The future of the ProbierLaden: from project idea to permanent city service

How can the ProbierLaden continue to exist after the funding ends? We addressed this question together with Fraunhofer IESE and the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR) in a workshop on operator and business models.

Background

Funding for the Smart Cities Jena model projects will come to an end in August 2027, with some sub-projects coming to an end even earlier. This means that the question of the continuation and subsequent use of the project results is increasingly coming into focus. Three key questions are central to this:

• What problem are we solving?
• Who benefits from the solution?
• Is the benefit so great that the solution can be financed in the long term?

From project to clear achievement

During the funding phase, many ideas were tested in parallel - a valuable opportunity to try out new things. However, a clear focus is needed for continuation: What is the core of the service? Who benefits from it? And who is prepared to pay for its operation in the future?

In the workshop, we presented a method that Fraunhofer IESE developed together with the Coordination and Transfer Office (KTS). It is based on the Business Model Canvas, but is specifically tailored to municipal practice. The aim is to identify a specific "city service" from a wide range of activities and develop a viable business model for it.

The ProbierLaden as a city service

The ProbierLaden is more than just a space with equipment. It is the programme, support and organization that turn it into a lively place that invites people to get involved and creates added value for the urban community. The workshop focused in particular on these often invisible services.

One key finding was the distinction between users and paying customers: While urban society uses the ProbierLaden, the question arises as to which institutions or stakeholder groups are willing to pay for its operation - and thus create the basis for it to become permanent.

Outlook

The workshop is an important step towards establishing the ProbierLaden in a sustainable way beyond the duration of the project. The approaches developed will now be incorporated into further work and should help to ensure that the ProbierLaden remains an innovative urban service for the people of Jena in the long term.