decision-making.
Beyond the application of advanced technologies, many of these initiatives stand out for integrating different solutions into a single innovative proposal, combining artificial intelligence, connectivity, sensors, automation, and data analysis to provide more efficient solutions to complex urban challenges. This ability to integrate technologies and develop new models of collaboration is one of the key distinguishing features of the call for proposals.
Taken together, these initiatives make Madrid a testing ground for technologies that will shape the evolution of cities in the coming years.
Sustainability, a strategic focus of the call for proposals
Sustainability is the central theme of this first call for proposals from Sandbox Madrid. Most of the initiatives aim to reduce the environmental impact of urban activity through solutions related to the circular economy, decarbonization, sustainable mobility, improving air quality, optimizing public resources, preserving green spaces, and smart infrastructure management.
The projects propose new ways to reuse materials, capture carbon, optimize travel, reduce emissions, improve energy efficiency, and strengthen the city’s ability to adapt to the challenges posed by climate change. All of this is aimed at contributing to a more sustainable, resilient city that is better prepared to face the environmental, energy, and mobility challenges that will define the cities of the future.
Villaverde, the epicenter of Sandbox Madrid
The initiatives are spread across various districts of Madrid, although Villaverde accounts for more than half of the planned projects, establishing itself as the main district for experimentation within the Madrid Sandbox. Initiatives are also planned for Villa de Vallecas, Puente de Vallecas, San Blas-Canillejas, Chamartín, and Fuencarral-El Pardo, making use of parks and green spaces, road infrastructure, municipal facilities, innovation hubs such as La Nave, the Valdemingómez Technology Park, the area surrounding the Metropolitano Stadium, and other iconic locations throughout the city.
A process based on collaboration and security
The evaluation of these initiatives has required intensive coordination among the various departments of the Madrid City Council. Nine directorates general with responsibilities in innovation, sustainability, mobility, the environment, sanitation, accessibility, public road maintenance, water management, and green spaces—as well as the Valdemingómez Technology Park—have participated in this process, along with municipal agencies such as the Municipal Police, Fire Department, Madrid Salud, and EMT, in addition to the Villaverde and Chamartín districts. Likewise, the City Council has worked in coordination with other relevant administrations and agencies, including the State Aviation Safety Agency (AESA) and the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT), when the nature of the initiatives so required.
The completion of this evaluation phase does not mark the end of the administrative procedure. As a next step, the developers must demonstrate compliance with all requirements set by the City Council, including insurance, guarantees, permits, and other technical and administrative requirements necessary to ensure that any project can be carried out with full safeguards for citizens, public spaces, and municipal property.
Ángel Niño: “Madrid is building a new way to innovate”
Ángel Niño, the city councilor in charge of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, emphasized that: “Sandbox Madrid demonstrates that urban innovation is only possible through collaboration. Over the past few months, we have developed a model in which the government, businesses, and public agencies work together to ensure that new technologies can be developed with all necessary safeguards and generate real benefits for citizens.”
The completion of this evaluation phase marks another step forward in the development of Sandbox Madrid and brings the city closer to launching a pioneering model of urban innovation based on collaboration, safety, and experimentation under real-world conditions.
Once the administrative process is complete and the developers demonstrate compliance with all required criteria, the City Council will issue the corresponding authorizations and notify the initiatives that will ultimately be allowed to proceed.
Sandbox Madrid: A City for Testing Innovation
Sandbox Madrid is an initiative of the Madrid City Council that enables companies, startups, universities, technology centers, and other public and private entities to develop and validate innovative solutions in real urban environments through a single authorization and administrative coordination process.
The initiative is part of the Madrid Innovation strategy and aims to establish the capital as one of Europe’s leading urban innovation ecosystems by facilitating collaboration between the government and the innovation community to accelerate the development of technologies capable of improving sustainability, the efficiency of public services, and citizens’ quality of life.