ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY
Zimin Institute’ s origin and vision The founding of the Zimin Institute at ASU was funded by the philanthropic Zimin Foundation, established by the late Dr. Dmitry Borisovich Zimin, a radio scientist, entrepreneur and telecom businessman, and his son Boris Zimin. With the aim of advancing science and education for the benefit of humanity, the foundation’ s flagship initiative includes several institutes worldwide, with ASU hosting the first and only US-based institute.
“ They were looking to support scientific solutions with real-life impact,” Gregory says.“ Science is the foundation, but impact comes from innovating those ideas out into the real world.”
ASU was chosen for its philosophical alignment with these goals, its status as the most innovative university in the US for 11 years running and its comprehensive engineering programmes embedded in a dynamic community. Metro Phoenix’ s rapid urban growth and commitment to smart and sustainable city initiatives make it an ideal‘ living lab’ or‘ testbed’ for the institute’ s projects.
The Phoenix metropolitan area comprises more than 20 cities and towns, including major cities like Phoenix, Mesa, Tempe, Scottsdale, Gilbert and Chandler. With a vision to build the nation’ s most connected, collaborative and innovative smart region, the municipalities have formed“ The Connective”: an alliance committed to sharing resources and best practices for sustainable urban development.“ Instead of having dozens of different
unconnected initiatives, it becomes a coordinated, powerful effort,” Gregory says. This community collaboration enables the Zimin Institute to run effective field tests and pilot projects in a given partner city while facilitating sharing and a broader impact.
Citizen-centric smart city projects Engaging citizens is central to the institute ' s work. Projects seek resident input early and throughout development to shape technology that meets real needs. One standout citizen-centric example is the Bicycle Oasis project in partnership with Culdesac Tempe –
54 December 2025