Matthias Blaser’s Post

The 2024 WIRE conference in Budapest will bring together Europe's top innovation experts and policy makers to explore ways to bridge regional development gaps and boost EU competitiveness. As Europe faces rising global competition in research and technology, the conference will focus on strategies to strengthen innovation at regional level, including through the upcoming FP10 framework. Discussions will address regional innovation challenges, including 'regional development traps', and present new initiatives such as the Regional Innovation Valleys project. Participants from at least 22 countries will provide insights on how to foster inclusive growth, paving the way for a more cohesive European innovation ecosystem. 📌 Read more about it: https://lnkd.in/e2pbtpAC Sponsored by NRDIO - National Research Development and Innovation Office (NKFIH)

European Research and Innovation (R&I) Days 2024 The European Commission’s annual flagship research and innovation event brings together policymakers, researchers, stakeholders, and the public to debate and shape the future of research and innovation in Europe and beyond through key policy debates, funding and networking opportunities, and dedicated workshops. This fifth edition will take place during the Research and Innovation Week on 20 and 21 March 2024. This year’s EU R&I Days will give you the opportunity to debate how we can make Europe greener, fairer and more competitive under a common narrative: a 40-year journey through the Research and Innovation Framework Programmes. Detials: https://lnkd.in/dC7k3XWC

Some voices to this years BOLD UnConference. We couldn't have said it better ourselves 🙌 The UnConference is definitely not your typical conference. As our BOLD Minds put it, it was a melting pot of big ideas, outrageous, and inspiring. But we don‘t want to give too much away. Listen firsthand to what our participant have to say about their impressions and experiences as they reflect on this unique four-day event throughout some of the most innovative regions in Austria 🇦🇹 #BOLDUnConference #shapingtheeconomy #Austria #economyoftomorrow #AustrianEconomy

Last year, AS/COA connected the public and private sectors across the Americas to discuss critical issues affecting the region. Learn how we made a difference throughout the Western Hemisphere in our Impact Report 2023. Read: https://lnkd.in/e_ZSqHK4

More urgent than ever: The Letta and Draghi reports made it abundantly clear that only by working much more deeply together can Europe aspire to play a globally leading role in key areas, including cutting-edge science and technology. Von der Leyen’s “Europe’s Choice” reaffirms this message and goes further, explicitly stating that research, innovation, science, and technology must be at the core of European efforts. The Heitor report then presents a bold and highly ambitious blueprint with concrete next steps in research and innovation. As results come in for the US elections, they underscore the immense urgency to act; it is imperative to move swiftly beyond the words in these reports and drive implementation. Europe is not set up to act quickly; initiatives being developed today are often implemented years later. For instance, the successor to the framework programme for research and innovation intended to start in 2028 is being designed now. But this pace is far too slow. We must start experimenting with the bold and ambitious ideas in the Heitor report already at the beginning of 2025. Europe has shown, under the right circumstances, it can act quickly. The rapid responses to Covid and other urgent developments have repeatedly proven this. Now is the time to strengthen our resolve, break away from outdated ways of thinking, and boldly begin implementing the Heitor report’s recommendations. The European Commission should initiate pilots to start as early as possible in 2025. We have done it before; we can do it again!

Where will the thousands of mayors, ministers and top European decision-makers be on the 18th and 19th March? In Mons, Belgium, at the 10th European Summit of Regions and Cities (European Committee of the Regions).   The summit aims to respond to people’s concerns and address global challenges including sessions focused on innovation challenges   If you are eager to see what the future holds for #CircularEconomy, register here: https://lnkd.in/ewpuuDWx #CCRIEurope #EUGreenDeal

Did you know that private-public partnerships are a key driver to scale up Local Green Deals? Mayors, policymakers, and business leaders are using this strategy to accelerate the twin transition in Europe. Learn more about the discussions and key conclusions from the #IntelligentCitiesChallenge Conference and Mayors - Business Forum: https://lnkd.in/dsjagGNR We would also like to share a big thank you to the city of Porto, for hosting such a successful event! #SingleMarket

As we grapple with the rise and impact of misinformation, voices like Ed Coper's have never been more important. Join us at the Welcoming Australia symposium to hear Ed's global perspectives keynote, a critical perspective for these times. https://lnkd.in/gCFAZTyy

Today, we mark the last day of bold discussions, that sought to ask the tough questions and challenge, where necessary, the status quo to make space for bold decisions needed to address the challenges that continue to face us. At the 19th Bled Strategic forum https://lnkd.in/dhBXs3g5 we inquired, amongst many questions, In a World of Parallel Realities 'how can we avoid double standards and at the same time take into account specific situations and contexts?' Follow the discussion ..

Earlier this week, together with Daniel Všetečka and Michal Pazour, I participated in the conference "Mission forward: forging new frontiers in mission-oriented innovation policies", organised by OECD - OCDE and Austrian Ministry of Education, Science and Research. Invitees included mission managers and policy makers from about 30 countries who shared their experiences in mission implementation and overall Mission-oriented Innovation Policy (MOIP) approach. The conference was exceptional in terms of layout and selected speakers. 👍 The conference included breakout sessions, where country experiences were discussed in a smaller circle, a "Freudian Walk session" for promoting exchange and networking between attendees, and "Poster sessions", where selected countries presented their approaches to national mission implementation. The whole conference was divided into four pillars: ◾ Framing missions ◾ Enlisting actors ◾ Crowd-in private sector financial and human resources  ◾ Deliver on their co-developed strategy agendas Key takeaways 🔔 💡 ▶ Czech Republic together with Lithuania were the only representatives from CEE presenting the approach to missions ▶ The concept of MOIP is quite heterogeneous among countries and there is no single correct ▶ Transformative and acceleration missions prevail ▶ Private sector engagement is a challenge for most countries and improving the trust between companies and public sector is necessary ▶ Philanthropy and engaging civil society may help promoting missions  ▶ Mission should create stories and their setting should be triggered by a significant event (e.g. Olympic Games, Covid-19 pandemic) ▶ Monitoring should be flexible, implying that indicators and objectives may change as the mission progresses ▶ Including new instruments (regulations, public procurements) beyond tradition grants / financial instruments remains widespread, but are relevant rather for regional governments. I would like to thank Christian Naczinsky for moderating the conference, Philippe Larrue, Charles McIvory and other colleagues from OECD - OCDE for preparation of the conference, Michal Miedzinski, Katerina Ciampi Stancova, PhD, Ralf Lindner, Florence Hennart, Sven Schade, Rasa Kulvietiene and many others for fruitfull discussions.