Smart and Connected Social Places: 5G Innovation Region

In November 2023, Glasgow City Region was named as one of ten successful 5G Innovation Regions to share funding of £36 million from the UK Government for a range of ambitious projects.

The Region used this funding to create the Smart and Connected Social Places (SCSP) programme, with a focus on keeping people safe, well and socially connected in their homes and local communities.

In March 2025, Glasgow City Region secured a one-year extension and further funding of £7 million, shared with other 5G Innovation Regions, to build on the success of the initial programme.

Phase One

Phase one of the SCSP programme consisted of:

  • Four core projects, all underpinned by the Asset Based Connectivity project:
    • Smart Social Assets
    • Connected Care & Wellbeing
    • Net Zero Social Assets
    • Data Aggregation & Business Intelligence
  • and an Innovation Fund launched in August 2024, which provided short-term project funding to small and medium enterprises and third sector organisations.

Phase Two

Building on the success of and learning from the first phase, the one-year extension to the 5G Innovation Regions programme is focusing on two key projects:

  • Smart Social Housing: using connected sensors to monitor damp, mould and heating in social homes.
  • Social Care: using digital technologies, such as smart speakers, to support care and wellbeing services for vulnerable people and improve digital inclusion.

Overall Programme Objectives

  • To drive economic growth across Glasgow City Region by supporting places to adopt advanced wireless technologies for Social Housing and Health & Social Care services based around local opportunities for growth.
  • To accelerate commercial investment in 5G and other advanced wireless technologies by aggregating and demonstrating demand within Social Housing and Health & Social Care sectors.
  • To foster the 5G ecosystem, enabling “learning by doing” by trialling and demonstrating connected solutions within Social Housing and Health & Social Care.
Department for Science, Innovation & Technology

Related News