Scope of the workshop
To provide a critical stakeholder input to National strategy and to stimulate the up-date of the national strategy in the field of converging sciences and micro/nanosystems.
The Strategy Forum is devoted to the converging technologies (info-nano-bio-cogno) impact on the competitiveness and future economy growth in Baltic area with focus on nanotechnology.
The European Union future depends on cohesion of the regions and competitiveness on the global scale. The enlarged EU demonstrate a significant economic divide between the regions and from the global Knowledge Economy point of view the EU could be portrayed as a mix of four strategic groups of - Global Consolidation, Sustaining Competitive Advantage, The Boosting Entrepreneurial Knowledge and The Entering Knowledge Economy regions (Report to EC). But, the GDP per capita and potential for Knowledge Economy is not linearly proportional. It is a complex system and an interplay of infrastructure and social factors.
There are several major drivers which influence the future innovation potential of the regions. These are global, sectoral and technological factors. The global drivers have an impact on all types of regions, irrespective of their economic specialisation and technological competencies. At the same time, the innovation potential of regions is also affected by sectoral dynamics. There is also a number of technologies determining to a large extent the pace and direction of innovation, most notably cutting-edge technologies such as nanotechnology and biotechnology.
The aim of the Forum is to provoke and inform an open debate about the future role of EU regional policy and emerging technologies in stimulating Europe’s innovation performance, growth and jobs and to serve as a food for thought to policy makers that they cannot blindly mimic the policies of the ‘innovation hotspots’ but rather need to build their own approach tailored to regional potential.
In the context of on-going implementation of Structural Funds interventions in the area of innovation and knowledge, it is clear that there is a need to focus the discussions on the actual regional strengths and future potential taking into account sectorial, technological and innovation trends. The question of whether Lithuania choose to focus RTDI resources on ‘poles/hotstpots’ (the Dutch approach) or use the money to balance national differences in RTDI potential (Finish approach) is likely to be the crux of an on-going debate.
The first half a day is devoted to a Structural Funds and Research, innovation and competitiveness policy development and implementation, Lithuanian socio-economic Foresight' 07 follow-up and progress of National Technology platforms Strategic Research Agendas.
The second half a day of the Forum will be devoted to the potential of converging technologies ( nano-bio-info-cogno ) for economic growth and Raodmap development discussions.
Forum objectives:
The Forum will provide the present status and the future vision of manufacturing industry in the Baltic Region, in order to help in addressing major research themes in those sectors while conjugating the Regional and European Countries potential in Micro-Nano related technologies.
European and Regional participants will present their point of view on the selected field.
Forum seeks to bring together a range of public and private stakeholders focused around this strategically important area. With a primary objective to enhance Regional industrial competitiveness, the outcome should stimulate strategy documents providing guidance for policy makers and industry and setting out medium to long term objectives for this area.
Copyright © 2010 RC for Microsystems and Nanotechnology