This session, “Connecting Europe and Japan Through Horizon Europe,” runs for 90 minutes and continues the work started in Session 1. The focus is on building real collaboration opportunities. You will learn about new technologies in smart agriculture and smart cities, discover how organizations form strong partnerships across cities, universities, research institutes, and industry, and get practical tips for preparing successful Horizon Europe proposals.
About Session
The session begins with a welcome from Dr Takuro Yonezawa, Associate Professor at Nagoya University. Then, Dr Rodger Lea, CTO of the Urban Technology Alliance and CEO of STS, will introduce UTA’s vision, mission, and international network. He will explain how collaboration can turn new ideas into real-world solutions.
Prof. Hiroaki Nishi from Keio University will talk about AI-Ready Smart Agriculture Using IEEE 2992-2025, focusing on interoperable data systems and digital twin technologies that help build intelligent agricultural ecosystems. Prof. Toshiyuki Amagasa from the University of Tsukuba will explain how different types of urban data can be combined to create smarter cities. He will discuss the main challenges of integrating and managing data from many sources, highlight new advances made possible by Large Language Models (LLMs), and explore new opportunities for data-driven urban innovation.
Bertrand Copigneaux, Operations Manager at Kentyou, will talk about funding and project development. He will introduce new Horizon Europe opportunities for EU–Japan cooperation and give practical advice on finding the right calls, choosing partners, and building strong proposals. Dr Maryna Gorobei, Smart City Project Manager at UTA, will close the presentations by sharing lessons from UTA’s European projects, including Cognifog, Urban-Flow, and MICAD. She will show how international teams turn ideas into pilot projects, real deployments, and measurable results.
The session ends with a live Q&A and closing remarks.
For more information, visit UTA Café page.
Who Should Attend
This webinar is ideal for:
- Cities and local authorities seeking international collaboration opportunities
- Urban technology innovators looking to test and scale solutions through European projects
- Universities and research organisations developing new international partnerships
- Companies interested in joining Horizon Europe consortia
- Japanese organisations exploring collaboration with European partners
- Current and prospective UTA members interested in participating in UTA-led initiatives
Format and Registration
You can join the session online via Zoom. The webinar will be available in English and Japanese, with real-time translation. Participants can use Zoom’s AI-translated captions or the GlobeJoy service from NTT Advanced Technology Corporation, which will be available during the webinar.
Registration is now open on Eventbrite, and attendance is free. Register here.
Did you miss Session 1?
In “From Urban Challenges to Collaborative Solutions in Europe and Japan,” we introduced UTA’s network and showed how cities, researchers, and innovators from both regions can work together to address urban challenges with technology and innovation. To learn more, visit this page.