Shanghai “BRIDGE for Cities” Roadshow

The Shanghai “BRIDGE for Cities” Roadshow was conducted on April 20th in the afternoon session of UNIDO day during the 6th China Shanghai International Technology Fair (CSITF) 2018 in Shanghai, China.

Mr. Gong – Senior Coordinator for South-South and Triangular Industrial Cooperation at UNIDO – comprehensively introduced the concept of the “BRIDGE for Cities” event, which aims to advance the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) providing ample opportunities for stakeholder to forge partnerships and exchange solutions through an urban-centered platform. Then, he explained the main focus points of the 3rd “BRIDGE for Cities” event, in which four case cities – Shanghai, Chengdu, Trieste and Vienna – will be presented as benchmarks for different aspects of sustainable urban development.

Shanghai, will represent the case of a smart city as an example of fruitful implementation of innovative Industry 4.0 solutions in urban contexts.

Shanghai Business Plan Competition

With the support of the UNIDO Shanghai Investment Promotion Center and Plug and Play China, a business plan competition took place during the roadshow. After preliminary screening, the top 5 finalists were selected to compete in an open competition where they presented their business plans in front of the audience and judges. Finally, Xijing Technology took the lead and won, thanks to its smart port project and its innovative business plan. Xijing Technology received an invitation to attend the main conference in October and present its project to an international audience.

The Way Forward - Vienna and Chengdu

The roadshow was also supported by representatives of the other case cities selected for the main event in October. Mr. Gerhard Hirczi, Director of the Vienna Business Agency, attended the roadshow and gave a speech about the investment needs in Vienna and the Business environment in the Austrian capital city.

As a closing to the Shanghai "BRIDGE for Cities" Roadshow, the representatives of UNIDO and the city of Chengdu jointly signed the “Roadshow hosting agreement’’. The Chengdu "BRIDGE for Cities" Roadshow will be held in Chengdu in late August.