SMARTER 2020 Conference Webinar series
Connecting grand societal challenges with local goals in place-based innovation policy
Date and time
Summary
General Information
SMARTER 2020 Conference Webinar series on "Smart Specialisation and Territorial Development: Connecting grand societal challenges with local goals in place-based innovation policy" is co-organised by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre and RSA Europe.
Six webinars organised between 17th September and 3rd December 2020
The Territorial Development Unit of the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre and RSA Europe are delighted to present a webinar series based on selected themes of the SMARTER 2020 Conference. In line with the measures to contain the diffusion of COVID-19, the physical event will be replaced by a series of six webinars held between 17 September and 3 December 2020.
Increasingly, innovation policies are framed around grand societal challenges and sustainable transformation. More traditional objectives of productivity enhancement, job creation and international competitiveness are accompanied by the search for solutions to environmental and social needs in line with the European Green Deal priority and the accomplishments of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, to be achieved through the mobilisation of science, technology and innovation. This transformation is also gaining momentum in local and regional policy making, raising a number of issues in relation to the capacity of place-based industrial innovation policies to meet these goals.
What are the implications of this shift for place-based policy and instruments? What does the alignment of solutions to social and environmental problems with more traditional growth objectives imply? How can potential contradictions between different goals and dimensions (social, environmental and economic) can be resolved? Can we expect territorial policies to deliver on broad societal challenges, by providing solutions to those needs that are locally relevant?
A dreadful pandemic is currently sweeping the planet causing dramatic health, social and economic consequences. We need coordinated policy initiatives at international, national and regional level to mitigate the COVID-19 economic crisis and promote a swift recovery. How can place-based policies play a role in tackling the severe socio-economic impacts of COVID-19? How can they help territories discover new opportunities for more sustainable and inclusive economies?
Open to all, the SMARTER 2020 Webinar series is a forum for debating those issues. It seeks to foster a dialogue between practitioners, policy-makers and researchers.
Smart Specialisation provides a unique entry point for such debate. Smart Specialisation is a place-based EU policy promoting economic transformation by designing targeted investment in research and innovation. Building on a growing interest in this policy, the main principles and mechanisms of Smart Specialisation are travelling fast, attracting attention outside the European Union. At the same time, the Smart Specialisation approach is evolving, incorporating evidence on what worked and what did not, embracing a larger policy scope than just research and innovation and enriching its policy toolbox.
The SMARTER 2020 Webinar series will provide a comprehensive picture of the Smart Specialisation policy experience, including an evaluation of its results and an account of its recent developments both conceptually and empirically.
The webinars will also offer an opportunity to discuss and compare different territorial development approaches, exploring how they engage with the European Commission's priorities for 2019-2024 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Agenda and Presentations
Webinar 1: “Place-based responses to the COVID-19 economic crisis”, 17th September 2020, 10:00 am - 12:00pm CEST
Session 1: From 10:00 to 11:00
Chair: Mikel Landabaso, Director Growth and Innovation, Joint Research Centre, Spain
Speakers:
- Stephen Quest, Director-General Joint Research Centre
- Sally Hardy, CEO, Regional Studies Association, United Kingdom
- Dominique Foray, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland - "The Role of Smart Specialisation in post COVID-19 Times"
Discussants:
- Elvira Uyarra, University of Manchester, United Kingdom
- Laura Polverari, University of Padua, Italy
Session 2: from 11:00 to 12:00
Chair: Alessandro Rainoldi, Head of the Territorial Development Unit (B3), Joint Research Centre, Spain
Speakers:
- Manuel Laranja, ISEG, Lisbon School of Economics & Management, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal – "Rethinking ‘Entrepreneurial Discovery Processes’ in times of physical distancing"
- Anabela Santos, Joint Research Centre, Spain – "The Role of Smart Specialisation in Tourism Recovery"
- Edurne Magro, Orkestra – Basque Institute of Competitiveness, Spain – "Towards Recovery: Renewal and Reorientation as Regional Strategies for a Post COVID-19 Era"
Wrap-up by Nicola De Michelis, Director for Smart and Sustainable Growth and Programme Implementation IV, DG REGIO, Belgium
Moderator: Karel Haegeman, B3 – Territorial Development, Joint Research Centre, Spain
Webinar 2: “Smart Specialisation Strategies for Sustainability – opportunities for economic recovery and competitiveness”, 6th October 2020, 9:30- 11:30 CEST
9:30 to 09:45 - Welcome address
Mikel Landabaso, Director Growth and Innovation, Joint Research Centre, Spain
9:45 to 10:30 - Session 1: Opportunities for regions and cities
Speakers:
Introductory speech by Luc Soete, Free University of Brussels, Belgium co-author of “Place-based innovation for Sustainability”
Reflections and comments by Daria Tataj, Tataj Innovation, and Luke Georghiou, University of Manchester, United-Kingdom
Moderator: Johan Stierna, European Commission, Territorial Development Unit (B3), Joint Research Centre, Spain
10:30 to 11:00 - Session 2: Local trade-offs and early warning signals
Speakers:
Introductory speech by Philip McCann, University of Sheffield, United-Kingdom, co-author of “Place-based innovation for Sustainability”
Reflections and comments by Jennifer Casingena Harper, Malta Council for Science & Technology
Moderator: Karel Haegeman, European Commission, Territorial Development Unit (B3), Joint Research Centre, Spain
11:00 to 11:20 - Session 3: Questions and Answers
11:20 to 11:30 - Concluding remarks
Alessandro Rainoldi, Head of the Territorial Development Unit (B3), Joint Research Centre, Spain
Webinar 3: “Smart Specialisation for Sustainable Development Goals”, 10th November 2020, 10.30-12.30 CET
10:30 to 10:40 - Welcome and opening speech
Alessandro Rainoldi, Head of the Territorial Development Unit (B3), Joint Research Centre, Spain
10:40 to 11:25 - Session 1: Concept, methods and approaches
Speakers:
10:40-10:55 Michal Miedzinski, Institute for Sustainable Resources, University College London, UK
10:55-11:10 Anna Wieczorek, Technology, Innovation and Society Department, Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands TBC
11:10-11:25 Lars Coenen, The Mohn Centre for Innovation and Regional Development, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Norway
11:30 to 12:15 - Session 2: Practice and evidence
Speakers:
11:30-11:45 Katerina Ciampi Stancova, Joint Research Centre, European Commission, Spain
11:45-12:00 Nebojsa Nakicenovic, Technical University of Vienna & IIASA, Austria
12:00-12:15 Monika Matusiak, Joint Research Centre, European Commission, Spain
12:15 to 12:25 - Session 3: Discussion
12:25 to 12:30 - Concluding remarks
Moderator:
Albane Demblans, Joint Research Centre, European Commission, Spain
Webinar 4: "Quality of life in (European) cities: are cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable?", 19th November 2020, 10.00-12.00 CET
Welcome and opening speech:
Alessandro Rainoldi, Head of Unit, Joint Research Centre, European Commission
Presentations:
Lewis Dijkstra, DG REGIO, European Commission and Nicola Pontarollo, University of Brescia: Report on the Quality of Life in European cities, 2020
Alice Siragusa, Joint Research Centre, European Commission: European Handbook for SDG Voluntary Local Reviews
Lukas Kleine Rueschkamp, Centre for Entrepreneurship, SME’s, Region and Cities, OECD: The Spatial Gradient of Well-being - A Global Assessment
Moderator:
Laura de Dominicis, DG REGIO, European Commission
Webinar 5: “Smart Specialisation: evidence, lessons, challenges and opportunities”
This webinar had to be postponed due to unforeseen circumstances beyond our control. We will confirm a rescheduled date as soon as possible.
Welcome and opening - Manuel Palazuelos, Territorial Development Unit, Joint Research Centre, European Commission, Spain
Speakers:
Peter Berkowitz, Head of Unit, Smart and Sustainable Growth, Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy, European Commission, Belgium
Fabrizio Guzzo, Territorial Development Unit, Joint Research Centre, European Commission, Spain
Laura Polverari, University of Padua, Italy
James Wilson, Deusto University and Orkestra – Basque Institute of Competitiveness, Spain
Francesco Prota, University of Bari, Italy
Webinar 6: “Sustainable Urban Development and Innovation: Aligning Policies for Change”, 3rd December 2020, 10.00-11.45 CET
Speakers:
Kevin Morgan, Cardiff University, UK
Margit Noll, JPI Urban Europe, Austria
Martina Pertoldi, European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Spain
Mart Grisel, European Urban Knowledge Network (EUKN), The Netherlands
Moderator: Carlotta Fioretti, European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Spain