Stronger innovation for a stronger Europe
Innovation and research are high on the European agenda. But innovation needs more than just research to help Europe move forward. This was the main message of the third edition of the European Innovation Summit, held from 10 to 13 October. The event, whose motto was 'Towards a European Innovation Ecosystem', was split in two parts: in the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium and as a ministerial conference and one of four flagship Polish Presidency events in Warsaw, Poland. Addressing the conference members via video, European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek said: 'Innovation is the way out of the current economic crisis. We await the outcomes of the summit with great hope.' The outcome of the conference sessions that brought together over 100 expert panellists from Europe and abroad will be presented at the European Commission event 'Innovation Convention' on 6 December. The conference, organised by knowledge4innovation (K4I), a non-profit, independent multi-stakeholder platform with members from the European public, private and academic sectors, put the spotlight on key issues impacting European policymakers, citizens and industry. An obstacle that Europeans must surpass is the fragmentation of the innovation system, said Krzysztof Gulda, head of the Department of Strategy of the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education, at the opening ceremony of the event in Warsaw. If Europeans want to stay at the top of the global game, they must establish a true single market for innovation. 'Innovation is a very complex concept ranging from education to internationalisation of markets and consequently involves a variety of policy areas where only one of which is research,' explained K4I Managing Director Roland Strauss. 'Even though research is important for innovation there are many other ingredients necessary to make innovations successful. Innovation means by definition risk taking and acceptance of failure.' For his part, Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Lambert van Nistelrooij from the Netherlands, who is also chair of the K41 Forum of the European Parliament, told conference members that Europe's economy gets a huge boost from innovation. 'It is, however, important that we put in place a framework that facilitates the path from knowledge to innovations that then ultimately generate jobs and growth,' MEP Van Nistelrooij said. An important component for driving European competitiveness, fuelling economic growth and providing the majority of innovations in the industry is small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), according to Carlos Oliveira, who is the Secretary of State for Entrepreneurship, Competitiveness and Innovation Portugal. 'The relationship between SMEs and large corporation is the key element on the impact they can have on innovation,' Mr Oliveira said. K4I Forum Governor and MEP Danuta Hubner from Poland highlighted the importance of competitiveness, which is the 'motor to sustain growth and generate growth.' That innovation tops the items list of Europe's growth agenda is not a surprise. The conference also touched on how significant it is for Europe to set the path that our future scientists, policymakers and entrepreneurs will soon take. 'Young people are the ones that are most concerned by current developments and that Europe's talents will have to find the answers to the challenges ahead,' said Hans van der Loo, Vice President EU Liaison, Shell International. 'School students must be prepared for jobs which do not yet exist, and to solve problems that we are not yet aware of. The future is not linear but exponential. The most important linkage is people's talent and challenges in society.' K4I Forum Governor and MEP Alojz Peterle from Slovenia went on to underline how improving the functioning of society will help ensure that aims and objectives are achieved across a range of areas. 'If we don't respect the social context of the problem, we don't get anywhere,' Mr Peterle said.For more information, please visit:knowledge4innovation:http://www.knowledge4innovation.eu/EIS/SitePages/eis2011_home.aspxInnovation Union:http://ec.europa.eu/research/innovation-union/index_en.cfm