The concept of a “smart city” initially focused on urban improvement capitalizing on digital and ICT innovations. However, lately, greater attention has been paid to the distributional effects of smart cities on people, places, and the planet. While digital innovation is still the basis for the concept, the need to spread the benefits across the different segments of society has been stressed. The OECD’s definition of smart cities describes them as initiatives or approaches that effectively leverage digitalization to boost citizen well-being and deliver more efficient, sustainable, and inclusive urban services and environments.

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A wide range of environmental, societal, and economical challenges have escalated, giving rise to the dire need for sustainable solutions that can save our planet from the dark future. Being built on the notions of zero waste, cradle to cradle, and biomimicry the concept of circular economy has gained its momentum on the agendas of many policymakers.

As far as sustainability is concerned, circularity does not necessarily fulfill all of its three dimensions. Being majorly focused on economic and several environmental aspects it clearly lacks social focus. Therefore, it cannot provide for uncompromised future.

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Singapore has been renowned for being the hub for innovation, technology, and a futuristic approach. The state granted San Francisco-based startup “Eat Just” the right to sell its lab-grown chicken on its territory, becoming the world’s first government to allow the sale of synthetic meat. Chicken bites are set to debut in Singapore Restaurant shortly, with successive plans for expansion into dining and retail. The product shall be priced on par with the premium chicken, while the price is expected to fall down in the coming months. Co-Founder and CEO of “Eat Just”, Josh Tetrick, hopes to reach US and European markets in the near future as well.

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By 2030, most of the world’s population is expected to be concentrated in the cities and if the trend remains, by 2050 nearly 80% of the global community will live in an urban environment. As we already observe the rapid influx of people into cities, many countries come to face several crucial sustainability challenges such as elevated traffic levels, increased congestion, and enhanced carbon emissions and pollution. Contemporary urbanization calls for mobility solutions that are coherent with land use and promote the growth and competitiveness of the cities.

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Public Procurement encompasses a notable share of the economy in nearly every country. Many argue, that an effective public procurement system can play a vital role in the development of any given nation and build up a truly capable state. Therefore, the lack of transparency and corruption can undermine existing paper-based systems and result in significant losses that are estimated to account for billions of dollars yearly. Electronic government procurement, also known as e-GP, can overcome the barriers of time and space, increase the level of transparency in procurement processes, and widen access to new markets and information.

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Fraudulent activities are of critical concern for many entities including financial organizations, insurance companies, governmental institutions, and individual investors. Both public and private projects have dark corners where corrupt actors can hide and thrive. Many contemporary organizations have been stepping up their efforts to detect and prevent fraud. However, spotting fraud patterns and clues can be quite complex most of the time. Thus, many entities still see fraud as a needle in the haystack.

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