Author: Franziska Walther

EU-Japan Region-to-Region Innovation Cooperation: A culmination of project activities and results

The EU-Japan Region-to-Region Innovation Cooperation, launched in November 2021, focused on fostering collaboration between EU regions and Japanese prefectures. It emphasized knowledge sharing and mutual learning in policy areas of innovation, entrepreneurship, and start-up ecosystems at the regional level. It acknowledged the common objectives and challenges faced by both EU and Japanese regions, such as green recovery, decarbonisation, renewable energy,...

EU-Japan Region-to-Region Innovation Cooperation: A Recap of the Fourth Exchange Meeting of EU Regions and Japanese Prefectures

The fourth and the final Exchange Meeting between European Regions and Japanese Prefectures took place in the premise of the Delegation of the EU to Japan on 30 October back-to-back with the High-Level Policy Dialogue of EC Directorate-General Regional and Urban Policy (DG-REGIO) and the Ministry of Land Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) of Japan held on 31 October. The...

EU-Japan Region-to-Region Innovation Cooperation: The Fourth Exchange Meeting of EU Regions and Japanese Prefectures

As the EU-Japan Region-to-Region Innovation Cooperation programme will conclude in November 2023, the final exchange meeting between the EU regions and the Japanese prefectures participating in the programme will take place on 30 October 2023 with Session 2 from 16:00-18:20 JST / 8:00-10:20 CET (online). The meeting will be held in a hybrid format, with participation in person from Japan...

Advanced Air Mobility in the EU and Japan Webinar by EU-Japan Region-to-Region Innovation Cooperation

The EU-Japan Region-to-Region Innovation Cooperation Program’s webinar on Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) held on 28 September from 9:00-10:30 CET aimed to introduce the respective initiatives of European regions and Japanese prefectures for the development and diffusion of electric vertical take-off and landing aircrafts (eVTOLs). Mr. Jukka Savo, the Principal Administrator at the European Commission for Aviation Safety Drones, AI and...

EU-Japan Region-to-Region Innovation Cooperation: Webinar on Advanced Air Mobility in the EU and Japan

Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) refers to the evolution of aviation and transportation through the development of vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, often referred to as flying cars. AAM envisions a future where these innovative aircrafts provide efficient and rapid transportation solutions to address urban congestion and provide point-to-point transportation solutions for short to medium distances. Unlike traditional aircraft that require...

Sustainable Cities and Regions: Urban Regeneration

Policy developments in the fields of talent attraction, upskilling, and retraining, urban regeneration, and territorial innovation have gained more significance, affecting the role of regional development agencies in achieving sustainable cities and regions. During the annual EURADA conference, AGORADA, held at the European Committee of the Regions on 6th June, IURC demonstrated through the example of Malaga City how international...

EU-Japan Region-to-Region Innovation Cooperation: Five Japanese Prefectures conduct their study visits to EU regions

From 04-10 June 2023, a delegation of Japanese prefectures conducted their study visits to Europe, with a total of 16 participants from five prefectures and the European Commission (DG REGIO and EUD Japan). The team composed of representatives from Aichi, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima and Oita Prefectures of Japan who were then split into various groups according to their interests in...

Food Tech in the EU and Japan Webinar by EU-Japan Region-to-Region Innovation Cooperation

The EU-Japan Region-to-Region Innovation Cooperation Webinar webinar on Food Tech held on 24 May from 9:00-10:30 CEST aimed to introduce the respective initiatives of European regions and Japanese prefectures on food innovation. From this perspective, experiences, and support on food industry in regions in Europe and Japan were presented and discussed. The rationale of the webinar lays on the fact...

EU-Japan Region-to-Region Innovation Cooperation: Webinar on Food Tech in the EU and Japan

It is not only in industrial manufacturing but also in the food sector that vigorous changes towards green transition are taking place. There is a growing focus on 'food innovation', or food tech, which encompasses the entire food value chains including agriculture, food production, distribution, food service, food preparation, retail and delivery, restaurants, and among others, people’s dietary habits and...

Energy Transition and Hydrogen in the EU and Japan webinar by EU-Japan Region-to-Region Innovation Cooperation

The EU-Japan Region-to-Region Innovation Cooperation Program's webinar on Energy Transition and Hydrogen held on April 27 from 9:00-10:30 CEST aimed to introduce the respective initiatives of European regions and Japanese prefectures for the development and diffusion of hydrogen. The rationale of the webinar lays on the fact that hydrogen energy, which emits no CO2 during consumption is being emphasized as...