The ECIU University Research Institute for Smart European Regions (SMART-ER) is a research, innovation and education alliance, enabling all member universities to jointly address complex societal challenges under the UN SDG11 (Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable). SMART-ER, organized as a virtual research institute, designs and implements research, value-captures and delivers solutions to SDG11 challenges, identified by the ECIU University Erasmus+ project. SMART-ER, together with stakeholder groups at a local and international level, showcases and works according to a shared R&I Agenda, focused on social needs, and its implementation plan. SMART-ER will align and bring together research capacities, both scientific and management capacities, bring together researchers and share a common vision, creating a virtual research institute as an example of how to overcome the limits of each single institution. It means, in fact, to implement a new model of doing research and innovation without walls, because: • is a way to leave behind the ivory tower, promoting dialogue with society • it will overcome the limitations of disciplines, sectors and countries • it will be mainly based on setting a virtual collaborative environment All partners will join efforts to develop and test transformative approaches focused on R&I that are so needed: • Mapping relevant information regarding ECIU University resources and infrastructures, practices and actors needed to move to the second phase • Developing the internal plans, procedures, training contents and platforms that will allow the creation and the operability of the SMART-ER • A capacity building programme (Seed Programme and SMART-ER Academy) and citizen science initiatives that will be used as a testbed to put into practice all built mechanisms and structures • Validating the pilots and procedures • Producing guidelines and toolkits for tested models replication and practices of reference