At the end of November, a delegation from six European regions visited five Japanese prefectures within the framework of the EU-Japan to Region-to-Region Innovation Cooperation program. This is a European Union project managed by 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). Casa Asia, as part of the EU-Japan R2R team, was part of the delegation and attended the trip.
The main objective of the program is cooperation in innovation between European regions and Japanese prefectures in the areas of green transition (circular economy, clean energy, climate change and sustainable mobility), industrial transformation (digitalization and social innovation) and demographic transition and competitiveness (public services and infrastructure in regions with depopulation and aging).
On the European side, the regions of Val d'Oise (France), Emilia-Romagna (Italy), Basque Country (Spain), Ljubjana (Slovenia), Auvergne Rhône Alpes (France) and Catalonia (Spain) participate. Casa Asia, as part of the EU-Japan R2R team, also participated in the visit. The delegation was divided into two groups; the first (Group A) visited Aichi and Hiroshima, while the second (Group B) visited Osaka and Oita. Both groups met in Kyoto, where the last meeting was held at the Keihanna Science Park. Casa Asia had representation in both groups.
The visit has made it possible to verify that in the case of Japan there is also a degree of specialization of the prefectures in the areas of work of the project, which would be comparable to the smart specialization of the European regions. In addition, it was also found that Japanese innovation centers, although highly developed, are still not very globalized, so agreements with European centers can be of great value.
Areas of collaboration
European regions have been able to determine a series of possible areas of collaboration with prefectures for the coming months and years. Among them, areas such as hydrogen, life sciences or the creation of innovation ecosystems and start-ups stand out. The Osaka World Expo 2025 organization also offers a framework for possible collaboration for European regions
Throughout 2023, the Japanese prefectures are expected to visit the European regions where the largest innovation centers in the respective regions will be visited. Casa Asia will continue to be involved in the program so that agreements and direct cooperation projects between European regions and Japanese prefectures can be finalized.
More detailed information about the visits in the following links:
Cooperation and innovation with EU regions (Emilia-Romagna) and Giapponesi prefetture – AICCRE
