Participants discussedthe future of innovation in Europe, as debates touched on topics like urgency and speed, education and talent, disruption and breakthroughs, communication and citizens, cities and innovation hubs, privacy and security, innovation policies and regulation, public and private funding, infrastructure and in particular transport, sustainability and responsibility, cross-sector collaboration and breaking silos, investor confidence and scale-up, the Horizon 2020 mid-term review and EU funding impact.
The latter two topics were addressed in a session that brought MEPs, representatives of the European Commission, universities, and funding organisations together to exchange ideas and practices to better define and measure the impact of EU research funding, especially given the current Horizon 2020 mid-term review.
Dr Ronald de Bruin, Director of the COST Association, explained how EU or national research initiatives should not follow a linear development, but should be considered circular processes, where impact is considered throughout the entire cycle, at every stage of the project.
In another session, K4I President Gernot Klotz focused on the global context and the need for Europe to provide those solutions and technology building blocks where Europe can gain clear benefits, create jobs and improve its trade balance.
The “Pact for Innovation” stakeholder signing ceremony and the discussions during the bi-annual INPACT meeting wereother highlights of the K4I Forum annual conference.