IURC Stocktaking Mission to New Taipei and Kaohsiung

On 5-6 February 2026, the IURC team visited New Taipei and Kaohsiung City for a stocktaking mission, strengthening practical cooperation within the IURC CoPs (Communities of Practice).

In New Taipei, discussions focused on CoP # 8 “Circular Economy in Urban Centres”, where the city is working with Bologna Metropolitan City, Riga, Sofia, Gangtok, and Seberang Perai, sharing experiences on circular economy governance and implementation. In the City Council building, New Taipei experts showcased the digital building management and smart infrastructure centre provided by Ennowell. The centre aims to deliver integrated, lifecycle-based smart building solutions, combining Building Information Modelling (BIM), artificial intelligence (AI) and digital twin technologies to support energy efficiency. Meetings were also held at the I-Road Smart Road Center, the Intelligence Sustainability Park “T-Park”, and the 119 Fire Department. The mission confirmed New Taipei City’s strong commitment to integrated, solution-oriented approaches that combine circular economy, digitalisation, and social innovation.

In Kaohsiung, meetings focused on intelligent transportation systems (CoP #1), artificial intelligence governance, and data-driven urban transformation (CoP #9). The meetings were held in the Information Technology Centre of the Kaohsiung Transportation Bureau, starting with a briefing on the city’s transition from a smart city towards AI-enabled city management. Kaohsiung authorities introduced the local company Linker Vision, which presented its work on sovereign AI systems designed for municipal use. The company mentioned its participation at the Smart City Expo Barcelona in November 2025. Meetings in Kaohsiung included smart health and social services, with a visit to the Zhuxi Activity Center and a presentation by AdvMeds, a local company involved in equipping elderly activity centres with integrated medical services. The mission further included meetings at the Qianjin Sport Center (AI technologies for sports and physical activity) as well as at the Kaohsiung Music Center.

Meetings in both cities helped to align priorities and clarify action plans aiming to deliver tangible pilot projects with the EU cities. They also helped to plan the upcoming CoP meetings and the advanced cooperation missions in 2026.