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Content archived on 2023-03-09

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EFI 2011: new ideas for a more competitive Europe

From November 30th until December 2nd in Rome, the European Forum for Innovation 2001 will be bringing together keynote speakers and renowned experts to define the innovation agenda for the next few years.

Three days focused on how innovation can help define a new model for economic and social growth. In a few words, this is the mission of the European Forum for Innovation 2001 (EFI 2011). Following the success of the previous edition of EFI which gathered together more than 200 participants, the European Alliance for Innovation (EAI), in cooperation with ICT research centre CREATE-NET and Telecom Italia will be hosting this year’s event in Rome from the November 30th until December 2nd. “There is still too much fragmentation in European research”, commented EAI President, Prof. Imrich Chlamtac. “Therefore, it is difficult to start innovating. EFI 2011 will be a “dynamic platform” which acts as reference point for interaction between European leaders in the public and private sectors, such as government, businesses, universities and research institutes, where innovative practices and methods to improve efficiency and the global impact of the ICT technologies within the European Innovation cycle can be identified.” With this vision in mind, EFI 2011 is divided into several panel sessions which will present high-level speeches on current issues and challenges in the technological and entrepreneurial innovation field in Europe. Three sessions on specific innovation topics will be presented the first day: “Policy”, “Business” and “Society”. Each session will host high-level speakers from European private, political and institutional sectors, as well as researchers and innovators who will discuss ways to promote innovation at the European level and to start new productive collaborations in order to compete successfully in the global arena. Following this, the second day will focus on professional and business training, career development and the launch of a system based on new business opportunities. Throughout the event, discussions on how to facilitate economic growth and create new business opportunities will feed into position papers which will set out a concrete action plan for European innovation.. Parallel to this, funding professionals will also be providing training sessions for SMEs . This session, which will continue on the third day, takes place in the framework of the European Project ICT Venture Gate, and was made possible thanks to APRE, Agency for the Promotion of European Research. Tying into the EFI theme of creating new business opportunities will be the afternoon discussion panels dedicated to technology transfer, intellectual property and definition of current and future trends. On the third day, the event will culminate in a “pitching” session in which selected SMEs will present their innovative ideas and proposals to potential investors. “Our mission“, concluded Professor Chlamtac, “is to connect the main European actors in the innovation field and develop shared projects which create long-term results for the market. In order to do so, we need a new vision and a new research model able to transfer lab results to companies. To simplify this process EAI fosters and facilitates individuals’ participation and interaction.Each one of us, through the contribution of his or her ideas, can help the economic growth of our country”.

Countries

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia, United Kingdom