UTA Café | EU–Japan Webinar Series

Session 2, “Connecting Europe and Japan Through Horizon Europe”, looks at how organisations from Europe and Japan can work together to tackle urban and social challenges through innovation, research, and international partnerships. Building on the connections from the first session, participants will learn about new technologies, collaborative networks, and ways to turn ideas into real projects.
Experts from Europe and Japan will share their views on smart agriculture, data sharing, digital twins, big data, and smart city innovation. Participants will see how working together across cities, universities, research groups, and industry can speed up the creation and use of new solutions.

The webinar will also offer practical advice on Horizon Europe and other ways to work together internationally. Speakers will give examples from UTA's European projects, share what they have learned from working in groups, and point out new funding opportunities for EU–Japan partnerships.

Who Should Attend?

• Cities and local authorities in Europe and Japan looking for international partners and innovative solutions to urban challenges.
• Urban technology innovators and solution providers interested in testing and scaling their technologies through European projects.
• Universities and research organisations seeking international research and innovation partnerships.
• Companies and industry partners interested in joining Horizon Europe consortia.
• Japanese organisations interested in collaborating with European partners and exploring future EU–Japan funding opportunities.
• Existing UTA members and potential new partners interested in participating in UTA-led consortia.

By the end of this session, you will better understand new technologies and research trends in smart agriculture and smart cities. You will also learn how working with international partners can support innovation and project development, and how Horizon Europe can help turn your ideas into funded EU–Japan partnerships.

This session is especially helpful if your organisation wants to build international partnerships, find new research and innovation opportunities, or get ready for future EU–Japan projects and funding calls.
Agenda
Total duration: 90 minutes
09:00–10:30 CEST | 16:00–17:30 JST

09:00–09:05 CEST | 16:00–16:05 JST — Welcome & Introduction (5 min)

• Dr Takuro Yonezawa, Associate Professor, Nagoya University
  Welcome to the session, followed by a brief overview of the webinar’s objectives and what participants can expect.

09:05–09:20 CEST | 16:05–16:20 JST — The UTA Ecosystem: From Innovation to Deployment (15 min)

• Dr Rodger Lea, CTO, Urban Technology Alliance & CEO, STS
  An introduction to the Urban Technology Alliance, its vision, mission and international network. The session will show how collaboration between cities, universities, research organisations and businesses can help turn urban innovations into real-world solutions.

09:20–09:35 CEST | 16:20–16:35 JST — AI-Ready Smart Agriculture with IEEE 2992-2025: From Interoperable Data to Digital Twins (15 min)

• Prof. Hiroaki Nishi, Professor, Keio University
  In this presentation, you’ll learn about the latest trends and ideas in smart agriculture, data sharing, and digital technology. We’ll explore ways to drive innovation in this area.

09:35–09:50 CEST | 16:35–16:50 JST — Big Data Integration for Smart Cities (15 min)

• Prof. Toshiyuki Amagasa, Professor, University of Tsukuba
  The presentation looks at how various kinds of urban data can be combined in order to help create smarter cities. It looks at the main difficulties involved in combining and managing data from a variety of sources, points out the recent advances made possible by Large Language Models (LLMs), and talks about the new opportunities for data-driven urban innovation.

09:50–10:05 CEST | 16:50–17:05 JST — From Opportunity to Application: EU Funding Calls & Practical Guidance (15 min)

• Bertrand Copigneaux, Operations Manager, Kentyou
  An overview of upcoming EU funding opportunities relevant to EU–Japan cooperation. We will cover selected calls and offer practical guidance on identifying opportunities, finding the right partners and preparing a strong Horizon Europe application.

10:05–10:20 CEST | 17:05–17:20 JST — UTA’s EU Project Experience: From Consortia to Pilots (15 min)

• Dr Maryna Gorobei, Smart City Project Manager, Urban Technology Alliance
  We will explore EU projects in which UTA participates, including Cognifog, Urban-Flow and MICAD. The session will show how international teams turn ideas and partnerships into pilot projects and real-world results.

10:20–10:30 CEST | 17:20–17:30 JST — Q&A & Closing Remarks (10 min)