CICAT and TALQ partner on interoperable smart lighting

TALQ Consortium and Catalonia’s CICAT have formed a partnership to help cities move toward smarter, more interoperable urban lighting systems. The groups will mark the deal with LUCI Association at a Nov. 2 event in Barcelona focused on nighttime safety, inclusion and sustainable street lighting.

Why it matters: - Cities are under pressure to upgrade aging street lighting while keeping costs down and avoiding vendor lock-in. - Interoperable systems can make it easier for cities to choose technology from multiple suppliers and expand smart city applications over time. - The partnership also ties lighting policy to public safety, climate goals and more inclusive nighttime streets.

What happened: - TALQ Consortium and CICAT announced a new partnership to support the transition to smarter, more interoperable urban lighting. - CICAT officially joined the TALQ Partner Program in August 2026. - CICAT, TALQ and LUCI Association are preparing a joint event for Nov. 2, 2026, in Barcelona, Spain. - The event will take place the day before the Smart City Expo World Congress opens.

The details: - TALQ is an international standards and interoperability organization focused on smart cities. - CICAT is the Cluster de l’Eclairage de Catalogne, a nonprofit lighting cluster in Catalonia. - The partnership will give CICAT members access to information on open interfaces, interoperability standards and smart outdoor lighting solutions. - TALQ gains closer access to the lighting ecosystem in Catalonia and Spain, including manufacturers, designers, specifiers, technology centers, universities and other sector players. - The groups said the collaboration will help spread awareness of interoperability and smart city standards among professionals working on urban lighting, public spaces and new lighting technologies. - The Nov. 2 event will include a panel discussion with international experts and an evening guided night tour. - The discussion will focus on how interactive lighting, urban design and smart city technologies can address nighttime needs for different groups, including women, older adults, minorities and others who may feel more vulnerable in public space. - TALQ said the event is aimed at cities, operators, manufacturers and lighting professionals. - LUCI Association is joining the effort as a nonprofit network of cities focused on urban lighting. - TALQ was founded in 2012 and says its protocol is a globally recognized specification for information exchange between centralized management software and outdoor device networks from different vendors. - TALQ says its standard helps cities avoid vendor lock-in across smart city applications such as public lighting, waste management, environmental monitoring, parking and traffic management. - TALQ says it has more than 80 member companies. - CICAT is a nonprofit cluster that brings together manufacturers, designers, specifiers, technology centers, universities, specialized partners and startups across the lighting value chain. - LUCI, founded in 2002 and based in Lyon, is an international network of cities that uses light as a tool for social, cultural, environmental and economic development. - More information is available in the organizations’ announcements: the TALQ Consortium website, CICAT’s website and LUCI Association’s website.

Between the lines: - The partnership connects standard-setting work with a regional industry cluster, which can speed adoption by linking technical rules to the companies and institutions that deploy lighting systems. - The Barcelona event positions lighting as more than infrastructure, framing it as a tool for perceived safety, inclusion and urban design after dark. - The focus on open standards suggests a broader push by cities to keep procurement flexible as smart city systems become more connected and more complex.

What’s next: - CICAT, TALQ and LUCI will host the joint conference and night tour on Nov. 2, 2026, in Barcelona. - The groups are likely to use the event to deepen dialogue between cities and the lighting industry ahead of SCEWC. - CICAT will continue distributing TALQ-related interoperability and smart lighting information to its members and ecosystem.