JRC Annual Conference - Human Capital for Territorial Growth

  • 11 Oct 2016
  • Bozar, Brussels

The JRC Annual Conference 2016 will focus on the importance of human capital for the prosperity of regions and cities.The conference will take place on 11 October, at the Bozar in Brussels, within the framework of the European Week of Regions and Cities. Around 400 participants representing different academic fields, regions, cities, business and international organisations will participate. During the conference, the European Commission's Knowledge Centre for Territorial Policies and the Cultural and Creative City Monitor 2016 will be launched.

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Agenda and Presentations

Draft agenda

Practical Information

When
11 Oct 2016
Where
Bozar, Brussels
Registration Information
Registration is now open.
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Description

Human capital concept refers to the knowledge, skills, competencies and attributes embodied in individuals that help to build up personal, social and economic well-being. Moreover, it inextricably relates to individuals’ capacity of trust and networks and it is influenced by cultural and territorial settings. Human capital has long been recognised as one of the most essential contributors to the prosperity of regions and cities, the places where people live. Broadly understood as including social and entrepreneurial capital, it is essential for innovative solutions to societal challenges. Understanding the needs of human capital locally and harnessing its potential is essential for scientists and policy makers who want to provide concrete responses to societal challenges and values.

Globalisation, digital economy, and demographic dynamics, including migration, represent a major challenge for today society and they increasingly push for new approaches to ensure competitiveness, fairness and resilience. The influx of refugees, the increasing elderly population, the networked and multicultural society, the management of knowledge globally, the need for different skills, the need for a resilient society, are only a few examples of the challenges that regions and cities have to face and that have an influence on the development of their human capital.

Human capital is embedded in several EU policy initiatives underpinning growth and job creation. Among the top ten priorities of Junker Commission is A New Boost for Jobs, Growth and Investment, which initiated policy action on human capital investment, notably through the New Skills Agenda for Europe. The Agenda planned for May 2016 will focus on Commission action to enhance human capital at local, regional and national levels, by improving skills acquired through the formal education systems and elsewhere during the life-cycle. Moreover, the Cohesion policy addresses territorial imbalances by prioritizing investments in growth and job creation in regions and cities. As a matter of example of the interlink between human capital and prosperity, the Europe 2020 Regional Index shows the importance to analyse progress in education and employment at regional and urban level as it provides more accurate information on local challenges and help better focusing investments. In the same way, the Staff Working Document on the results of the public consultation of key features of an EU urban agenda promotes local economic development through skills development and job creation to tackle economic, environmental, climate, demographic and social challenges and encourage urban sustainable development. Other initiatives of the Commission addressing strategic challenges couple investments in human capital development and aim at having an impact at local level, e.g. the Energy Union Package with the smart cities initiative, and the Digital Single Market Strategy.

Within this context, scientists are urged to contribute to the better understanding of the evolving challenges and its impact on the people and places they live. Robust evidence together with a good understanding of the local political context would enable policy delivery closer to the needs of citizens.

The objective of this year's Annual DG JRC Conference is to discuss with scientists and policy makers how Member States, regions and cities can harness the potential of their human capital under the current socio-economic and environmental challenges to make their territories more dynamic, creative and resilient to external shocks.

The Conference, in particular, will focus on understanding human capital and its significant interest to policymakers as a key determinant for territorial growth. Thus, it will discuss how to measure human capital including quantitative and qualitative indicators, as well as monetary measures and its impact on national, regional and urban growth. It will identify major challenges for human capital development, including demographic change, migration, fairness, attractiveness (e.g. polarisation of regions, culture and creativity, eEurope targets, regional well-being) and propose recommendations for scientific evidence and policy action and the corresponding scientific world needed to underpin these actions.

The EU Knowledge Centre for Territorial Policies and the Cultural and Creative City Monitor 2016 will be launched at the Conference.

An exhibition will be held in parallel to the main Conference.