Luca Mora
luca mora

Prof Luca Mora

Professor

 0131 455 4342

  L.Mora@napier.ac.uk

  

Biography

Luca is a Professor of Urban Innovation at Edinburgh Napier University’s Business School, where he leads both the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Subject Group and the Urban Innovation Policy Lab. This research lab hosts over 25 academics whose expertise connects social sciences with engineering and technology disciplines. Additionally, Luca holds the position of Professor of Urban Innovation at Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech), where he supports the development of the FinEst Centre for Smart Cities, a €32 million investment through the European Commission’s Horizon Europe program.

With 15 years of experience in conducting multidisciplinary research that bridges urban studies, computer science, and innovation management, Luca constantly introduces new theoretical and practical advancements in the field of smart city development. His scholarly work has been widely published in prestigious journals, including Organization Studies, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Technovation, Government Information Quarterly, Regional Studies, and Cities.

He has been serving as an academic consultant for several intergovernmental organizations such as the European Commission, the United Nations, and the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean. In this capacity, he authored three major United Nations reports on digital transformation governance in urban areas. Luca's efforts have contributed to generating over €40 million through research and consultancy projects, predominantly supported by European funding schemes.

In addition to his research and consulting work, Luca is an active member of the editorial boards for the Journal of Urban Technology and IET Smart Cities and serves as Executive Editor for Technological Forecasting and Social Change. He has also been a guest editor for seven Special Issues on smart city development in notable academic journals.

School

Themes

Research Areas

Esteem

Advisory panels and expert committees or witness

  • Scientific Committee Member, 2023 Technological Forecasting and Social Change Special Conference | Hsinchu, Taiwan
  • Academic Consultant (Science, Technology and Innovation for Sustainable Urban Development), United Nations
  • Academic Consultant (Governance of Smart City Projects), United Nations
  • Academic Consultant (Governance of Smart City Projects), CAF - the Development Bank of Latin America
  • Academic Consultant (Urban data Ecosystems), European Commission
  • Scientific Committee Member, 4th Euro-Mediterranean Conference and Exhibition (SmartBlueCity 2020) | Athens, Greece
  • Research Associate at University of Liège - Smart City Institute | Liège, Belgium
  • Academic Board Member at Edinburgh Napier University
  • Scientific Committee Member, 3rd International Conference on Smart and Sustainable Planning for Cities and Regions (SSPCR 2019) | Bozen, Italy
  • Academic Advisor (Smart City Policy Development), Zhejiang Provincial Government
  • Member of the European Commission’s Smart Cities and Communities Action Clusters
  • Scientific Committee Member, 3rd Euro-Mediterranean Conference and Exhibition (SmartBlueCity 2018) | Larnaca, Cyprus
  • Scientific Committee Member, 1st Euro-Mediterranean Conference and Exhibition (SmartBlueCity 2016) | Limassol, Cyprus

 

Conference Organising Activity

  • Organiser of "Future Cities Masterclass", in collaboration with the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) - AIM Congress 2024 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
  • Co-Chair of the Track “Emerging Technology” at 2023 Technological Forecasting and Social Change Special Conference | Hsinchu, Taiwan
  • Organiser of UN Expert Group Meeting on “The State of Smart City Governance”, in collaboration with the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) and CAF - the Development Bank of Latina America
  • Organiser of the RSA Scotland Annual Conference 2019 | Edinburgh, Scotland
  • Chair of the Track "Thriving Governance and Citizenship in a Smart World" at the 3rd International Conference on Smart and Sustainable Planning for Cities and Regions (SSPCR 2019) | Bozen, Italy
  • Organiser and Co-Chair of the "Circular & Smart Cities Workshop" at European Commission - European Week of Regions and Cities 2018 | Brussels, Belgium
  • Organiser and Chair of "Meet the Innovation Guru - Edinburgh Napier University's Lecture Series on Innovation Management" | Edinburgh, United Kingdom
  • Organiser of the "Online S3 Final Workshop" at European Commission | Brussels, Belgium
  • Organiser of a Discussion Panel on Smart Specialisation at Trinity College Dublin - RSA Annual Conference 2017 | Dublin, Ireland
  • Organiser and Co-chair of the 2nd Annual International Conference of the Urban Research and Education Knowledge Alliance (U!REKA) | Edinburgh, United Kingdom
  • Organiser and Chair of the conference "Funding the Smart City: Comparing Alternative Solutions" | Bologna, Italy
  • Organiser and Chair of the conference "Smart Culture: ICT and the Enhancement of Cities' Cultural Heritage" | Bologna, Italy
  • Organiser of the 7th Summer Workshop of Italian PhD Programmes in Architectural Technology | Mantua, Italy

 

Editorial Activity

  • Executive Editor (Deputy Editor-in-Chief) - Technological Forecasting & Social Change (Elsevier)
  • Guest Editor for the Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal (Emerald, ISSN: 0951-3574) - Special Issue "Accountability for a Connected Society: The Unaccounted Effects of Digital Transformations”, in collaboration with Prof Giuseppe Grossi (Nord University, Norway; Kozminski University, Poland; Kristianstad University, Sweden), Dr Daniela Argento (Kristianstad University, Sweden), Prof Dorota Dobija (Kozminski University, Poland), Dr Mauricio Marrone (Macquarie University, Australia)
  • Guest Editor for Technology in Society (Elsevier, ISSN 0160-791X) - Special Issue "Twin transitions: unravelling the interplay between green and digital in socio-technical transformation processes", in collaboration with Dr Paolo Gerli (Edinburgh Napier University), Dr Alberto Ferraris (University of Turin), Prof Marina Dabic (University of Zagreb & Nottingham Trent University)
  • Lead Guest Editor for Organization Studies (SAGE, ISSN: 0170-8406) - Special Issue "Boosting Urban Sustainability through Organizing Collaborative Ecosystems for Smart City Development", in collaboration with Dr Francesco Paolo Appio (Université Côte d'Azur), Prof Nicolai J. Foss (Copenhagen Business School), Prof David Arellano Gault (Center for Research and Teaching in Economics), Dr Xiaoling Zhang (City University of Hong Kong)
  • Lead Guest Editor for Regional Studies (Taylor & Francis, ISSN: 0034-3404) - Special Issue "Towards a Technology-enabled Approach to Smart Specialisation Development", in collaboration with Dr Anastasia Panori (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki), Prof Mark Deakin (Edinburgh Napier University), Prof Raquel Ortega-Argiles (University of Birmingham)
  • Associate Editor - IET Smart Cities (Institution of Engineering and Technology)
  • Guest Editor for the International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal (Springer, ISSN: 1554-7191) - Special Issue "The Strategic, Organizational, and Entrepreneurial Evolution of Smart Cities", in collaboration with Dr Francesco Schiavone (Parthenope University of Naples), Dr Francesco Paolo Appio (Université Côte d'Azur)
  • Editorial Board Member - Journal of Urban Technology (Routledge, ISSN: 1063-0732)
  • Guest Editor for IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management (IEEE, ISSN 0018-9391) - Special Issue "Strategies to reach convergence: A multiple perspectives assessment", in collaboration with Dr Francesco Paolo Appio (Université Côte d'Azur), Dr Sungjoo Lee (Ajou University), Prof Stefanie Bröring (University of Bonn), Dr Nathalie Sick (University of Technology Sydney)
  • Lead Guest Editor for the Journal of Urban Technology (Routledge, ISSN: 1063-0732) - Special Issue "Smart city Development as an ICT-Driven Approach to Urban Sustainability", in collaboration with Prof Mark Deakin (Edinburgh Napier University), Dr Xiaoling Zhang (City University of Hong Kong), Prof Michael Batty (University College London), Prof Martin de Jong (Delft University of Technology), Dr Paolo Santi (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Dr Francesco Paolo Appio (Université Côte d'Azur)

 

Fellowships and Awards

  • Best Research Article Award 2021 - Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech)
  • Research and Innovation Award (Winner) - Edinburgh Napier University, Above & Beyond Awards 2020-21
  • Leadership Excellence Award (Nominated) - Edinburgh Napier University, Above & Beyond Awards 2020-21
  • Partnership Award (Nominated) - Edinburgh Napier University, Above & Beyond Awards 2019-20
  • Leadership Excellence Award (Nominated) - Edinburgh Napier University, Above & Beyond Awards 2019-20
  • Research and Innovation Award (Winner) - Edinburgh Napier University, Above & Beyond Awards 2019-20
  • Enterprise Award (Winner) - Edinburgh Napier University, Above & Beyond Awards 2018-19
  • Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA)
  • Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
  • Partnership Award (Shortlisted) - Edinburgh Napier University, Above & Beyond Awards 2017-18
  • Best Dissertation Award (Winner) - Polytechnic University of Milan

 

Grant Funding Panel Member

  • Grant Funding Panel Member for the High North and Arctic Smart City Development Competition 2020 | Nord University, Norway

 

Grant Reviewer

  • Grant Reviewer for the European Commission - 2022 ERC Consolidator Grant
  • Grant Reviewer for the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF)
  • Grant Reviewer for UKRI - Economic and Social Research Council
  • Grant Reviewer for the French National Research Agency
  • Grant Reviewer for the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Italian Switzerland

 

Invited Speaker

  • Invited Speaker at 38th Annual British Academy of Management Conference (BAM 2024) - Nottingham Trent University | Nottingham, UK
  • Invited Speaker at DOS-BAM Joint Research Consortium Meeting - Royal Holloway, University of London | London, UK
  • Invited Speaker at 56th Annual Conference of the University Transport Studies Group (UTSG 2024) - University of Huddersfield | Huddersfield, UK
  • Invited Speaker at 15th International Odyssey Conference on Economics and Business (Odyssey 2024) - University of Zagreb | Dubrovnik, Croatia
  • Invited Speaker at LSE Hybrid Cities Workshop - London School of Economics | London, UK
  • Invited Speaker at 2023 Technological Forecasting and Social Change Special Conference - National Tsing Hua University | Hsinchu, Taiwan
  • Invited Speaker at 20th Academy of Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Knowledge Conference (ACIEK 2024) - Sorbonne University | Paris, France
  • Invited Speaker at Smart Cities in Smart Regions Conference 2024 - LAB University of Applied Sciences | Lahti, Finland
  • Invited Keynote Speaker at UN World Urban Forum 11 | Katowice, Poland
  • Invited Keynote Speaker at 3rd Smart City Exchange Forum - Tallinn University of Technology | Tallinn, Estonia
  • Invited Speaker at R&D Management Conference 2022 - Innovation for People and Territories | Trento, Italy
  • Invited Keynote Speaker at IEEE Smart Cities Week 2022
  • Invited Speaker at UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD), 25th Edition | United Nations, Geneva
  • Invited Speaker at UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD), 2021-2022 Intersessional Panel - United Nations | Geneva, Switzerland
  • Invited Keynote Speaker at 17th International Conference on Computational Urban Planning and Urban Management (CUPUM 2021) - Aalto University | Helsinki, Finland
  • Invited Keynote Speaker at Instituto Politécnico Nacional - Cátedra Eugenio Méndez Docurro (CEMD) 2021 | Mexico City, Mexico
  • Invited Speaker at 32nd Annual Meeting of the Society for the Advancement of Socio-Economics (SASE 2020) - University of Amsterdam | Amsterdam, Netherlands
  • Invited Keynote Speaker at High North Dialogue 2020 - Nord University | Bodø, Norway
  • Invited Keynote Speaker at Smart City Research Seminar of University of Liège - Smart City Institute | Liège, Belgium
  • Invited Speaker at 36th EGOS Colloquium - Organizing for a Sustainable Future: Responsibility, Renewal, and Resistance | Hamburg, Germany
  • Invited Keynote Speaker at 56th ISOCARP World Planning Congress - Post-Oil City: Planning for Urban Green Deals | Doha, Qatar
  • Invited Speaker at the China-UK Bilateral Workshop organised by University of Cambridge and Huazhong University of Science Technology | Wuhan, China
  • Invited Keynote Speaker at Kristianstad University - GRIP Seminar Series | Kristianstad, Sweden
  • Invited Keynote Speaker at RSA Edinburgh Area: Shaping New Places Through the Human-Centred Smart City | Edinburgh, UK
  • Invited Speaker at the 27th International Scientific Conference on Economic and Social Development | Rome, Italy
  • Invited Speaker at University of Exeter - Future Cities Research Directions Workshop | Exeter, United Kingdom
  • Invited Keynote Speaker at Nordic Smart Cities 2018 | Malmo, Sweden
  • Invited Keynote Speaker at The University of Edinburgh - New Thinking Group (NTG) Interdisciplinary Seminar Series | Edinburgh, United Kingdom
  • Invited Speaker at the RSA Annual Conference 2017 | Dublin, Ireland
  • Invited Speaker at the 2nd International Conference on Smart and Sustainable Planning for Cities and Regions | Bozen, Italy
  • Invited Speaker at the 3rd Conference of the RSA Research Network on Smart City-Regional Governance for Sustainability | Gdansk, Poland
  • Invited Speaker at the 10th International Conference for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Regional Development | Thessaloniki, Greece
  • Invited Speaker at the 1st International Conference on Smart and Sustainable Planning for Cities and Regions | Bozen, Italy
  • Invited Speaker at the 1st International City Regeneration Congress | Tampere, Finland
  • Invited Keynote Speaker at Innovation Day | Pisa, Italy
  • Invited Speaker at the Smart City Exhibition 2013 | Bologna, Italy
  • Invited Speaker at RSA Winter Conference 2012 | London, United Kingdom
  • Invited Speaker at International Conference Artists in Industry: The Role of Design in the Digital Age | Bucharest, Romania

 

Media Activity

  • News: UN and Napier collaborate on smart city governance playbook | SmartCitiesWorld
  • News: Edinburgh Napier researchers launch ‘smart city playbook’ for United Nations | Edinburgh Napier University
  • News: Edinburgh Napier University creates smart city ‘playbook’ for UN | Project Scotland
  • News: Edinburgh Napier researchers launch ‘smart city playbook’ for United Nations | North Edinburgh News
  • News: Edinburgh Napier University develops smart city playbook | UKAuthority
  • News: UN and Edinburgh Napier University collaborate on smart city governance playbook | SmartCitiesWorld
  • News: Managing smart city governance – A playbook for local and regional governments | Tomorrow.city
  • Magazine article: Collaboration crucial to increase offsite adoption | Project Scotland
  • News: Edinburgh-based expert in smart city innovation joins €32 million international research project | Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce
  • News: Smart city innovation expert joins €32m international research project | Edinburgh Napier University News
  • Magazine article: Developing smart and sustainable cities | The Red Triangle, Edinburgh Napier University
  • News: Dr Luca Mora collaborates with Zhejiang provincial government | Edinburgh Napier University News
  • News: Luca Mora, Visiting Professor: “As a researcher, mobility is part of the game” | EMLV Paris
  • News: Prof Mark Deakin and Dr Luca Mora complete the U!REKA bibliometric analysis | Urban Research and Education Knowledge Alliance (U!REKA) News

 

Membership of Professional Body

  • Member of the Chartered Management Institute (CMI)
  • Member of the International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP)
  • Member of the Regional Studies Association (RSA)

 

Public/Community Engagement

  • Invited by University of Cambridge to collaborate in delivering a China-UK bilateral workshop | Wuhan, China

 

Research Degree External Examining

  • External examiner of research degrees for Lancaster University
  • External examiner of research degrees for Royal Holloway, University of London
  • External examiner of research degrees for Erasmus University Rotterdam

 

Reviewing

  • Reviewer for Journal of Planning Literature (SAGE, ISSN 0885-4122)
  • Reviewer for Journal of Urban Design (Routledge, ISSN: 1357-4809)
  • Reviewer for - Urban Forestry & Urban Greening (Elsevier, ISSN: 1618-8667)
  • Reviewer for for Technology in Society (Elsevier, ISSN 0160-791X)
  • Reviewer for Regional Sustainability (Elsevier, ISSN: 2666-660X)
  • Reviewer for npj Urban Sustainability - Nature Portfolio Journal (Springer, ISSN 2661-8001)
  • Reviewer for Journal of Contemporary European Studies (Taylor & Francis, ISSN 1478-2804)
  • Reviewer for International Journal of Urban Sciences (Taylor & Francis, ISSN 1226-5934)
  • Reviewer for Government Information Quarterly (Elsevier, ISSN: 0740-624X)
  • Reviewer for International Review of Administrative Sciences (SAGE, ISSN 0020-8523)
  • Reviewer for Environment, Development and Sustainability (Springer, ISSN: 1573-2975)
  • Reviewer for Futures (Elsevier, ISSN: 0016-3287)
  • Reviewer for New Media & Society (Sage, ISSN: 1461-4448)
  • Reviewer for Environmental Development (Elsevier, ISSN: 2211-4645)
  • Book proposal reviewer for Routledge
  • Reviewer for IEEE Internet of Things Journal (IEEE, ISSN: 2327-4662)
  • Reviewer for Discover Sustainability (Springer, ISSN: 2662-9984)
  • Reviewer for Nature Communications (Springer Nature Publishing AG, ISSN: 2041-1723)
  • Reviewer for Urban Studies (Sage, ISSN: 0042-0980)
  • Reviewer for European Planning Studies (Taylor & Francis, ISSN: 0965-4313)
  • Reviewer for Sustainable Cities and Society (Elsevier, ISSN: 2210-6707)
  • Reviewer for The Canadian Geographer (Taylor & Francis, ISSN: 0008-3658)
  • Book proposal reviewer for Oxford University Press
  • Reviewer for Annals of the American Association of Geographers (Taylor & Francis, ISSN 2469-4452)
  • Reviewer for Public Management Review (Taylor & Francis, ISSN: 1471-9037)
  • Reviewer for Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science (Sage, ISSN: 2399-8083)
  • Reviewer for IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management (IEEE, ISSN: 0018-9391)
  • Book proposal reviewer for Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd
  • Reviewer for Urban Research & Practice (Taylor & Francis, ISSN: 1753-5069)
  • Reviewer for Journal of Cleaner Production (Elsevier, ISSN: 0959-6526)
  • Reviewer for Journal of Intellectual Capital (Emerald, ISSN 1469-1930)
  • Reviewer for World Development (Elsevier, ISSN: 0305-750X)
  • Reviewer for Technological Forecasting and Social Change (Elsevier, ISSN: 0040-1625)
  • Reviewer for Regional Studies (Taylor & Francis, ISSN: 1360-0591)
  • Book proposal reviewer for Elsevier (Book Series on Smart Cities)
  • Reviewer for Scienze Regionali: The Italian Journal of Regional Science (Il Mulino, ISSN: 1720-3929)
  • Reviewer for Sensors (MDPI, ISSN: 1424-8220)
  • Reviewer for Journal of Smart Cities (Whioce Publishing, ISSN: 2382-6401)
  • Reviewer for Sustainability (MDPI, ISSN: 2071-1050)
  • Reviewer for Journal of Knowledge Economy (Springer, ISSN: 1868-7865)
  • Reviewer for Journal of Urban Technology (Routledge, ISSN: 1063-0732)
  • Reviewer for Cities (Elsevier, ISSN: 0264-2751)
  • Reviewer for European Journal of Innovation Management (Emerald, ISSN: 1460-1060)
  • Reviewer for Building and Environment (Elsevier, ISSN: 0360-1323)
  • Reviewer for International Journal of Electronic Governance (Inderscience, ISSN: 1742-7517)
  • Reviewer for Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research (Universidad de Talca, ISSN: 0718-1876)

 

Visiting Positions

  • Visiting Professor at Pôle Universitaire Léonard de Vinci, École de Management Léonard de Vinci | Paris, France
  • Visiting Research Fellow at Edinburgh Napier University, School of Engineering and the Built Environment, Centre for Smart Cities | Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
  • Visiting Researcher at Aristotle Univeristy of Thessaloniki, Urban and Regional Innovation Research (URENIO) | Thessaloniki, Greece

 

Filter by

Date


61 results

The unaccounted effects of digital transformation: implications for accounting, auditing and accountability research

Journal Article
Argento, D., Dobija, D., Grossi, G., Marrone, M., & Mora, L. (2025)
The unaccounted effects of digital transformation: implications for accounting, auditing and accountability research. Accounting, auditing, & accountability, 38(3), 765-796. https://doi.org/10.1108/aaaj-01-2025-7670
Purpose This paper aims to uncover the unaccounted effects of digital transformation on accounting, auditing and accountability. It explores the extant academic research and i...

Air pollution-associated chronic kidney disease (APA-CKD): evidence from a cross-sectional study of Niger Delta communities

Journal Article
Okoye, O. C., Carnegie, E., & Mora, L. (2025)
Air pollution-associated chronic kidney disease (APA-CKD): evidence from a cross-sectional study of Niger Delta communities. BMJ Open, 15(3), Article e096336. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2024-096336
Objective: Air pollution is an emerging risk factor for chronic kidney disease (CKD) that is typically ignored in preventive interventions. This study investigated whether lon...

Overcoming the Smart City Governance Challenge: An Innovation Management Perspective

Journal Article
Beckers, D., & Mora, L. (online)
Overcoming the Smart City Governance Challenge: An Innovation Management Perspective. Journal of Urban Technology, https://doi.org/10.1080/10630732.2025.2461983
This commentary explores the potential of strengthening smart city development (SCD) governance theory through a more meaningful integration of innovation management studies. ...

Collaboration before competition: How smart city entrepreneurs co-create temporary ecosystems to build capacity for learning

Journal Article
Oliver, P. G., Mora, L., & Zhang, J. (2025)
Collaboration before competition: How smart city entrepreneurs co-create temporary ecosystems to build capacity for learning. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 214, Article 124046. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2025.124046
This article explores how smart city entrepreneurs (SCEs) learn to address urban sustainability challenges with innovative digital products and services. SCEs embody social, d...

Confronting the smart city governance challenge

Journal Article
Mora, L., Gerli, P., Batty, M., Binet Royall, E., Carfi, N., Coenegrachts, K.-F., de Jong, M., Facchina, M., Janssen, M., Meijer, A., Pasi, G., Perrino, M., Raven, R., Sagar, A., Sancino, A., Santi, P., Sharp, D., Trencher, G., van Zoonen, L., Westerberg, P., …Ziemer, G. (2025)
Confronting the smart city governance challenge. Nature Cities, 2, 110–113. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44284-024-00168-9
Governance inefficiencies threaten the potential of smart city projects to deliver equitable urban transformations. Current strategies often hinder implementation, and risk ha...

Responsible AI for Cities: A Case Study of GeoAI in African Informal Settlements

Journal Article
Tonnarelli, F., & Mora, L. (online)
Responsible AI for Cities: A Case Study of GeoAI in African Informal Settlements. Journal of Urban Technology, https://doi.org/10.1080/10630732.2025.2450755
Geospatial Artificial Intelligence (GeoAI) systems are increasingly used by local governments to manage urban planning activities. However, there is a lack of clear guidelines...

Scaling to new heights: methodological insights for uplifting research on grassroots digital innovation

Journal Article
Gerli, P., Neves da Rocha, F., & Mora, L. (2025)
Scaling to new heights: methodological insights for uplifting research on grassroots digital innovation. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 12, Article 126. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-04320-7
The Covid-19 pandemic has further evidenced the potential of grassroots actors as initiators of digital innovations, in the form of open-source applications, platform cooperat...

World Smart Cities Outlook 2024

Report
Gerli, P., Mora, L., Neves Da Rocha, F., & Nguyen, H. (2024)
World Smart Cities Outlook 2024. United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat
The World Smart Cities Outlook 2024 provides a comprehensive analysis of the current state of people-centred smart city development globally. Serving as a foundational referen...

Ecosystem Orchestration for Innovation: Interrelations of Mechanisms in Infrastructural Digital Platforms

Presentation / Conference Contribution
Neves Da Rocha, F., Pollock, N., & Mora, L. (2024, September)
Ecosystem Orchestration for Innovation: Interrelations of Mechanisms in Infrastructural Digital Platforms. Paper presented at 7th Innovation in Information Infrastructures (III) Workshop, Barcelona, Spain

Co‐constructing cooperative value ecosystems: A critical realist perspective

Journal Article
Zhang, J., Zamani, E. D., Gerli, P., & Mora, L. (2025)
Co‐constructing cooperative value ecosystems: A critical realist perspective. Information Systems Journal, 35(2), 504-544. https://doi.org/10.1111/isj.12549
This study focuses on digital platform cooperatives (DPCs) and investigates how social value is created within platform cooperativism for fostering a more equitable and inclus...

Pre-Napier Funded Projects

  • Building capacity for smart city transitions in public sector organisations | Period: 2023-27 | Funder: European Commission - Horizon 2020; Estonian Government | Overall value: €65,000 | Role: Principal Investigator
  • Exploratory Study on Governance Models for Smart Cities | Period: 2021-22 | Funder: CAF - The Development Bank of Latin America; United Nations (UN-Habitat) | Role: Principal Investigator
  • Science, Technology, and Innovation for Sustainable Urban Development in a Post-COVID World | Period: 2021-22 | Funder: United Nations (UNCTAD) | Role: Principal Investigator
  • The unfolding, assemblage, and governance mechanisms of sustainable smart city transitions | Period: 2021-25 | Funder: European Commission - Horizon 2020; Estonian Government | Overall value: €65,000 | Role: Principal Investigator
  • Organizing Collaborative Ecosystems for Sustainable Smart City Transitions | Period: 2021-25 | Funder: European Commission - Horizon 2020; Estonian Government | Overall value: €65,000 | Role: Principal Investigator
  • GreenTwins | Period: 2021-23 | Funder: European Commission - Horizon 2020; Estonian Government | Overall value: €1,300,000 | Role: Co-Investigator
  • Sustainable Smart City Transitions in the Education Sector: The Case of Higher Education Institutions | Period: 2021-25 | Funder: European Commission - Horizon 2020; Estonian Government | Overall value: €65,000 | Role: Principal Investigator
  • Places Matter: Examining the Overlooked Geographies of Smart City Transitions | Period: 2021-25 | Funder: European Commission - Horizon 2020; Estonian Government | Overall value: €65,000 | Role: Principal Investigator
  • FinEst Twins | Period: 2019-26 | Funder: European Commission - Horizon 2020; Estonian Government | Overall value: €32,000,000 | Role: Co-Investigator
  • RESTART (Roadmap for European Smart City Strategies) | Period: 2016-17 |Funder: Banca del Monte di Lombardia Foundation - Early Career Research Grant Scheme | Overall value: £28,000 | Role: Principal Investigator and Project Manager
  • MA-IN (Mantua Innovation Center) | Period: 2014-16 | Funder: Cariverona Foundation | Overall value: £50,000 | Role: Co-Investigator and Project Manager
  • Census of the Oglio Po Region’s Landscape Heritage | Period: 2013-14 | Funder: European Commission - EAFRD | Overall value: £60,000 | Role: Co-Investigator
  • PEOPLE | Period: 2012-13 | Funder: European Commission - 7th Framework Programme | Overall value: £3,200,000 | Role: Co-Investigator

Current Post Grad projects

Previous Post Grad projects

Non-Napier PhD or MSc by Research supervisions

  • Director of Studies: Gabriella Esposito, Empowering sustainable urban futures: integrating stakeholder engagement, digital innovations, and actionable strategies for people-centric smart cities, Double PhD Degree, University of Turin & Tallinn University of Technology (Expected award year: 2026)
  • Director of Studies: Farah Hisham Abdelfattah Elbehairy, Building capacity for smart city transitions in public sector organisations, PhD Degree, Tallinn University of Technology (Expected award year: 2027)
  • Director of Studies: Francesco Tonnarelli, Places Matter: Examining the Overlooked Geographies of Smart City Transitions, PhD Degree, Tallinn University of Technology (Expected award year: 2025)
  • Director of Studies: Sara Thabit, Organizing Collaborative Ecosystems for Sustainable Smart City Transitions, PhD Degree, Tallinn University of Technology (Expected award year: 2025)
  • Director of Studies: Ioannis Lykouras, Sustainable Smart City Transitions in the Education Sector: The Case of Higher Education Institutions, PhD Degree, Tallinn University of Technology (Expected award year: 2025)
  • Director of Studies: Dominik Beckers, The Unfolding, Assemblage, and Governance Mechanisms of Sustainable Smart City Transitions, PhD Degree, Tallinn University of Technology (Expected award year: 2025)
  • Second Supervisor: Mie Weile, Bridging for the future: how digital competence development can accelerate innovation in public organizations, PhD Degree, Technical University of Denmark (Expected award year: 2026)
  • External supervisor: Xinyi Wu, Social Anthropology and Smart Cities, PhD Degree, The University of Edinburgh (Award year: 2022)
  • External supervisor: Natasha Panori, Education as a Main Component of the Developmental Dynamics of the Regions, PhD Degree, Panteion University (Award year: 2018)