5-night 7-day itinerary to Montpellier, Grenoble, and exchange visits
Visiting the ‘Giant Project’ and Neutron Science Research Institute , ‘Hong Nam-pyo, the special mayor of Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do, will embark on a 5-night 7-day itinerary to the cities of Montpellier and Grenoble in France to seek innovative ways for Changwon’s future development and establish a foundation for international exchange and cooperation.’,
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, ‘First, Mayor Hong is scheduled to meet with Michaël Delafosse, the mayor of Montpellier, on the afternoon of the 30th (local time) to discuss various exchange and cooperation plans in education, industry, and economy between the two cities. Starting from June 1st, he will visit Grenoble to explore projects like the ‘Giant Project’ that have transformed Grenoble, as well as to strengthen international cooperation relationships with local industrial research institutions to realize Changwon’s vision for the next 50 years.’,
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Hong Nam-pyo, the special mayor of Changwon.,
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, ‘This is the first exchange with a French city for the Special City of Changwon. While the city has established international friendly city relationships with 36 cities in 17 countries, there has been no prior engagement with France. In an effort to expand public diplomacy in Europe, the city has been working with the French Embassy since 2021 to engage with Montpellier, the 7th largest city in France.’,
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, ‘At the World Summit of Local and Regional Leaders (UCLG) held in Daejon in October 2022, both countries’ local governments participated in a ‘Korea-France 2+2 Policy Seminar’ where the city presented its outstanding policies.’,
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, ‘Montpellier, the first destination of this visit, is a city with a population of 300,000 located in the southern Mediterranean region of France. It boasts architectural landmarks and art museums shining with a thousand years of history and is a young city with nearly 50% of its population under 34 years old.’,
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, ‘Montpellier operates six tram lines for free to provide convenience for citizens and students, and is known for its efforts in building partnerships with local companies and various city-level employment and training programs.’,
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, ‘During the two-day stay in Montpellier, the Changwon delegation plans to discuss specific cooperation plans in the fields of bio-IT, startup support programs, and more.’,
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, ‘Starting from June 1st, the itinerary will continue in Grenoble, also known as the Silicon Valley of Europe. Grenoble is a city with a population of 160,000 surrounded by the Alps in southern France. While it developed as an industrial city in the late 19th century, it struggled to keep up with the 4th industrial revolution and began to decline.’,
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, ‘However, in 2008, with the ‘Giant Project,’ the city regained vitality. By fostering a free industrial ecosystem with research and entrepreneurship through collaborations between the government, research institutions, and universities, Grenoble has seen success. Over 80% of graduates collaborate with companies they worked with, and university students in Grenoble spend an average of 1 year and 5 months working with companies.’,
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, ‘Various research institutions, including the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) in Grenoble, share state-of-the-art equipment with companies and universities, attracting numerous startups each year and creating patents.’,
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, “The Giant Project (Grenoble Innovation for Advanced New Technologies) involves 8 organizations, including 2 national institutions, 3 research institutes, and 3 universities.”,
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, ‘Mayor Hong has repeatedly referenced the case of Grenoble, France, as a role model for Changwon National Industrial Complex 2.0, designated as the only new national industrial complex site in Gyeongsangnam-do last year.’,
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, ‘Changwon aims to create a new industrial complex in the era of the 4th industrial revolution with state-of-the-art shared research facilities like the Next-Generation Advanced Composite Beamline Facility that companies can utilize anytime, and a systematic talent development and utilization system in collaboration with local universities. Mayor Hong plans to explore the success factors of the Giant Project in Grenoble and assess the local situation through meetings with officials from the nuclear reactor related facility Institute Laue-Langevin (ILL) to seek collaboration opportunities.’,
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, ‘Mayor Hong stated, “With the success of the Giant Project, Grenoble, France, is known as the most creative city in the world and has earned the nickname of Europe’s Silicon Valley. Drawing inspiration from Grenoble’s success, we will enhance the capabilities of Changwon National Industrial Complex, celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and successfully establish Changwon National Industrial Complex 2.0 to transform Changwon into the leading industrial city in Northeast Asia.”’