European Post-Industrial UNIC Cities Leaders Forum: Co-creating the future of cities in post-industrial transition through transdisciplinary collaboration 

• Purpose: A meeting point for visionaries to address urban challenges through genuine collaboration. 
• Approach: Not a standard conference, but an action-driven platform for city leadership, university presidents, CEOs, and change makers. 
• Outcomes: Commitment to shared pilots, scalable solutions, and measurable impact within UNIC.

"Strong cooperation networks involving city administration, academia, civil society, and entrepreneurs are key to faster development and better services. Zagreb is proud to host this transformative event." - Tomislav Tomašević, Mayor of Zagreb

Programme 

1 July 2026 (Wednesday) | Arrival & Networking Programme 

Evening Programme for Early Arrivals 

• Networking dinner, Time: 19:00, Location: Bar&Ton Rougemarin, Avenija Dubrovnik 17, 10000, Zagreb 

2 July 2026 (Thursday) European Post-Industrial UNIC Cities Leaders Forum

Location: University of Zagreb, Ul. Radoslava Cimermana 88, 10000, Zagreb 

08:30–09:00 Registration & Coffee 

09:00–09:30 Opening  

09:30–10:15 Keynotes: City Transformation, Innovation, and European University Alliances 

10:15–10:45 Coffee Break  

10:45–12:15 Stakeholder Panel: Strategic Partnership Building in Post-industrial Cities 

Panel moderators:  

Jurica Pavičić, University of Zagreb Vice-rector for International and Inter-institutional Cooperation 

Semiha Denktaş, UNIC Alliance Coordinator 

Panel members:

Tomislav Tomašević, Mayor of Zagreb

Juan Mari Aburto, Mayor of Bilbao

Esin Köymen, Mayor of Maltepe Municipality (Istanbul)

Annelien Bredenoord, Chair of the UNIC Leadership Board, President of Erasmus University Rotterdam

Rafał Matera, Rector of University of Łódź

(to be confirmed), Oulu Innovation Alliance

12:15–12:30  Ceremony & Official Photo

12.30–14:00  Lunch & Networking 

14:00–15:30 Co-Creating Urban Futures: Interactive Working Session 

An interactive session, based on Theory of Change methodology around cities in post-industrial transition, exploring themes of:  

• Inclusive resilient and safe cities 
• Healthy and wellbeing cities 
• Digitally empowered, data-supported open governance 
• Sustainable, knowledge-based, and regenerative urban economy 
• Climate neutral and smart cities (note, includes Sustainable urban mobility and logistics)  
• Urban regeneration (note, includes Affordable housing) 

The session will explore: 

• how businesses and research can align to address city challenges,  
• how city stakeholders and universities can partner effectively for both tailored solutions and upscaling for volume,  
• how local innovation can translate into European policy  

15:30–16:00 Break 

16:00–16.30  Closure 

16.30 Informal networking 

19:30 Dinner 

Optional: 3 July 2026 (Friday) | Site visit with guided tour by City of Zagreb 

Morning Programme (until approx. 12:00) 

The City of Zagreb will organise a morning programme (until approx. 12:00), including a guided city tour presenting selected locations as examples of good practice in urban regeneration and post-industrial revitalisation.  

For registration and further information, contact your local UNIC office or contact unic@eur.nl