Astana’s WIPO City of Innovation Bid Reaches Final 15

Astana  is the only Central Asian city among 15 finalists for the inaugural World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) City of Innovation Award. WIPO, a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN), announced the finalists on September 22. Shanghai, Moscow, and Liverpool are among the other cities competing for the award. The award focuses on what cities pledge to do over the following 12 months rather than what they have already achieved. Judges consider the ambition of those plans, how well they fit each city’s circumstances, and whether they can realistically be carried out. Astana’s submission is heavily focused on technology. The city proposes an artificial intelligence- and data-enabled Smart City platform and a single digital gateway for personalized public services, alongside projects intended to improve accessibility and sustainability. Those plans build on several years of investment in the capital’s digital infrastructure. Astana has been selected three times for the Intelligent Community Forum’s Smart21 Communities of the Year, in 2015, 2017, and 2023. The program recognizes cities and regions using connectivity, technology, and knowledge-based development to improve their economies and communities. A much larger smart-city project began in February 2025 when the city signed a six-year, $190 million agreement with Presight to introduce artificial intelligence across urban infrastructure, traffic management, and public services. The project includes a digital twin of the capital, bringing together information from city systems and sensors to support planning and day-to-day management. The project is being developed alongside a wider technology ecosystem. As The Times of Central Asia has reported, Astana Hub has more than 2,200 companies in its ecosystem, while the Alem.ai International Artificial Intelligence Center brings together startups, researchers, technology companies, and government projects. Presight opened its first Central Asian research and development laboratory at Alem.ai in October 2025, with smart-city applications among its areas of work. The WIPO nomination comes as Astana rolls out a model of city management built around artificial intelligence, connected infrastructure, and data. An independent international jury will choose up to three winners. They will be announced on October 12 at WIPO headquarters in Geneva, on the margins of the sixth UN Forum of Mayors.