News and Activities
Urban Climate Collab Workshop at UNIC Thematic Conference
Urban Climate Collab, with support from UCC Centre for City Futures, host workshop as part of the 2nd UNIC Thematic Conference, held in Koc University, Istanbul
On June 17th 2026, Urban Climate Collab, with support from UCC Centre for City Futures, hosted a workshop as part of the 2nd UNIC Thematic Conference, held in Koc University, Istanbul. The focus of the conference was Institutions in Transition: Justice, Security, and Well-Being in Post-Industrial Cities. Within the workshop, entitled Enhancing City-University Partnerships for Climate Action, academic participants explored different scenarios of collaboration with municipalities. This exercise sought to understand the different dynamics of collaborations which may emerge when partnering with cities in relation to different challenges. Participants in the workshop were made up of both those with direct experience of collaboration with city partners and those without. Seven of the ten UNIC Cities are designated as EU Mission: Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities aiming to act as front runners towards achieving climate neutrality by 2030. Due to this, considerable action is needed in our cities, and universities have a key role to play in partnering with local authorities. Our workshop explored the nature of such partnerships using hypothetical scenarios of collaboration.