The Opening Ceremony and the 3rd Global Innopolis Forum were held on the afternoon of February 24, 2026, at Agora, FYCMA, bringing together approximately 90 participants, including government representatives, as well as experts from public institutions, academia, research and industry from six GINI member regions, as well as the general public from Transfiere 2026.
Themed 'Turning GINI into Action,' the session opened with the Opening Ceremony, featuring an address by the Vice Mayor of Daejeon and congratulatory video messages from the leadership of Montgomery County, Dortmund, and Québec Province. The session proceeded with a Keynote Speech, a Special Presentation, and a moderated Strategic Insight Dialogue focused on bridging global science with local impact, and concluded with closing remarks by the Mayor of Málaga and a commemorative group photo.
The Opening Ceremony
The opening address was delivered by Sung-A Choi, Vice Mayor for Political, Economic and Science Affairs of Daejeon, on behalf of the City of Daejeon as President of GINI. Vice Mayor Choi reflected on the network's growth since its inaugural ceremony in September 2024, underscored the significance of convening in Málaga as a fellow science and technology city, and highlighted the importance of the upcoming Leaders Assembly in consolidating GINI's institutional foundations for the next cycle.
County Executive Marc Elrich of Montgomery County highlighted tangible outcomes of the partnership, including the opening of the Daejeon Trade Office in Montgomery County and a biotech cooperation agreement signed in Boston, and reaffirmed his strong support for the new GINI leadership, emphasizing that collaboration in trade and innovation is key to enhancing quality of life across member regions.
Mayor Alexandra Kalouti of Dortmund reaffirmed the city's commitment to GINI as a platform for international cooperation, emphasized the importance of connecting innovation ecosystems across business and science, and expressed anticipation of welcoming member cities and regions to Dortmund in the near future.
Minister Christopher Skeete of Québec highlighted the province's integration into GINI as already yielding results through strengthened strategic relationships, noted the network's value for businesses and researchers, and pledged continued investment and active participation in fostering sustainable and innovative economies among member regions.
The 3rd Global Innopolis Forum
The Keynote Address was delivered by Heung-Soo Park, President of the National NanoFab Center (NNFC), Daejeon, under the title 'The Role of Public Semiconductor Infrastructure in Korea's National Innovation Ecosystem.' President Park argued that semiconductors have become a strategic national asset requiring active government stewardship, and presented NNFC's open-access, infrastructure-led model — built on collaboration with global partners such as NY CREATES and imec — as a framework extendable across GINI member regions.
The Thematic Presentation was delivered by Prof. Dr. Herbert Waldmann, Director of the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology and Chair of the Dortmund Science Master Plan 2.0, under the title 'Collaborative STI Strategies for Regional Development: Dortmund's Journey from Scientific Excellence to Innovation Transformation.' Prof. Waldmann traced Dortmund's transformation into a leading European innovation hub through a decade-long Science Master Plan involving 25 institutions, highlighted the role of intermediary organizations in bridging research and the market, and presented the model as adaptable by other GINI member regions.
The Strategic Insight Dialogue was moderated by Dimitrios Pontikakis, Senior Scientist at the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (EC-JRC), with Heung-Soo Park and Herbert Waldmann as panelists, addressing the global S&T landscape, mechanisms for translating scientific excellence into regional impact, and strategic recommendations for GINI's development.
The dialogue yielded two central conclusions: that international collaboration has become a condition for survival given the complexity of deep-tech research; and that GINI should redefine its identity — shifting from an exchange-oriented network toward a platform for joint action initiatives tied to member regions' strategic interests. Key recommendations included establishing R&D roundtables, infrastructure-sharing programs with stable policy-linked funding, and mutual opening of research infrastructure and regulatory sandboxes to facilitate cross-border technology demonstration.
Closing Remarks
Closing remarks for the 3rd Global Innopolis Forum were delivered by Francisco de la Torre Prados, Mayor of the City of Málaga. Mayor de la Torre warmly welcomed all GINI members and guests to Málaga and expressed his city's pride in hosting the Global Innopolis Forum alongside Transfiere 2026. He underscored the spirit of openness that defines GINI and reaffirmed Málaga’s commitment to fostering a resilient global innovation ecosystem, encouraging all members to carry forward the strategic blueprints discussed in Málaga.
The forum crystallized a shared consensus among GINI members on advancing from exchange to joint action, highlighting concrete pathways such as collaborative R&D platforms, infrastructure sharing, and policy-linked initiatives to translate global scientific excellence into tangible regional impact, setting a clear direction for GINI’s next phase of development.
