German
Jena at the Smart Country Convention 2025: impetus for digital administration and networking in Thuringia
From September 30 to October 2, 2025, the Jena Smart City project was represented at the Smart Country Convention (SCCON) in Berlin - one of the leading events for the digital future of cities, districts and administrations. Together with colleagues Martin Berger, Stefan Schwarz, Björn Walther, Olivia Busch and Domenique Dölz, overall project manager Dorothea Prell presented the Jena Smart City projects to an interested audience of experts and took home numerous ideas for further work.
Three slots, three strong impulses from Jena
The Jena Smart City project was represented with three sessions at the trade fair and showed how practical and networked digitalization is being thought of and implemented in Jena:
- Municipal chat systems: Dorothea Prell discussed the opportunities and challenges of using AI-supported citizen communication in a panel discussion. Together with experts such as Sabrina Donner (Lüchow-Dannenberg district), the focus was on sharing specific experiences and strategies
- AI in administration: Stefan Schwarz presented Jena's multifunctional chat system, which combines artificial intelligence with municipal infrastructure. It became clear how important inter-municipal cooperation and a planned approach are for the future viability of the administration
- Inter-municipal data platform: Together with partners from Civitas Connect e.V., Martin Berger presented the open platform CIVITAS CORE, which enables cities and districts to develop digital infrastructure sustainably and collaboratively.
Thuringia strongly represented together
In addition to her own panels, Dorothea Prell was part of the Thuringian delegation led by State Secretary Milen Starke (Thuringian Ministry for Digital Affairs and Infrastructure). Together with representatives of ITnet Thüringen e.V., Digitalagentur Thüringen GmbH (DAT) and LEG Thüringen, the delegation visited the Federal Ministry of Digital Affairs, Thuringian companies and innovative exhibitors such as Zendis and OpenTalk.
The focus was on topics such as open source, digital sovereignty and networking - key guidelines for Thuringia's digital future. The aim of the delegation trip was to bring the Thuringian players even closer together and promote new collaborations.
Networking, exchange and new perspectives
"Every year, the Smart Country Convention shows anew how much dynamism and innovative strength there is in the municipalities," says Dorothea Prell, summarizing her impressions. "We made lots of new contacts, discussed specific use cases and took away exciting ideas - from strategies for the use of AI in administration to open software solutions for cities. Digital administration needs courage, exchange and reliable partnerships."
Background: The Smart Country Convention
The Bitkom Association's Smart Country Convention brings together administrations, technology providers, science and politics. Digital experts, municipal representatives and decision-makers meet on more than 17,000 square meters of exhibition space to jointly drive forward the digital transformation of the public sector.
In addition to specialist presentations and panels, SCCON offers practice-oriented workshops, further training opportunities and plenty of space for networking - even across national borders.
