Málaga achieves the ICF's international Intelligent Community certification
The Intelligent Community Forum has certified Málaga after evaluating aspects such as connectivity, talent, innovation, digital inclusion, citizen participation and sustainability. The accreditation is valid for three years.
Redacción · Published on September 20, 2026
Málaga City Council has received the international Intelligent Community certification awarded by the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF), an independent organisation based in New York that has, since 2004, evaluated cities and regions around the world for their readiness to face the challenges of the digital economy.
The recognition assesses the use of technology and resources in the service of people, with the aim of fostering social inclusion, driving economic development and improving citizens' quality of life, according to the statement issued by the City Council. The ICF specifically analyses connectivity, talent development, innovation, digital inclusion, citizen participation and sustainability.
The mayor of Málaga, Francisco de la Torre, received the accreditation from Robert Bell, co-founder of the ICF and head of its certification programme, during the opening event of Greencities, Urban Intelligence and Smart Mobility, and the VI Smart City Congress of the Red Española de Ciudades Inteligentes (RECI), held this week at the Palacio de Ferias y Congresos de Málaga (FYCMA).
The certification is valid for three years, after which it must be renewed through an information update and a new audit.
How it was obtained
The City Council submitted its candidacy for this certification in May, driven by the Área de Innovación, Digitalización, Promoción y Captación de Inversiones and coordinated through Málaga Open For Business. Various municipal areas and entities from the city's economic, technological, social and environmental ecosystem took part in preparing it, including Promálaga, Málaga TechPark, the Instituto Municipal para la Formación y el Empleo (IMFE), the Polo Nacional de Contenidos Digitales, the Fundación CIEDES, the Fundación Arrabal, the Instituto Ricardo Valle de Innovación (Innova IRV), Emasa and the municipal areas of Participación Ciudadana and Sostenibilidad Medioambiental.
In June, Málaga received a visit from John Jung, co-founder of the ICF, and Agustín Argelich, of the consultancy Argelich Network, authorised by the ICF in Spain, who carried out an on-site audit with meetings and visits to learn about the projects included in the candidacy. In the subsequent report, Jung highlights Málaga's evolution from the smart city concept towards a broader intelligent community model, which combines infrastructure, capacity building and social innovation programmes together with connectivity, education and citizen participation.
Next steps
The ICF is a non-profit organisation that currently has a global network of more than 200 communities. The certification will allow Málaga to strengthen its presence in this network and take part in knowledge-exchange spaces with other cities.
Among the upcoming milestones planned is participation in the ICF Global Summit, to be held from October 13 to 15 in Columbus (Ohio, United States), and in the ICF events on November 4 as part of the Smart City Expo World Congress, in Barcelona. Looking ahead to 2027, Málaga also plans to submit its candidacy for the Intelligent Community Awards, the annual programme through which the ICF initially recognises twenty-one communities, from which it then selects seven finalists before naming the Intelligent Community of the Year.
The recognition assesses the use of technology and resources in the service of people, with the aim of fostering social inclusion, driving economic development and improving citizens' quality of life, according to the statement issued by the City Council. The ICF specifically analyses connectivity, talent development, innovation, digital inclusion, citizen participation and sustainability.
The mayor of Málaga, Francisco de la Torre, received the accreditation from Robert Bell, co-founder of the ICF and head of its certification programme, during the opening event of Greencities, Urban Intelligence and Smart Mobility, and the VI Smart City Congress of the Red Española de Ciudades Inteligentes (RECI), held this week at the Palacio de Ferias y Congresos de Málaga (FYCMA).
The certification is valid for three years, after which it must be renewed through an information update and a new audit.
How it was obtained
The City Council submitted its candidacy for this certification in May, driven by the Área de Innovación, Digitalización, Promoción y Captación de Inversiones and coordinated through Málaga Open For Business. Various municipal areas and entities from the city's economic, technological, social and environmental ecosystem took part in preparing it, including Promálaga, Málaga TechPark, the Instituto Municipal para la Formación y el Empleo (IMFE), the Polo Nacional de Contenidos Digitales, the Fundación CIEDES, the Fundación Arrabal, the Instituto Ricardo Valle de Innovación (Innova IRV), Emasa and the municipal areas of Participación Ciudadana and Sostenibilidad Medioambiental.
In June, Málaga received a visit from John Jung, co-founder of the ICF, and Agustín Argelich, of the consultancy Argelich Network, authorised by the ICF in Spain, who carried out an on-site audit with meetings and visits to learn about the projects included in the candidacy. In the subsequent report, Jung highlights Málaga's evolution from the smart city concept towards a broader intelligent community model, which combines infrastructure, capacity building and social innovation programmes together with connectivity, education and citizen participation.
Next steps
The ICF is a non-profit organisation that currently has a global network of more than 200 communities. The certification will allow Málaga to strengthen its presence in this network and take part in knowledge-exchange spaces with other cities.
Among the upcoming milestones planned is participation in the ICF Global Summit, to be held from October 13 to 15 in Columbus (Ohio, United States), and in the ICF events on November 4 as part of the Smart City Expo World Congress, in Barcelona. Looking ahead to 2027, Málaga also plans to submit its candidacy for the Intelligent Community Awards, the annual programme through which the ICF initially recognises twenty-one communities, from which it then selects seven finalists before naming the Intelligent Community of the Year.