EU conference promotes cooperative research and regional development
The INDUSTRYTECH2014 (Smart growth through research and innovation; Towards Europe 2020) project organised a three-day conference in Greece in April 2014. Bringing together industry, government and academia, participants discussed various topics in nanotechnologies, advanced materials, advanced manufacturing and processing and biotechnology (NMPB). Held during the Greek Presidency of the Council of the EU, this third in a series of bi-annual conferences attracted over 1 300 participants from more than 60 countries, 150 of which were high-profile speakers. Overall, the goal was to facilitate a broad range of views from the main actors on innovation in European production. In all, four plenary sessions, 17 parallel sessions and 20 workshops highlighted the significance of NMPB technologies in securing Europe's standing as a leader in global manufacturing. The focus was on regional perspectives of innovation drivers for SMEs and the role that new NMPB technology deployment can play. Another topic discussed was the importance of European re-industrialisation through research and innovation in industrial technologies. The conference fostered new collaborations to support technological and entrepreneurial opportunities, especially in Balkan and Mediterranean countries. In addition, academia and industry forged ties towards commercialising enabling technologies through Horizon 2020. The event also provided an outlook on European and global developments and the latest innovations in NMPB technologies. INDUSTRYTECH2014 helped to cultivate valuable collaborations, and showcased cutting-edge research and state-of-the-art advances. Innovative companies throughout Europe were given the opportunity to present their activities and accomplishments to a global audience, resulting in new technology partners.
Keywords
Horizon 2020, INDUSTRYTECH2014, smart growth, research and innovation, nanotechnologies, advanced materials, advanced manufacturing and processing and biotechnology
