11th IEEE International Smart Cities Conference in Patras
A global hub of innovation for the sustainable and intelligent cities of tomorrow
16-10-2025
The city of Patras, Greece, successfully hosted the 11th IEEE International Smart Cities Conference (ISC2 2025), one of the world’s leading scientific events dedicated to smart and sustainable urban development.
The conference was organized by the Industrial Systems Institute (ISI) of the Athena Research Center, in collaboration with the Computer Technology Institute and Press “DIOPHANTUS” (CTI), bringing together distinguished academics, researchers, and industry representatives from around the globe.
The opening ceremony on Monday, October 6, 2025, featured welcome addresses by:
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Prof. George Zissis (University of Toulouse),
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Prof. Chrysostomos Stylios, Director of ISI / Athena, and
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Prof. Dimitrios Serpanos, President of CTI “DIOPHANTUS”.
The event began with an inspiring keynote by Prof. John Verboncoeur (Michigan State University) titled “Smart Agrifood Systems (SmartAg): Technology Applied to the Food Supply Chain”, exploring the impact of digital innovation on the agri-food ecosystem.
On Day 2 (October 7), two remarkable keynotes expanded the dialogue:
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Dr. Chris Mi (San Diego State University) presented “Wireless Power Transfer – from Science Fiction to Reality”, and
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Prof. Madjid Fathi (University of Siegen, Germany) discussed “Trust by Design: How Explainable AI Strengthens Local Digital Platforms in Smart and Caring Cities”.
The day concluded with the engaging panel discussion “Navigating the Future of Smart Cities: Towards Sustainability”, setting the tone for meaningful collaboration and reflection.
The final days featured three outstanding keynote addresses:
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Prof. Chiara Boccaletti (Sapienza Università di Roma) with “Smart technologies for a sustainable energy system in urban environments”,
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Prof. Anna Stefanopoulou (University of Michigan) with “Battery Lifetime Management for Sustainable Cities”, and
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Dr. Surekha Deshmukh (Tata Consultancy Services) with “Energy Democracy empowering Smart and Sustainable City”.
Complementing these, two dynamic panels “Smart Charging in Smart Cities” and “Intelligent Sensing and Data-Driven Innovation How Can They Help Smart Cities?” fostered rich discussions on the technological and social dimensions of urban transformation.
The conference also celebrated the achievements of Taipei, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Riyadh, and Dhaka, which received awards for their remarkable progress in smart city implementation.
Concluding in an atmosphere of inspiration and collaboration, the conference reaffirmed Patras’s position as a hub for research and innovation in smart and sustainable cities.
The next IEEE International Smart Cities Conference (ISC2 2026) will take place in Porto, Portugal, continuing the global dialogue on shaping resilient, connected, and human-centric cities.