Through providing a focal point for teaching, research and outreach activities with the European Union, Australia and the Asia Pacific, the European Union (EU) Centre at RMIT University works to promote a better understanding of the significant role the EU plays as an actor in today’s global environment.

RMIT University, as a leader in technology, design, global business, communication, global communities, health solutions and urban sustainable futures, provides the ideal strategic environment for the Centre to actively work within to build partnerships between researchers, business and government in Australia and the Asia Pacific region and their counterparts in Europe.

The EU Centre’s Director, Professor Bruce Wilson is also RMIT University’s Director of Research for Regional Development, and was a founding Co-Director of the PASCAL International Observatory. His current research focus is on establishing the EU Centre’s Comparative Regional Policy Research Programme to learn about how governments might intervene most usefully in the development and sustainability of regions, including in urban contexts.

The European Union has been a leader in supporting learning city initiatives for many years, and now Asian cities are developing new approaches. The focus of this conference on Cities Learning Together matters to the EU Centre. It does so because it brings together city authorities and interested colleagues to share expertise and experience on how learning and knowledge processes can contribute fundamentally to city-regional responses to global economic, social and environmental challenges.

One of Professor Wilson’s key roles in the conference is to draw together the economics theme. In this critical aspect of developing and maintaining learning cities, several issues will be addressed among them: economics for growth and private wealth vis-à-vis economics for livelihood and sustainable public wealth; is it city-authorities' responsibility to set parameters and support balance between formal and informal learning? and what of the NGOs and private sector responsibility?