Week of Innovative Regions in Europe 2024 - Program
27 September 2024
Modified: 14 October 2024
Reading time: 12 minute(s)
"Regions as catalysts of European RDI competitiveness”
The Role of Regions in the Reduction of Fragmentation in the European Innovation Ecosystem
WIRE conference, under the Hungarian EU Council Presidency, organized by the National Research, Development and Innovation Office, Budapest
Date: 13-14 November, 2024
Venue: Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design, Budapest, Zugligeti út 9, 1121
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Draft Programme
All speakers and panelists to be confirmed
Day 1 November 13 |
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| 9:00 | Registration, welcome coffee |
| 10:00-10:45 | Opening Plenary – LIVESTREAMING |
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Signe Ratso, Deputy Director General, DG RTD, European Commission High-level Hungarian representation |
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TOPIC: ROLE OF REGIONS IN FOSTERING THE QUADRUPLE HELIX INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM |
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| 10:45-11:15 | Keynote: Catalysts of change in place-based innovation ecosystems - LIVESTREAMING |
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Speaker: Ron Bouschma, Professor, Utrecht University |
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| 11:15-12:00 | Panel discussion: Regional innovation through innovation ecosystems. Tools for boosting competitiveness of the regions - LIVESTREAMING |
| Why are place-based innovation ecosystems so important from the aspect of the national and European innovation? Good examples and challenges. Lessons learnt from European funding instruments - Excellence Hubs, I3 projects, European Innovation Ecosystems projects, and Cities Mission | |
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Moderator: Kamilla Strausz, communication expert, InnoMaker Partners |
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Panelists:
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| 12:00-13:00 | Networking lunch |
| 13:00-14:00 | Breakout sessions |
| Breakout session 1. New challenges, new dimensions of regional disparities? - LIVESTREAMING |
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| The dynamically changing political, economic, technological and natural conditions pose fundamental challenges to EU regions. These new circumstances may both exacerbate existing territorial and social inequalities (social marginalization and spatial peripherization) and accelerate the emergence of new territorial and social issues. The diffusion of revolutionary new technologies (such as AI), the possible impacts of climate change and the widening gap in living conditions could also lead to the erosion of the middle class in European societies. Therefore, the panel discussion seeks to identify the components, key actors, and possible social and territorial consequences of these recent challenges. | |
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Moderator: Viktor Varjú, Director, Institute for Regional Sciences, HUN-REN Center for Economic and Regional Studies |
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Panelists:
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| Breakout session 2. Developing and consolidating synergies between cohesion-policy programs and Horizon Europe - LIVESTREAMING |
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| Developing and consolidating synergies between cohesion-policy programs and Horizon Europe are among the key actions to maximize the impact of EU intervention in the area of accelerating and strengthening innovation in European innovation ecosystems across the EU and addressing the innovation divide. The Commission published the guidance document on synergies between Horizon Europe and the European Regional Development Fund programs in 2022 to help managing authorities make better use of available funding opportunities to foster innovation and the uptake of advanced technologies in their regions. The session seeks to highlight the significant potential of Smart Specialization Strategies under cohesion policy to enhance synergies between Horizon Europe and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) programs, with the smart specialization strategies serving as a crucial bridge for their development. It would also be discussed how to improve ‘access to excellence’, in particular for ‘Widening countries’, state aid rules for Research, Development and Innovation and exchange practices on how to best structure cooperation between R&I and Cohesion policy communities at national level. |
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Moderator: Pirita Lindholm, Director, European Regions Research and Innovation Network ERRIN |
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Panelists:
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| 14:00-14:15 | Technical break to go back to Plenary room |
| 14:15 – 15:00 | Hungary’s practice for fostering regional innovation: Introduction to the TIP (Regional Innovation Platform) concept - LIVESTREAMING |
| 14:15-14:25 | Plenary Presentation |
| The session is focusing on the operational framework of the Regional Innovation Platforms (TIP) initiated by the National Research, Development, and Innovation Office, aimed at bolstering the Hungarian regional Research, Development, and Innovation (RDI) ecosystem. This session aims to elucidate the significance and role of these platforms, which form the cornerstone of the Hungarian Smart Specialization Strategy. The Regional Innovation Platforms (TIP) are instrumental in fostering collaboration and innovation within the quadruple-helix framework, comprising academia, industry, government, and civil society. Through these platforms, the aim is to enhance the skills and capacities of quadruple-helix actors, thereby optimizing smart specialization efforts and effectively addressing the impacts of industrial transformation. This session invites participants to delve into the evolving landscape of regional innovation in Hungary, exploring strategies for fostering collaboration, driving sustainable growth, and navigating the transition towards quintuple-helix practices. | |
| 14:25-15:00 | Panel discussion: Stakeholders’ reflections and experiences |
| In this session stakeholders i.e. representatives from esteemed universities will share their perspectives on the successes and achievements of the Innovation Platform Network. Through interactive dialogue, participants will have the opportunity to glean first-hand insights into the experiences garnered through the operation of the Innovation Platform Network. Additionally, invited speakers will shed light on both the operational nuances and challenges encountered in their endeavors. The discussion will also provide a platform for participants to showcase regional achievements and their tangible impact across Hungary. Through shared experiences and case studies, attendees will gain a deeper understanding of the transformative potential of regional innovation initiatives. | |
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Moderator: Levente Várkonyi, RFI leader, Hungarian Innovation Agency |
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Panelists:
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| 15:00 – 15:30 | Coffee break |
| 15:30 – 16:15 | Success stories from winning projects (Excellence Hubs/I3/ERA Hubs) - LIVESTREAMING |
| Showcasing of success stories and winning projects in Excellence Hubs/I3/New European Bauhaus/Missions to demonstrate the practical side of tools discussed in Panel discussion “Regional innovation through innovation ecosystems. Tools for boosting competitiveness of the regions” in the morning. | |
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Moderator: Manuel Aleixo, Head of Unit for ERA, Spreading Excellence and Research Careers, DG RTD |
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Speakers:
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| 16:15 – 16:45 | Wrap-up of first day – NRDIO, rapporteurs from breakout sessions - LIVESTREAMING |
| 18:30 | Networking dinner |
Day 2 November 14 |
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TOPIC: ROLE OF REGIONS IN OVERCOMING THE FRAGMENTATION OF THE EUROPEAN INNOVATION ECOSYTEM |
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| 9:00-9:45 | Presentation of the Regional Innovation Scoreboard 2024. What lessons can regions learn from this? How big is the gap? Do the traditional innovation measurement tools show us a valid picture? - LIVESTREAMING |
| Innovation is measured regularly by the European Union at country and regional level. The most comprehensive measurement tool for regional innovativeness is the Regional Innovation Scoreboard for 239 regions in 22 EU Member States, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, while Cyprus, Estonia, Latvia, Luxembourg and Malta are included at the country level. Regional innovativeness is a multi-layer concept, not only defined by explicit innovation activities in science, industry or innovative products. As a supporting resource for innovation, the environment of population is also monitored with indicators such as the proportion of the population with tertiary education, the involvement in life-long learning, or digital skills above average. |
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Moderator: Svetlozar Andreev, Committee of Regions |
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Panelists:
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| 9:45-10:30 | Panel discussion: Dynamics of innovation gaps – role of regions in fostering innovation - LIVESTREAMING |
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Moderator: Magda De Carli, Head of Unit for European Semester and Country Intelligence, DG RTD |
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Panelists:
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| 10:30-10:00 | Coffee break |
| 11:00-12:00 | A promising start? Assessing the first steps in the Regional Innovation Valley concept - LIVESTREAMING |
| The Regional Innovation Valleys (RIVs) action aims to stimulate and exploit the full innovation potential of EU regions, including deep-tech innovation, in view of addressing EU’s burning societal challenges and bridging the innovation divide. Its objective is to identify up to 100 regions committed to concentrate their research and innovation efforts on specific priorities and to strengthen their coordination with other regions. Priority areas are food security, digital transformation, energy, healthcare and circular economy. The Commission intends to announce the final list of regions in summer 2024, once the grant agreements are signed with EIE and I3 winner regions and the selection process under the third, Expression of Interest avenue is fully completed. This agenda item would allow for the presentation of the call results and highlight key elements of the concept and the way forward. | |
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Moderator: Ewa Chomicz, Policy and Engagement Manager, ERRIN |
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Panelists:
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| 12:00-13:00 | Networking lunch |
| 13:00 – 13:45 | Breakout sessions |
| Breakout session 1. Policymaking on the national, regional and European level - LIVESTREAMING | |
| To strengthen innovation-driven territorial transformation, the pilot action Partnerships for Regional Innovation (PRI) was launched in May 2022 by the Commission in cooperation with the Committee of the Regions. It was accompanied by the publication of a PRI playbook presenting policy tools and practices common in Europe and beyond. As a result of the pilot, an ‘action book’ on innovation for place-based transformation has been published. The recently published ACTION-book on place-based transformative innovation, developed with support from partners across Europe and coordinated by the Joint Research Centre and the European Committee of the Regions, details the dynamics of how these new regional innovation partnerships will function in practice. The workshop would invite regions participating in the pilot to take stock of the key achievements of the action and showcase some of the most innovative and successful practices in place. |
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Moderator: Svetlozar Andreev, Committee of Regions, European Commission |
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| Breakout session 2. Role of research and technology infrastructures in boosting regional innovation - LIVESTREAMING | |
| Moderator: Lukas Palko, Director, Research Office, Masaryk University | |
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| 13:45 – 14:30 | Closing Panel discussion: What are the directions FP10 should take towards regions? How can synergies be enhanced between Framework Programs and structural funds? - LIVESTREAMING |
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Moderator: Muriel Attané, Secretary General, EARTO |
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| 14:30-15:00 | Wrap-up of Conference – take-away messages, lessons learned - LIVESTREAMING |
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Updated: 14 October 2024