(June 1, 2023 – New York City, NY, USA) – The Intelligent Community Forum announced today the certification of two cities half a world apart as Intelligent Communities: Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia and Winnipeg, the capital of the province of Manitoba in Canada.

Meeting ICF’s Certification standard provides objective validation that a community has high-quality connectivity, effective workforce development, a business innovation ecosystem and meaningful community engagement, digital inclusion and sustainability programs in place. These qualities combine to support the growth of innovative businesses, meet their talent needs and provide inclusive prosperity and a high quality of life.

(27 April 2023 – New York City, NY, USA & Durham Region, ON, Canada) – On 19-20 June 2023, the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) and the Regional Municipality of Durham, Ontario will jointly present the 2023 Top7 Intelligent Communities Conference: Better Together – Building a Strong Region from Diverse Communities. The two-day hybrid conference features live and online events in the Durham Region, culminating in the announcement of the Top7 Communities of 2023.

The Top7 Communities are chosen from among the Smart21 Communities of 2023 to be finalists in the yearly Intelligent Community Awards. In October 2023, one of these seven communities will be named the Intelligent Community of the Year at ICF’s Global Summit. The Durham Region was one of the Top7 Communities of 2022 and is a Smart21 Community again this year.

(March 28, 2023 – New York City, NY, USA) – Two award-winning cities in North America and Asia have received the first Intelligent Community Certifications issued by the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF), identifying them as investment-ready and prepared to prosper economically, socially and culturally amid the challenges and opportunities of the digital age. Meeting ICF’s Certification standard provides objective validation that a community has high-quality connectivity, effective workforce development, a business innovation ecosystem and meaningful community engagement, digital inclusion and sustainability programs in place. These qualities combine to support the growth of innovative businesses, meet their talent needs and provide a high quality of life.

(March 14, 2023 – New York City, NY, USA & Dallas-Fort Worth, TX, USA) – The Alliance for Innovation (AFI) and the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) announced today a partnership aiming to further advance the innovation potential of local governments in the United States and around the world. Through the partnership, AFI and ICF will exchange content, expertise and communication resources with each other’s networks.

Communities from eight nations over five continents named as semi-finalists in ICF’s annual Intelligent Community of the Year Awards Program

(February 23, 2023 – New York, NY, USA) – At the conclusion of a virtual conference hosted by the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) and co-hosted by Economic Development Australia (EDA) and the Economic Developers Association of Canada (EDAC), ICF today named the world’s Smart21 Communities of 2023.

The selection of the annual Smart21 Communities of the Year marks the semi-finalist phase in ICF’s annual Awards Program. The program will conclude when ICF names the 2023 Intelligent Community of the Year in October at the ICF Summit. One of these 21 communities named today will succeed New Taipei City, the 2022 Intelligent Community of the Year.

(February 21, 2023 – New York City, NY, USA & Sydney, NSW, Australia) – Economic Development Australia (EDA) and the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) announced today a partnership, which will support economic developers and municipal leaders in Australia and in Intelligent Communities around the world.

Through the partnership, EDA and ICF will exchange content, expertise, and communication resources with each other’s professional development and event programs and extend select benefits to each other’s members. On February 22-23, EDA joins ICF and the Economic Developers Association of Canada in hosting “Turning Connectivity into Growth” (www.icfsmart21.com), a two-day online conference that culminates with the announcement of ICF’s Smart21 Communities of 2023.

(February 16, 2023 – New York City) – The Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) today launched the world’s first Certification program for cities and regions that validates the community’s digital, workforce development and innovation assets, which form the foundation for investment attraction, job growth and entrepreneurship. It also validates the ability to attract, retain and serve their people through commitments to digital inclusion, community engagement and sustainability. Taken together, these are the critical factors that give communities a competitive advantage as great places to live, work, build a business, start a family and give a path to the next generation.

(February 14, 2023 – New York City, NY, USA & Stoney Creek, ON, Canada) – The Economic Developers Association of Canada (EDAC) and the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) announced today a partnership aiming to bring a new level of benefits to economic developers in Canada and in Intelligent Communities around the world. Through the partnership, EDAC and ICF will contribute content, expertise, and communication resources to each other’s professional development, training, certification, awards, and event programs throughout the year, and extend select benefits to each other’s members. The first collaboration of the partners will be joint production of “Turning Connectivity into Growth” (www.icfsmart21.com), a two-day online conference on February 22-23 that culminates with the announcement of ICF’s Smart21 Communities of 2023.

Annual Awards Program to culminate in October 2023 with the announcement of the 2023 Intelligent Community of the Year

(November 22, 2022 – New York City) – After announcing New Taipei City, Taiwan as the 2022 Intelligent Community of the Year, the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) has opened nominations for the next cycle of its prestigious international Awards Program for cities and regions. The 2023 Awards Program culminates with the announcement of the 25th Intelligent Community of the Year at the ICF Global Summit in October 2023 in New York City.

More information and the questionnaire can be found at https://www.intelligentcommunity.org/questionnaire. There is no cost to submit a questionnaire. The deadline to nominate a community for consideration in the 2023 Awards cycle is January 31, 2023.

New Taipei City is the Fourth Taiwanese City to Be Named in the History of the Awards Program

(October 27, 2022 – New York City, NY & Dublin, OH) – For the second time in four years, the Intelligent Community Forum honored a Taiwanese city with its top award today when it named New Taipei City as its 2022 Intelligent Community of the Year. New Taipei City had been previously named a five-time Smart21 Community and four-time Top7 Community since first entering the ICF Awards program in 2012. The announcement was made during the annual Intelligent Community Awards Dinner at the State of Ohio (USA) Statehouse in Columbus, the culminating event of this year’s ICF Global Summit conference hosted by the City of Dublin, Ohio and the Global Institute for the Study of the Intelligent Community, based in Dublin.