International Cities Forum 2026 of the State Capital Kiel
On Saturday, 20 June, the 49th International Cities Forum from the state capital Kiel took place. “Science as a driving force for innovative urban societies” was this year’s theme for the joint meeting of all delegations from the partner and befriended cities. corsus designed and facilitated this valuable and collective international exchange in the Förde Sparkasse in Kiel.
Representatives from all partner and befriended cities from the state capital Kiel – including Aarhus, Antakya/Hatay, Brest, Kherson, Coventry, Gdynia, Moshi District, Samsun, Split, Stralsund, Tallinn and Vaasa came together to discuss the future of urban spaces and societies.
Against the backdrop of the EU project “Science Comes to Town”, connecting Brest, Split, and Kiel, and the start of the Kiel Week, the theme of “science” presented an excellent opportunity in order to discuss sustainable development of cities and municipalities with a specific focus on the role of science. Importantly, science is an integral part of the cities’ and municipalities’ future. It offers not only evidence-based data and innovative approaches, but also scientific solutions and innovations for essential municipal challenges, such as climate protection, traffic, social integration or digital infrastructure. If science is established as a central component in municipalities and cities, sound decisions can be made, resources can be deployed more effectively and complex future challenges can be successfully tackled. Furthermore, science helps to strengthen the local area and community life, and to educate and attract qualified specialists. In order to strengthen trust in science and promote its acceptance, it is essential to make science accessible, liveable, and inclusive for all citizens.
The International Cities Forum was opened by Enke Koberg, a member of the board of Förde Sparkasse, and Bettina Aust, the City President of Kiel. Prof. Dr. Till Requate, Professor of Innovation, Competition and New Institutional Economics at Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, emphasised the contemporary relevance of academic research for dealing productively with complexity in urban communities, taking a historical perspective on urban development as his starting point. Specifically, he pointed to the challenges of policy advice for evidence-based policy. In the first thematic discussion, Tiit Terik, Deputy Mayor of Tallinn, and Dr. Samet Yilmaz, Mayor of Kiel, exchanged thoughts on the importance of science-based decision-making for municipalities. The focus was on the question of how science-based findings can be better integrated into local decision-making processes and urban life. Dr. Samet Yilmaz emphasised that, in particular, young people are key drivers of a sustainable and forward-looking city.
Participants explored how academia, politics, and administration can be more closely connected by means of two practical examples presented in each of the three interactive workshops.
The first Workshop “evidence-based policy and administration” discussed, how scientifically-sound findings and methods can be effectively integrated into political decisions and administrative processes to increase effectiveness and efficiency while solving challenges through cooperation among academia, administration, and urban society. Dr. Tomasz Augustyniak, Deputy Mayor of Gdynia, Alke Voß, City Councillor for the Environment, Climate Protection and Mobility, and Prof. Hendrik Dankowski, Professor of Ship Design and Maritime Environmental Protection at Kiel University of Applied Sciences, presented two practical examples illustrating the contribution of scientific findings to sustainable urban development: the science and technology park in Gdynia as an educational and innovative centre for modern energy solutions as well as the project for a fully autonomous passenger ferry at the mouth of the Schwentine in Kiel. This was followed by a discussion, showing that evidence-based and political decisions, and a foundational cooperative planning represent essential prerequisites to effectively integrate scientific findings in municipal planning and development processes.
The second workshop “Strengthening the region as a centre of science” examines how scientific institutions can strengthen innovation and the region’s attractiveness through networks, cooperations, and targeted communication with the economy and urban society. Additionally, it shed light on how to solve the arising local challenges. Dr. Susanna Slotte-Kock, External Relations Officer for the City of Vaasa in Finland, Prof. Dr. Sören Kock, Professor of Management and Organisation and Dean of International Relations at the Hanken School of Economics, and Dr. Barbara Weig, Innovation Manager at Kieler Wirtschaftsförderung in Kiel, presented strategies for attracting and retaining skilled workers, as well as for cooperation between universities, industry, and municipalities. Central were the skilled labour strategy and a settlement policy of the city of Vaasa as well as Kiel’s approach to connect universities and companies in technological alliances – specifically related to sustainable technologies and professional workforce development. For instance, students from Kiel conduct research into an autonomous railway line as part of the project on smart railway technology. A key conclusion was that trust-based and continuous cooperation between all stakeholders, underpinned by shared long-term goals and reliable strategies, is crucial to sustainably strengthen the city and region as centres of innovation.
The third workshop “Connecting science and citizens” dealt with the question of how citizens can be actively involved in the research processes through participatory formats, comprehensible science communication and low-threshold initiatives, with the aim of strengthening trust in science and enhance its social relevance. Dr. Johannes Rosenplänter, historian, archivist, and director of the Kiel City Archives and Museum as well as of the 20th Century Workshop, and Ömer Faruk Demir, Deputy Director-General for Administrative and Financial Affairs at SAMULAŞ A.Ş., the public transport company of the city of Samsun, used the examples of the 20th Century Workshop in Kiel, the Technology Festival and the Bilim Samsun Science Centre to demonstrate that, despite differing approaches, certain key aspects are particularly important: for science to act as a catalyst, it requires cooperation with a diverse range of stakeholders from various fields, with participation and inclusion playing a major role. It is important to allow and enable citizens to play an active role in research and science, for instance through co-creation and low-threshold access.
The presentation of the workshop findings clearly demonstrated that participation, inclusion, cooperation, sound data, and fundamental knowledge are key prerequisites for establishing science as a driving force for innovative urban societies.
During the subsequent panel discussion, it crystallised clearly what potential science can offer for the development of sustainable cities. Dr Igor Jerković, Vice-Rector for Research and Quality at the University of Split, Marguerite Gouyou Beauchamps, project manager for the City of Brest and coordinator of the EU project ‘Science Comes to Town’, Anton Lefanov, Deputy Head of the Military Administration of the City of Kherson; and Alke Voß, Head of the Department of Environment, Climate Protection and Mobility for the State Capital of Kiel, discussed the role of science as a driving force for innovation, collaboration and social resilience.
The living example of “Science Comes to Town” showed how science connects people, municipalities as well as research institutions while strengthening the exchange between science, policy, and civil society. By means of participatory formats and European collaboration, new impetus is generated for innovation, evidence-based decision-making, and sustainable urban development.
Anton Lefanov also underlined the importance of scientific expertise in times of crisis. He vividly described the challenges for the city of Kherson since Russia’s war of aggression. In particular, the breach of the Kakhovka dam in 2023 demonstrated the far-reaching consequences that the destruction of critical infrastructure has for the environment, energy supply, and citizens. He emphasised that scientific findings and technological innovations play a crucial role in securing energy supplies and critical infrastructure, strengthening the resilience of cities in times of war and crisis, and analysing damage and planning reconstruction. Therefore, science is not only a driver of innovation, but also a key pillar for security and resilience.
The International Cities Forum 2026 has impressively demonstrated that academia, politics, public administration and urban society can jointly provide impulses for the sustainable development of cities and municipalities. The in-depth discussion and the wide range of insights and practical examples provided valuable and effective ideas for further cooperation among all participating partner and befriended cities. It once again underlined that international networking, and the corresponding exchange are essential for future-proof and resilient cities.
corsus supports municipalities and cities in identifying effective levers for change, developing strategic directions and determining key factors for sustainable municipal and urban development. corsus organises and facilitates dialogues with key stakeholders, advises elected representatives and the administration on sustainability issues, and translates strategic directions into monitoring processes.
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