Category: News from Asia & Australasia

IURC2 Kicks Off in Japan: Advancing EU–Japan Sustainable Urban and Regional Cooperation

The IURC Japan Kick-off took place in a hybrid format on 2 October 2025 as part of the Kyoto Smart City Expo 2025, co-hosted by Kyoto Prefecture. The session marked the formal launch of the International Urban and Regional Cooperation Programme (IURC) Phase II in Japan, bringing together European and Japanese representatives to deepen city and regional collaboration across thematic clusters such as urban innovation, industrial...

IURC AA Launches Circular Economy Cluster with Global Introductory Webinar

On 1 October 2025, the International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) Asia & Australasia programme launched its Circular Economy Thematic Cluster (Cluster 4) with an introductory webinar attended by 59 participants from 17 cities in 10 countries. The session marked the beginning of a global exchange on how cities can rethink waste, food systems, and resource use while piloting innovative solutions to accelerate the...

IURC Asia & Australasia Regions Advance Cooperation on Clean Energy and Blue Economy

1 October 2025 – Online session The International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) Asia & Australasia Thematic Network hosted its third Region-to-Region Cooperation on Innovation webinar on Clean Energy and Blue Economy, bringing together 44 representatives from regional governments, research institutions, and development agencies across Europe and Asia. The event highlighted the growing momentum for cross-continental collaboration on hydrogen technology, renewable energy, industrial modernisation, and just transition strategies—key...

Final Deep Dive Discussion on Global Urban Innovation in EU and Asian Cities

The International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) Asia & Australasia programme concluded its Urban Innovation Deep Dive Webinar Series with a forward-looking session on start-ups, investments, and technologies. The event gathered 65 participants and highlighted six cities—Grenoble-Alpes, Warsaw, Leuven, Tallinn, Nagoya, and Kaohsiung—each presenting their unique strategies for fostering resilient and innovative urban economies. Grenoble-Alpes – Boosting Entrepreneurship Amélie Dupraz-Canard introduced the iVenture programme,...

Cities: IURC AA – Deep Dive on Urban Innovation

The International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) Asia & Australasia Programme convened its deep dive session 1 on Urban Innovation, bringing together thought leaders and city representatives from Christchurch (New Zealand), Bologna (Italy), Cork (Ireland), and Jeonju (Korea) to spotlight how diverse urban ecosystems are advancing innovation for sustainable growth. Against the backdrop of IURC Phase II, the session provided...

IURC AA Cities Exchange Insights on Digital Transition and Data Utilisation

The International Urban and Regional Cooperation Programme (IURC) Asia & Australasia hosted its second Urban Innovation Deep Dive Session, focusing on Cities & Data. The event brought together experts from Barcelona, Coimbra, Osaka, Kobe, and Pimpri Chinchwad, highlighting how cities across Europe and Asia are leveraging GIS, BIM, AI, and smart city strategies to drive digital transition. Barcelona: Digital Twins and Urban Data...

IURC AA Regions Present Clean Energy & Blue Economy Initiatives

The International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) Asia & Australasia programme held its second thematic session on 23 September, gathering 51 participants from 10 regions across Europe, Korea, Australia, and New Zealand. The focus was on regional cooperation in clean energy and the blue economy, with regions presenting concrete strategies for hydrogen ecosystems, offshore wind, geothermal, waste-heat recovery, solar innovation,...

IURC Cities Showcase Best Practices on Tourism, Mega-Events and City Branding

The second and final session of the IURC Asia & Australasia Thematic Network on Strategic Sectors brought together 33 participants to explore innovative approaches in cultural heritage, mega-events, sustainable tourism, and city branding. Cities from Italy, Australia, Malaysia, and Poland shared their strategies, challenges, and opportunities, while also setting the stage for deeper collaboration at the upcoming Smart Cites Expo World Congress in...

IURC launches Urban Innovation Thematic Cluster with Cities from EU and Asia & Australasia

The International Urban and Regional Cooperation Programme (IURC) has successfully launched its Urban Innovation Introductory Session as part of the Thematic Network Webinar Series. The online session, held on 18 September 2025, brought together more than 60 participants from Europe and Asia & Australasia for an in-depth exchange on smart cities, artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, and citizen-centric governance. Viktorija Kaidalova — EU’s Service for Foreign Policy...

Global Cities Share Innovative Paths to Sustainable Tourism

From the metaverse to organic farming, four regions reveal how they’re balancing growth, culture, and climate resilience A New Era for Tourism: Insights from the IURC Strategic Sectors WebinarOn September 17, the first Strategic Sectors Cluster webinar of the IURC Asia and Australasia programme gathered 43 participants from cities and regions online. The session spotlighted how Prato (Italy), Gangtok (India),...