The UK’s innovation accelerator for transport,
The Innovation Twins Programme brings together UK and international cities, districts, and regions to collaborate on research, innovation, and economic growth.
By building strategic partnerships, we combine strengths and resources to tackle shared challenges and create new opportunities.
The programme consists of three phases allowing for a structured and strategic development of partnerships and collaboration projects.
We gather evidence at national, regional, and local levels to map stakeholders and identify high-potential city or region pairings.
We engage stakeholders to develop agendas and themes, creating a roadmap for joint projects.
We implement research and innovation projects, including technology demonstrators, testbeds, living labs, knowledge exchange, joint PhDs, student exchanges, and capacity development.
The Innovation Twins Programme harnesses the strengths of urban innovation ecosystems by fostering strategic partnerships between cities or regions. This approach accelerates innovation, drives economic growth, and addresses pressing urban challenges—delivering value to local governments, businesses, universities, and citizens.
▪️Sharing of experiences and best practices between partners.
▪️Platform to collaboratively address common urban challenges.
▪️Enhances global competitiveness and visibility of partnered cities.
▪️Helps to develop strategic relationships across the globe.
▪️Opportunities to learn common best practices.
▪️Strengthens local/regional innovation ecosystems through application proven policies and methodologies.
▪️Unlocks new market opportunities and access to potential customers in partner regions.
▪️Helps companies to test and validate innovative products and services in diverse urban environments.
▪️Fosters partnerships with complementary businesses and institutions in partnered city regions.
▪️Provides access to talent pools and research capabilities.
▪️Strengthens connections between key actors in the SME innovation landscape.
▪️Facilitates knowledge exchange and technology transfer across different SME innovation hubs.
▪️Creates new pathways for startups and SMEs to access markets and resources in partner cities.
▪️Creates opportunities for joint research projects and academic collaborations.
▪️Expands access to funding, facilities, and expertise across partner institutions.
▪️Provides students with international exposure and career development opportunities.
▪️Drives economic development goals through innovation-led growth.
▪️Enhances the international profile and attractiveness of participating regions.
▪️Promotes knowledge-sharing and policy learning between regions.
Since its inception, the Innovation Twins Programme has established several international partnerships for UK cities, districts and regions. Read on to find out about some of successful projects and outcomes to date:
Belfast, UK and the Administration Capital of Republic of Korea, Sejong City
In April 2023, Belfast was officially twinned with the Administration Capital of Republic of Korea, Sejong City as part of the Innovation Twins programme, enabling both cities to work together on projects related to urban innovation, sustainability, and economic growth[1].
In April 2024, Belfast and the Administration Capital of Republic of Korea, Sejong City, signed an Innovation Twins Roadmap to collaborate on bilateral research, and innovation in the urban space to support growth in their respective city regions[2].
CP Catapult Report – UK South Korea Twins
File type: pdf
File size: 86.15Mb
Innovation Twins: Belfast Sejong Roadmap
File type: pdf
File size: 60.94Mb
Liverpool City Region and Busan Metropolitan City
From 2022, the city region, through the Innovation Twins programme, focused on strong bilateral partnerships with Busan Metropolitan City, and associated opportunities with K-Water around tidal power development[3].
In 2023, a five-year deal has been established between Liverpool City Region and Busan Metropolitan City in South Korea, leveraging Liverpool’s world-class innovation ecosystem[4].
In 2024, following the establishment of a Memorandum of Understanding between the city regions, a high-tech collaboration has been formed between the University of Liverpool, and Pusan National University to improve bus journey times and connectivity through the creation of a digital twin of the city region’s transport system[5].
Cardiff region in-country visit to Tokyo, Kitakyushu, and Fukuoka
In 2025, a Wales delegation visited Kyushu as part of the UK Japan Innovation Twins programme. The visit is part of an ongoing programme aimed at establishing long-term bilateral research and innovation partnerships between Welsh and Japanese city regions. The ambition is foster collaborative projects across industry, academia and civic organisations in Welsh and Japanese city regions with long term ambitions for increased bilateral trade and foreign direct investment[6].
UK-Japan Innovation Twins for Net Zero Report
File type: pdf
File size: 104.8Mb
UK-Taiwan Innovation Twins for Net Zero report
File type: pdf
File size: 125.14Mb
Innovation Twins The UK-Australia Opportunity
File type: pdf
File size: 204.43Mb
To find out more information about this programme email:
[1] https://www.belfastlive.co.uk/news/belfast-news/belfast-twinned-sejong-south-korea-26806479
[2] https://www.belfastcity.gov.uk/news/belfast-s-korean-innovation-twin
[3] https://www.liverpoolcityregion-ca.gov.uk/news/british-ambassador-praises-liverpool-city-regions-standout-example-as-innovation-prospectus-is-published-in-korean
[4] https://cp.catapult.org.uk/project/uk-republic-of-korea-innovation-twins-programme-2/
[5] https://www.liverpoolcityregion-ca.gov.uk/news/new-hi-tech-collaboration-with-south-korea-aimed-at-improving-liverpool-city-region-bus-services
[6] https://www.gov.wales/wales-and-japan-2025-to-celebrate-the-nations-deep-rooted-connections
