CivicXchange Asia

CivicXchange Asia is a regional platform that empowers cities, universities, and civic actors to collaboratively build public innovation ecosystems aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through adaptive leadership, peer learning, co-creation labs, and structured experimentation, CivicXchange Asia enables cities, universities, and innovators across the region to respond to complex challenges with local insight and shared regional intelligence.

About CivicXchange Asia

CivicXchange Asia supports a new generation of city-university partnerships committed to co-creating solutions to urgent urban and rural development challenges. Rooted in Asian values of cooperation, resilience, and community, the program offers a structured journey for cities to:

• Build innovation ecosystems rooted in local assets, civic participation, and research institutions

• Establish Social Lab networks to accelerate inter-university collaboration 

• Co-create solutions through multi-stakeholder collaboration and real-time experimentation

• Benchmark practices from leading Asian cities while adapting them to local contexts

• Strengthen leadership capacity through Bridging Leadership and PDIA

• Localize the SDGs through action-oriented, ecosystem-based learning
  
  

12-Month CivicXchange Asia Journey

1. Launch and Orientation
Cities are welcomed into the network through an onboarding session hosted in a lead innovation city, such as Baguio, where they explore key frameworks and connect with peer cities.

2. Joint University-City Social Labs
City teams strengthen their relational leadership, trust-building, and stakeholder convening skills to support inclusive co-creation.

3. Problem Framing and Ecosystem Mapping
Using the Problem-Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA) method, teams identify root causes, system gaps, and actionable entry points for innovation.

4. Peer Immersion and Benchmarking
Participants visit peer cities across Asia to observe innovation practices, engage in city-to-city mentoring, and adapt lessons for their own contexts.

5. Local Prototyping and Experimentation
Each team runs a series of small-scale, SDG-aligned innovation experiments involving their local government, university, and community stakeholders.

6. Showcase and Scaling
Cities present outcomes, reflect on learning, and develop long-term plans for sustaining and scaling their innovation ecosystems.

SDG Learning Tracks

CivicXchange Asia includes a growing library of thematic learning tracks to support cities in addressing SDG challenges through innovation and collaboration:

• SDG 1: Inclusive Livelihoods and Poverty Reduction

• SDG 3: Community-Based Health Innovation

• SDG 4: Learning Ecosystems and Digital Inclusion

• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Inclusive Urban Design

• SDG 13: Local Climate Adaptation and Resilience

• SDG 17: Partnerships for Systemic Change
  
  

Each track blends online modules, city case studies, and local co-creation projects with mentoring from regional peers.

Who Participates

CivicXchange Asia is designed for:

• Local governments (cities and municipalities) seeking to strengthen public innovation

• Universities and research institutions serving as hubs of civic engagement and applied learning

• Civic organizations advancing inclusive development and collaborative governance

• Regional and national agencies promoting policy innovation and SDG localization
  
  

Teams typically include local leaders, academic faculty, students, and grassroots partners.

What Participants Gain

• A co-created local innovation ecosystem strategy

• A series of tested, small-scale public innovations

• Strengthened capacity in leadership and governance

• Access to an Asia-wide network of innovation cities and civic universities

• Certification in Local SDG Innovation and Ecosystem Building