The Nanning International Conference and the RELAy project

The Nanning International Conference and the RELAy project
- Promoting better cooperation between research and local government -

This website was created for the International Conference on Sustainable Urban Development that took place from 9 to 11 November 2005 in Nanning, China. It also provides information on the project ‘RELAy – Research for Local Action towards Sustainable Human Settlements’ (2005/2006) in the course of which this conference was organised.

As a result of the project, a set of recommendations was published under the headline ‘Bridging the Gap between Research and Action’. These recommendations will contribute to a more effective cooperation between the scientific and the local government sectors. As well as these sectors, target group of these recommendations are organisations acting as mediators between researchers and local politicians and practitioners, as well as those shaping the framework conditions and providing funding for research.
The recommendations can be downloaded in English, French, German and Spanish by clicking on the respective button on the left margin.

A more detailed brochure on the recommendations - including further background on the RELAy project, more information on the Nanning International Conference and some case examples – is also directly available from this site (in English only). See download button for brochure on left hand side.

Finally, seven case studies illustrate practical approaches on how researchers and local governments can better work together. Please click ‘Case Studies’ to access them.

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The RELAy project was financed by Directorate-General (DG) Research of the European Commission (EC) and coordinated by ICLEI.
The Nanning International Conference has also been part of a research initiative between the EC DG Research and UN-HABITAT that was launched at the World Urban Forum II in Barcelona, Spain, in 2004. A later Memorandum of Understanding between the two partners in February 2006 will also lead to the establishment of a database of more than 250 projects financed through their research programmes in recent years. This database will provide policy-makers and scientists with easier access to research results, policy recommendations, and good practice for further accelerating local sustainable development.