LONDON — Britain is stepping up efforts to develop next-generation smart-city technology, with a government-backed innovation challenge seeking new ways to visualise complex urban infrastructure.

The HMGCC Co-Creation Challenge is focused on technology capable of creating detailed digital views of smart cities, including infrastructure such as transport networks, CCTV systems, electric-vehicle charging points and communication networks.

The competition, which closes on August 13, offers a total budget of £60,000 for the first phase. Successful applicants will have the opportunity to progress towards a second phase and potential commercial onboarding later this year.

The project highlights Britain's growing interest in using AI, sensors and digital visualisation to understand increasingly complex urban environments.

The technology could allow users to view infrastructure from different perspectives and add multiple layers of information to digital city models. The challenge specifically identifies applications involving AI, robotics, electronics, cybersecurity, sensors, transport and sustainability.

The initiative is being developed through HMGCC Co-Creation and is linked to the UK's wider technology and national-security innovation ecosystem.

For technology companies and startups, the programme offers an opportunity to develop solutions addressing real-world infrastructure challenges rather than purely experimental applications.

Smart-city technology is becoming increasingly important as British cities manage growing demands on transport, energy, communications and public infrastructure.

The latest competition also reflects a wider shift towards digital twins and data-rich urban planning, where authorities can combine information from multiple systems to better understand how cities operate.

If successful, projects emerging from the programme could help demonstrate how advanced digital tools can make Britain's cities more connected, easier to manage and more resilient.