Future Cities Initiative Roundtable Lays Foundation for Regional Future Cities Consortium

The Future Cities Research Institute (FCRI), a joint initiative of Sunway University and Lancaster University, recently hosted the Future Cities Initiative (FCI) Founding Circle & Consortium Formation Roundtable at Sunway University in conjunction with the Future Cities Conference 2026. The workshop brought together leaders from smart cities, future cities, sustainability, resilience, and urban innovation centres across Southeast Asia and beyond to explore opportunities for deeper regional collaboration on shared urban challenges.
 

Designed as a hands-on working session, the roundtable focused on moving beyond networking to identify practical pathways for collaboration through multi-country research, living labs, pilot projects, and joint funding opportunities. Participants shared their institutions' expertise, research priorities, and urban testbeds while discussing common challenges faced by cities, including climate resilience, digital transformation, sustainable development, public health, and social inclusion.

A key outcome of the workshop was the identification of four potential Urban Grand Challenge Themes to guide future collaboration: Digital Transformation of Cities, Net Zero and Sustainable Urban Systems, Healthy and Inclusive Cities, and Resilient and Climate-Ready Cities. Through facilitated discussions and breakout sessions, participants explored how these themes could be translated into collaborative research programmes, shared living labs, and real-world urban solutions that deliver impact across ASEAN and the wider Asian region.

 
The workshop also established an initial roadmap for the months ahead. FCRI will coordinate the development of thematic working groups, facilitate discussions on funding opportunities, and support the preparation of concept notes for future collaborative projects. Closing the session, FCRI Co-Directors Prof. Ir. Dr. Rosdiadee Nordin and Prof. Kirk Semple encouraged participants to build on the momentum generated during the roundtable and transform ideas into action.
 
As the Future Cities Initiative takes shape, the Founding Circle Roundtable marks an important first step toward creating an ASEAN-rooted, Asia-connected platform for advancing research, innovation, and practical solutions for the cities of tomorrow.

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