Date: 11 June 2009

Time: 14.00-18.00

Venue: Residence Palace, International Press Center, 155 rue de la Loi, Brussels

ERRIN Spring Event: Regions as Catalysts of Open Innovation  

Innovation is a vital component of regional competitiveness and it is a crucial driver to help regions escape the current economic crisis. The current economic downturn forces companies to more and more rethink their Research & Development (R&D) strategies. As a result more and more companies open up their internal R&D to outside forces, sharing risks, costs and opportunities and becoming more fluid and open. Open Innovation is clearly more than a hype or a re-branding of longstanding innovation policies: it is a game-changer in the way companies manage their R&D but also in the way government and public policy approaches innovation support.

This ERRIN conference will bring together EC officials, regional policy officers and policy-makers and open innovation experts to explore this new concept, discussing, among others:

- Which opportunities/challenges does Open Innovation present for regions?
- How can regions provide added value to Open Innovation?
- Are there good practices in regional policy making and support?
- How does Open Innovation figure in the work towards a European Innovation Plan?
- What could be policy recommendations from the regions?

Speakers include:
- Peter Dröll, European Commission, DG Enterprise, Head of Unit, Innovation Policy Development
- Prof. Koenraad Debackere, Managing Director, K.U. Leuven R&D, Director of IWT Flanders
- Leopold Demiddeleer, Solvay's Director of Future Businesses, EIRMA President
- Prof. Michael West, Executive Dean of Aston Business School (Moderator)
The conference will also discuss and present good practice examples of Open Innovation initiatives in ERRIN regions

Full programme

To register, please return the registration form to communication@errin.eu before June 4th