Course Outline
 

1. Title of the Seminar: Knowledge-based Economy and City Competitiveness-Net Zero and Sustainable Development

 

2. Organizer:  International Center for Land Policy Studies and Training

 

3. Duration:  14 days, scheduled for November 12-25, 2025 (excluding arrival and departure)

 

4. Target Audience: 22-24 international participants of medium and high-level government officials or experts in the fields of knowledge-based economy and city competitiveness, and net zero and sustainable development

 

5. Goals:
   1. Introducing Taiwan’s development experiences and achievements in city development, knowledge-based economy and city competitiveness, as well as net zero and sustainable development to the participants
   2. Providing a forum for the participants to discuss and exchange ideas and experiences within the context of the afore-mentioned topics and related issues
   3. Forming a human resource network of the Center’s alumni

 

6. Methodology
   1. The seminar is designed with an appropriate balance between theory and practice. It takes into consideration of the needs of the developing countries and employs Taiwan’s experiences as an important reference.
   2. The seminar is composed of the major components including lectures, participants’ presentation, field trips and cultural visits.

 

7. Design:
   1. The seminar is composed of the following components:
      1. Opening session and course overview, 0.5 day
      2. Lectures, 2 days
      3. Participants’ presentation, 2.5 days
      4. Field trips and cultural visits, 8 days (including free time)
      5. Wind-up discussion and closing, 0.5 day
      6. Welcome and farewell luncheon and other activities (scheduled for noons or evenings)
      7. Arrival and departure, 1 day for each

 

2. The lecture portion aims to deal with the following areas:
   1. Smart and Net-zero Transportation for a Competitive City
   2. Smart City Planning and Management-Experiences of Taiwan
   3. Competitiveness and Geopolitics of Creative Taipei Agenda
   4. Sustainable Development in a City Context

 

3. The participants’ presentation is one of the most important components in this seminar, where the participants can share and appreciate problems and difficulties faced in their respective countries, with a hope of finding some concrete and feasible recommendations and strategies.  2.5 days are reserved for this purpose, where every participant must present a report on the issues and solutions for any project or program in their country which bears relevance to the theme of the course.

 
The presentation should include:

1. A geographical background (around 2 minutes)
2. The specific project/program you are involved in (including net zero and sustainable development) (around 23 minutes)
3. Q &A (around 5 minutes).

 
Participants must prepare this before attending the seminar and are advised to rehearse the presentation to better control their time and achieve an effective delivery of the same.
 

4. The field trips and cultural visits are arranged in line with the specific topics dealt with in the course; they typically take the participants to urban development or/and land management agencies in the central and local governments, academic research institutes, etc. ; within the trips and visits, the participants are given a chance to take in the beautiful views in some internationally renowned scenic spots and cultural sites, which are hoped to help the participants see and feel for themselves Taiwan’s developments in its society and economy as well as its friendly people and good tradition.

 

5. The course emphasizes experience sharing and direct participation; lectures and participants’ presentation are all conducted in English, while field trips and cultural visits are guided by the Center’s staff members, who act as interpreters whenever necessary to enable the participants to better communicate and understand the hosts during the visits.

To validate the application process, applicants recommended by their office has to be channeled through the Republic of China (Taiwan) Embassies/Missions Abroad (https://en.mofa.gov.tw/). The latter shall transmit the application to the International Center for Land Policy Studies and Training (ICLPST) for consideration.