Category: News from Asia & Australasia

Rotterdam visits Busan and Sejong as the first study visit of the IURC EU-Korea partnerships

From 4-8 July 2022, Rotterdam visited South Korea as part of the IURC programme to connect with Busan, its partner city, and Sejong, whom it is expanding cooperation with outside of the programme. Rotterdam and Busan launched their study visit with a kick-off conference at Busan Metropolitan City Hall. First, IURC introduced the programme to orient the delegates for their...

Early success story from Asia & Australasia and much more

The exchange of knowledge and best practices between EU and non-EU cities in the Asian and Australasian geographical area has been dynamic. Since the start of 2022, the project team has provided support to the ongoing discussions between cities and organised a series of webinars on topics such as innovation precincts, flood management and food policy, involving almost 500 people...

Sofia and Semarang work on urban mobility systems

The IURC programme organised a study visit for delegates from Sofia, Bulgaria, to Semarang City, Indonesia, from 28 June to 1 July 2022. The delegation consisted of three officials, led by Ms Iva Vylkova, Advisor to Deputy Mayor of Sofia City. Two other governmental organisations joined the programme, namely SOfia GREEN" - a project of Sofia Municipality, represented by Ms...

PMRDA, Karlsruhe and IURC Programme Commit to Cooperation on Sustainable Urbanisation

The EU-funded International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) Programme, the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA), Maharashtra, India, and the City of Karlsruhe, Germany, have signed three Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) at PMRDA Office on 31st May 2022 to build relationships and promote concrete cooperation on sustainable urban development and innovation from 2021-2023. During the signing, the Honorable Commissioner of...

Messina’s study visit to Kochi focuses on flood management

Two delegates from the Italian city of Messina visited Kochi, a port city on the southwest coast of India, from the 24th to 27th of May 2022. Accompanied by Dr Panagiotis Karamanos, Country Coordinator India, IURC Asia & Australasia, the delegation included: Mr Dino Alessi, Coordinator, URBACT III Program ProjectsMs Beatrice Briguglio, International Project Expert Delegates from Messina share best...

Chiang Mai and Granada eye on smart technologies: Two ancient cities look to the future

In the geographical area of Asia and Australasia, the Thai city of Chiang Mai and the Spanish city of Granada were so far the last pair to start their cooperation. Prior to their kick-off meeting in March 2022, Chiang Mai had to reach out to national agencies to confirm its authority to participate in the IURC programme, thus prolonging the...

Albacete-Gangtok study visit focuses on waste management

A 3-member delegation from Albacete, Spain, visited the bustling hill station city of Gangtok in Sikkim, India, from 18th to 20th May 2022. The delegation included, Mr Carlos Manuel Rubio Caravaca, Technical Manager at Valoriza Environmental Services and Waste ManagementMr Juan Carlos Sánchez Tébar, Technical Manager for Health Environment at Municipality of AlbaceteMr Angel Manuel Prieto Sotos, General Manager at...

Gwalior delegates visit Leuven

From 16th to 18th May, a 4-member delegation from Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India, visited the city of Leuven in Belgium to further build upon their cooperation since the IUC programme and in particular cooperate on the support of development of business start-ups. The delegation included, Mr Ashish Saxena, Hon. Administrator cum Divisional Commissioner, GwaliorMr Kaushlendra Vikram Singh, Collector & District...

Japan: Delegates from Koriyama and Toyota visted Essen and Grenoble

Koriyama and Toyota completed the study visit to Essen and GAM (Grenoble-Alpes Metropole) from 22-29 June. During their visit, Koriyama and Essen were able to see Essen and GAMs’ action to promote a “hydrogen-based society” and their utilization of “open innovation” platforms to support innovation for industrial transitions. The delegation from Japan was membered by municipality officials responsible for the...

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

The EU-Japan Region-to-Region Innovation Cooperation is a project of the European Union managed by the Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI) and the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO) of the European Commission, and implemented in cooperation with the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT). Its overall aim is to contribute to sustainable urban development and innovation...