Category: News from Asia & Australasia


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...

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

The EU-Japan Region-to-Region Innovation Cooperation Program's webinar on Smart Specialization Strategy for Startups and Open Innovation held on April 26 from 9:00-10:30 CEST aimed to serve as a platform for EU regions and Japanese prefectures to exchange information and best practices on how innovation creation is developing through supporting startups and the promotion of open innovation in line with the...

Bangkok and Milan implement pilot action on food policy and plan exchange visit

On 27 April, Bangkok and Milan held a meeting to provide updates on Bangkok’s District Food Management Sandbox initiative and discuss the programme of an exchange visit in which Bangkok will take part in Milan. The participants on the Bangkok side included the food policy working group, set up for cooperation with Milan within the IURC framework and led by...

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...

Delegation visit of Lemvig, Denmark to Whakatū (Nelson), New Zealand / Aotearoa

From 20-24 March 2023, the IURC co-organised a delegation visit from Lemvig, Denmark to Whakatū (Nelson), New Zealand. The delegation included Claus Borg (Director at Lemvig Municipality), Lars Holmegaard (CEO Klimatorium Lemvig) and Sarah Lund (Director of International Collaborations and Strategic Sustainability Initiatives of Klimatorium). The visit was hosted by Wakatū Incorporation based in Whakatū (Nelson), Aotearoa/New Zealand. As Wakatū...

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...