The interest of using test beds, or innovation infrastructures, to accelerate innovation processes is steadily increasing. Cities and regions play a fundamental role in stimulating efficient  innovation ecosystems where nearness to actors and understanding of the local environment is a determining factor of success. Indeed, cities and regions can support test beds through co-investments, help local business accessing test beds and collaborate with test beds to develop better public policies through so-called Policy Labs. Cities and regions can also themselves open up the public spaces as a part of a test bed, for example to test new ways of public transport or improve healthcare. With the understanding of local and regional needs and the nearness to citizens and business, cities and regions have the possibility to capture opportunities and challenges in a pragmatic way and support solutions. • In what way can cities and regions make the most of the opportunities of test environments as parts of regional/urban development? • How can then the EU support cities and regions to develop test and demonstration environments? Building on a series of debates, around the need for a coherent strategy for Test beds in Europe, this lunch debate will focus on the role of cities and regions as test environments and how test beds can contribute to urban- and regional development and increase regional attractiveness. To register, please send an email to elin.nyberg@stadshuset.goteborg.se, on April 23 at the latest.