Smart Docklands funds four projects in biodiversity, accessibility, and community innovation

Posted on: 08 May 2026

Smart Docklands is one of Dublin’s flagship smart districts, representing a unique collaboration across academia, industry and local government to advocate for and pilot community-centred technology innovations.

The programme is delivered in partnership between Dublin City Council and the CONNECT Research Ireland Centre for Future Networks headquartered at Trinity.

This second round of pilots reflects the breadth and ambition of what community-led innovation can look like. Building on the learnings from the inaugural round, the newly funded projects were again shaped by a community survey and wider engagement.

The four new pilot winners are:

• WingSense, Trinity – Biodiversity/Urban Greening: Low-power mmWave radar sensors detect insect and pollinator activity continuously, day or night and in all weather conditions, without capturing images or audio. Machine learning transforms this data into actionable, privacy-safe biodiversity insights for cities.
• ScannAR, Solasine – Digital Tools/Tech Access: A web-based AR experience delivered via QR codes — no app needed. Scanning unlocks 3D experiences with audio narration and local storytelling, fully accessible to blind, visually impaired, deaf, and hard-of-hearing users.
• ARROW, The Convention Centre Dublin– Accessibility/Inclusive Design: An inclusive wayfinding layer co-designed with neurodiverse users, combining 'what to expect' guides, typical and real time sensory environment indicators into one coherent, place-based service.
• Raytown Roundtable, Codema – Dublin’s Energy Agency – Accessibility/Inclusive Design & Digital Tools/Tech Access: A touch-based interactive table piloted at the Raytown Energy Dock in Ringsend/Irishtown, giving residents a hands-on way to explore their neighbourhood and shape local decisions — no digital skills needed.

The WingSense team with Prof. Dan Kilper, second from left.

Professor Dan Kilper, Director of the CONNECT Centre, Trinity, said: “These pilots are not just proof-of-concept experiments — they are live research environments that generate insights no laboratory can replicate. Bridging that gap between academic innovation and lived experience is precisely what the CONNECT Centre exists to do, and Smart Docklands gives us the ideal platform to make it happen.”

Dr Karolina Anielska, Smart Docklands Programme Manager, added: “I am incredibly proud of what this second round represents. When we launched the first Call for Pilots, we set out to put the community at the heart of smart city innovation — and the response has been overwhelming. To see that grow into 53 applications and four outstanding winners spanning biodiversity, accessibility, and digital inclusion is a moment to truly celebrate. This is exactly what Smart Docklands was built to do.”

For more information about Smart Docklands and its initiatives, visit the programme website.

• Tags:
• Awards and Funding
• Community
• Environment
• Innovation