A new era for Urban Innovation: laying the foundation for the Empathetic Cityverse in Singapore.

An inspiring week in Singapore (October 6-12) has marked the beginning of a wonderful and exciting new adventure for our HumanTech Institute. Our Director, Mariano Alcañiz Raya, and Innovation Director, Jaime Guixeres, were honored to participate in the prestigious #DesCartes Week, hosted by the CNRS@CREATE initiative.

This visit was a foundational moment for our mission to revolutionize the concept of Smart Cities. We believe the future is not just about optimization, but about empathy. We are moving towards a new paradigm: cities that listen, feel, and care for their citizens.

During the week, we:

• Presented our vision from LabLENI for Empathetic Digital Humans.
• Conducted live demos showcasing our technology.
• Engaged in fruitful meetings with leading international researchers.
• Shared insights from our current projects, such as XR2Industry.

This visit, combined with the recent establishment of the UPV's new university in China, once again demonstrates the tremendous potential of the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) as an engine for innovation. It highlights our decisive commitment to the Asian market, a region that is currently leading innovation in many technological fields, and we are proud to be an active part of this ecosystem.

This ambitious journey would not be possible without our exceptional hosts. A special thank you to Prof. Francisco Chinesta, Director of the CNRS@DesCartes project, and Prof. Dominique Baillargeat, Scientific Executive Director of CNRS@CREATE, for their gracious invitation and for trusting in our vision to explore new frontiers together.

The adventure has just begun, and we are confident that this collaboration will position us to lead this new global topic. The #EmpatheticCityverse is coming.