The goal of the project is to expand the recently created POLARIS Centre of Competence in Future Cities of the University of Porto, thereby unlocking the full potential of interdisciplinary research in urban technologies, while strengthening knowledge transfer activities in close cooperation with local and global industrial partners. To this end, this project will support the following main activities:1. Expand human potential by fostering a critical mass of researchers with inter-disciplinary expertise: promote the active exchange of knowledge on information and communication technologies for future cities through thematic workshops and conferences; foster talent in key scientific methodologies, such as distributed control, transportation science, operations research, broadband networks, public policy and large-scale systems, in order to improve the research portfolio of the centre of competence;2. Build research capacity for city-scale experiments: acquire and install critical equipment for developing large-scale test beds and prototypes in the areas of intelligent transportation systems and urban sensor networks, which leverage the city of Porto as a natural living lab for future city technologies;3. Raise international awareness and connect POLARIS affiliates to the global knowledge networks: work with mentoring institutes based at prestigious universities in Europe, namely Supélec, University College London (UCL) and the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), which have agreed to serve as mentors by sharing their knowledge and promoting the exchange of key personnel; in addition, continue to deepen the strong partnerships have been established with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), which include joint research and training programs.