Category: News from Asia & Australasia


EU-Japan Region-to-Region Innovation Cooperation: Webinar on Smart Specialisation Strategy for Startups and Open Innovation

Today, in the 21st century, the rapid progress and diffusion of IT and digital technology has enabled many products and services to be digitalized, propagated and provided worldwide, and speedily disseminated to hundreds of millions of people around the world. In line with this, the content and significance of innovation itself, as well as the forms of its realisation and...

Turin Delegation visits Nagoya on Cooperation on the City as a Laboratory for Open Innovation

Turin City, Italy and Nagoya City, Japan are cooperating on the promotion of the city as a laboratory for open innovation. In November 2022, a delegation of Nagoya City visited Turin City to observe Torino City Labo, an open-air laboratory for co-developing and testing solutions to urban challenges and studied Turin’s CTE NEXT project and the activities of Torino Social...

IURC Korea Cities meet EU Ambassador at ICP Conference in Incheon

Delegates from the IURC Korea pilot cities of Seoul and Sejong met Ms. Maria Castillo Fernandez, Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of Korea, during the ICP-AGIR Final Conference held in Incheon, Korea, on 3 April 2023. The EU-funded ICP project has promoted city-to-city (C2C) cooperation between EU and non-EU cities on the topics of energy transition, air quality,...

EU-Japan Region-to-Region Innovation Cooperation: Webinar on Energy Transition and Hydrogen in the EU and Japan

Hydrogen energy, which emits no CO2 during consumption is being emphasized as a necessary technology to achieve the goals of the 'European Green Deal' and “Climate Neutrality.” Thus, European companies are steadily beginning to integrate the use of hydrogen energy into their business plans. To further accelerate the shift to a hydrogen society, the EU published its European Hydrogen Strategy...

Study visit of Canberra to Hamburg from March 12-14, 2023

In the course of the International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) programme funded by the European Union (EU), the Australian city of Canberra (ACT-Government) has sent a delegation of 3 persons to Hamburg to deepen pilot project cooperation in the fields of urban renewal, climate action, open innovation and cultural exchange. The delegation had two-day programmes in Hamburg and Florence...

Study visit of Semarang, Indonesia to Sofia, Bulgaria

Through the IURC programme, Semarang City of Indonesia conducted a study visit to Sofia City, the Capital City of Bulgaria, from March 13 to 16, 2023. The visit aimed to promote cooperation between two cities under the IURC framework in the field of sustainable urban mobility. It was to follow up the similar activities where Sofia delegates visited Semarang City in June 2022.    The...

EU Ambassador leads ‘Team Europe’ mission to Chiang Mai

HE Mr David Daly, Ambassador of the European Union to Thailand, together with the ambassadors/deputy heads of mission of 12 other EU Member States visited Chiang Mai on 20-21 March 2023 to meet with the local government officials, politicians, academics and other stakeholders. On this occasion, IURC Asia & Australasia arranged a visit to the Science and Technology Park of...

Solid waste recycling pilot project launched at Porbandar, India

The launch of the Solid Waste Management Pilot Project Porbandar was held on Saturday, 18 February 2023. Co-hosting with Porbandar Chhaya Nagarpalika and Saurashtra Cement Limited, the interactive awareness event was held for Bokhira ward residents.  Students of Arya Kanya Gurukul and Saurashtra Cement Vidyamandir watching awareness videos on solid waste segregation Launch of the solid waste recycling pilot project in...

Study Visit of Tokorozawa City, Japan to Bratislava, Slovakia

Via the EU's IURC (International Urban and Regional Cooperation) Programme, the delegation of Tokorozawa City is visiting Bratislava between 13-17 March 2023, Day 1 The Tokorozawa delegates began the study visit by learning about Bratislava’s method for participatory urban planning, and sustainable mobility policies, as well as a historical overview of the city, They also visited Bratislava’s suburbs to see...

Asia & Australasia: Webinar on Tactical Urbanism

The IURC Asia and Australasia (AA) team organised a webinar within the IURC thematic network n°2 “Urban and Regional Renewal”. The event focused on Tactical Urbanism in Public Spaces, an area that has gained strong relevance in cities around the globe. Pedestrian plazas, pop-up bike lanes, pop-up parks and innovative playgrounds are just some of the examples developed by city...