Meeting held for intl. innovation exchanges

Video by Xu Shuntian

Representatives from innovation units in Shenzhen and international innovative cities in Spain, Brazil, Japan, Italy and Australia exchanged their innovation practice and policies at a conference in Wuzhou Guest House in Futian District today.

A scene of the conference at Wuzhou Guest House in Futian District this afternoon. Photos by Wang Haolan unless otherwise stated

The conference, hosted by the Foreign Affairs Office of the Shenzhen Municipal Government, was aimed to further promote the integration of innovation as a solution to economic development and social governance under the framework of the World Innovative Cities Cooperation Organization (WICCO), an international nongovernmental and nonprofit organization committed to stepping up global innovation cooperation.

“Through establishing WICCO, the exchanges and cooperation between innovative units, including cities, organizations and institutions, will be further enhanced,” said Yao Ren, vice secretary general of the Shenzhen Municipal Government. “Shenzhen will continue to build a global innovative network, establish exchange platforms, organize themed events and support innovation research in a bid to facilitate the global flow of knowledge, talents, capital, technologies and other innovation elements.”

Voices from SZ's sister cities 

Mario Rubert, director for City Promotion at Barcelona City Council, delivers a speech on the innovative practice of Barcelona, Spain, at the conference at Wuzhou Guest House in Futian District this afternoon.

Barcelona in Spain, which is one of Shenzhen’s 24 sister cities and a city member of WICCO, has a history of 2,000 years while reinventing itself several times over, said Mario Rubert, director for City Promotion at Barcelona City Council. 

“Now, we are known as one of the innovative capitals of Europe,” he said. “We have an education system that is very solid; we understand the importance of training and retaining talents; and we have been striving to place Barcelona in the international map of innovation and technology through attracting international sci-tech events to the city. So, we are proud to say that Barcelona is one of the most successful smart cities in the world.”

A scene of the conference.

Igarashi Tatsuo, mayor of Tsukuba City in Japan, which is also a member of WICCO, presented a video message in which he introduced the basics about Tsukuba as a city boasting 8,000 Ph.D. holders, four Nobel-Prize winners and 150 research institutes and universities so far, and promoted the Tsukuba Super Science City project. 

Through applying online voting, digital student health management system and other innovative technologies, Tsukuba is striving to become “a city with science and technology for its citizens,” the mayor said during his speech.

Rachel Crump (C), consul general of New Zealand in Guangzhou, at the conference.

The conference also received video messages from mayors of innovative cities, such as Kobe in Japan, Brisbane in Australia and Turin in Italy, who shared their thoughts on innovation and international cooperation. In addition, representatives from local innovative units, including tech enterprises, accounting firms and higher education institutions, exchanged ideas at the event.

Experts' innovative insights 

Alessandro Golombiewski Teixeira, a professor of Public Policy from the School of Public Policy and Management at Tsinghua University, discussed the role of science and technology in economic growth, as well as the importance of international cooperation in knowledge creation at the conference.

Alessandro Golombiewski Teixeira, professor of Public Policy from the School of Public Policy and Management at Tsinghua University, speaks at the conference. Courtesy of the organizer

“Innovation is one of the most important concept in terms of economic development and one of the most important engines for economic growth,” Golombiewski Teixeira said. “No matter what kind of innovation you talk about – sradical or disruptive, you need to understand that we can only achieve that through international scientific and technological innovation.”

“Innovation is the future of world cities,” he said. “By taking into account sci-tech innovation into economic, environmental and social dimensions of urbanization, world cities can better achieve sustainable urban development while addressing the current Millennium Sustainable Development Goals.”

Masakazu Takasu, a Japanese hardware engineer and maker culture advocate, makes a speech.

Masakazu Takasu, a Japanese hardware engineer and maker culture advocate who has been living in Shenzhen since 2018, elaborated on the development process and industry advantages of the hardware supply chain industry in Shenzhen. He also advocated for global cooperation in innovation and entrepreneurship under the framework of WICCO, citing Shenzhen’s software industry prowess as an example.

WICCO, initiated in Shenzhen in 2021, has so far involved a total of 77 innovative cities and organizations from 22 countries and regions across the world.