Sustainable Industrial Ecosystems: Connecting European and Japanese Regions through Human-Centric Digitalization

The regional Community of Practice 5 (CoP5) for Industrial Modernization: Human-Centric Digital and AI Transformation within the IURC (International Urban and Regional Cooperation) program convened for its third meeting on 17 February 2026.

This CoP, coordinated by Auvergne–Rhône-Alpes, brings together leading industrial regions from Europe and Japan. The members include Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (France), Emilia-Romagna (Italy), Catalonia (Spain), Sisak Moslavina (Poland), Western Greece (Greece), Aichi Prefecture (Japan), and Hiroshima Prefecture (Japan).

Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes is France’s leading industrial region and a national leader in artificial intelligence. Emilia-Romagna has adopted a five-year Digital Agenda aligned with the EU AI Act, emphasizing trustworthy AI, digital skills, data infrastructures, and sectoral priorities in the automotive, packaging, and health industries. Catalonia, ranked eighth in AI innovation and recognized as one of Europe’s most innovative ecosystems, prioritizes talent development, lifelong learning, and industry-focused training. Sisak Moslavina is a central Croatian region with a historical industrial base in energy, petrochemicals, metallurgy, and food industries, which is now transitioning towards high-value sectors such as gaming, electronics, and pharmaceuticals. Western Greece is seeking to upgrade its workforce’s capabilities through upskilling and reskilling in AI and emerging technologies.  Aichi Prefecture is a major hub for the automotive, aerospace, and machinery industries, which aims to advance its vision of a Global Innovation City.  Hiroshima Prefecture, is home to major automotive manufacturers including Mazda, contributes its experience in open innovation ecosystems and digital-transformation training programs developed jointly with universities and industry. Nagoya is a world-class industrial powerhouse transitioning into a global deep-tech hub, leveraging its dominance in the automotive, aerospace, and robotics sectors.

There are important synergies with the EU smart specialization platform (Emilia-Romagna leads the AI&HMI partnership), and the EU Digital Europe Programme, which may launch new funding opportunities in the 2nd half 2026.

The “Industrial Modernization” CoP will focus on “Human-centric Digital & AI Transformation”, specifically by supporting digital transformation and AI deployment in existing companies, exploring different training methods to address skills gaps, ensuring equitable digital development across sectors and territories, and identifying innovative ecosystems as well as startup incubation methodologies.