Category: News from Asia & Australasia

Granada meets with technology park in Chiang Mai to advance B2B cooperation

On 1 February, Francisco Luis Benitez, Senior Advisor to Granada City, Spain, and Innovation & Prospective Director of Fidesol, resumed conversation with the team at the Science and Technology Park (STeP) of Chiang Mai University, led by Asst. Prof. Dr. Kasemsak Uthaichana, Deputy Director of STeP, to discuss potential cooperation between startups and incubators in Chiang Mai and Granada. Before...

Study Visit of Two Croatian Cities, Zagreb and Rijeka, to Kawasaki City, Japan

The study tour of Zagreb and Rijeka, Croatia began on January 30, 2023 with the delegation visiting Kawasaki City, Japan. The delegation visited the sites related to climate mitigation, waste management and green infrastructure, including urban parks. Kawasaki City has a population of 1.5 million, but 100 years ago it was a small town with a population of less than...

Back to normal: Christchurch and Vitoria-Gasteiz experts meet online to define smart city cooperation

As a follow-up to the bilateral study visits conducted in Europe and New Zealand in November and December 2022 respectively, experts from Vitoria-Gasteiz and Christchurch city councils discussed online the next steps for the collaboration in the smart city area. The action identified is the adaption of Christchurch's smart city interface "SmartView" to Vitoria-Gasteiz's open data portal. The portal was...

Osaka Delegation visit to Greater Manchester (15-19 January 2023)

Within the EU-funded IURC Asia and Australasia programme, a delegation from Osaka City is currently visiting Greater Manchester as a follow-up of a study visit undertaken by Manchester authorities from 2-8 October 2022. The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) is the only UK local authority participating in the IURC project (GMCA had participated in the IUC Project). The pair Osaka-Manchester...

MUFPP Food Policy Training Workshop for Seberang Perai, Malaysia and Technical Visits (18-20 December 2022)

Day 1:The Milan Urban Food Policy Pact Secretariat Expert Mr. Filippo Gavazzeni was accompanied by the Seberang Perai City Council delegation led by Mr. Mohd Nor Chairman of Fishermen Unit and Mr. Tan Choo Eng, Chairman of Biodiversity Unit of the Seberang Perai City Council to the Tembus River which covers an area of 128 hectares and surrounded by 620...

Cities share best practices on food waste prevention and management

The Milan Urban Food Policy Pact (MUFPP) Secretariat and IURC Asia & Australasia wrapped up their cooperation on food policy training with the last webinar organised on 15 November. Corresponding to the last category of the Milan Pact, the session focused on food waste prevention and management, showcasing best practices from Milan, Bangkok and Singapore. Michel Mouchiroud, Deputy Head of...

Spanish city delegates’ study mission to Christchurch, New Zealand / Aotearoa

Delegates from the Spanish cities of Málaga and Vitoria Gasteiz visited the New Zealand city of Christchurch to deepen pilot project cooperation in the fields of climate resilience, open innovation and citizens' engagement. The mission aimed at deepening the results obtained during the preparatory online meetings as well as during the study visit of Christchurch to Málaga and Vitoria-Gasteiz in...

Busan and Rotterdam consolidate concrete partnership with a second study visit

Supported by the European Union's IURC programme, Busan and Rotterdam conducted the second study visit in Rotterdam between 5-9 December 2022. The visit focused on the areas identified during the study visit undertaken by Rotterdam delegates to Busan in July 2022. Delegates from both cities were able to fill their activity plan with concrete steps to be undertaken in the...

Seberang Perai’s study visit to Portuguese cities of Vila Nova de Famalicão and Maia

The IURC Asia-Australasia organised its fifth and final EU-Malaysia study visit to the Portuguese cities of Vila Nova de Famalicão and Maia between 24-28 October 2022. The Seberang Perai City Council delegation comprised of Mr. Chew Eng Seng, Local 21 Agenda officer (IURC key focal point) and Madam Amira Ahmad, Head of Assistant Director, Community Affairs Department together with Ms....

EU-Japan Region-to-Region Innovation Cooperation: Six EU Regions conducted the First Study Visit to Japan

From 13-19 November, the team of the EU regions conducted a study visit to Japan, with a total of 24 participants from six EU regions and the European Commission (DG REGIO and EUD Japan). The team composed of Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes (France), Basque Country (Spain), Catalonia (Spain), Emilia Romagna (Italy), Ljubljana Urban Region (Slovenia) and Val d’Oise (France); and Aichi, Kyoto, Osaka,...