Mobilising Universities for Smart Specialisation

  • 20 Jun 2014
  • Alcide de Gasperi Room, Charlemagne Building in 170, rue de la Loi-1049 Bruxelles (BE)

High level conference organised by S3 Platform and the European University Association

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Agenda and Presentations

09:15 - 09:30 Welcome address by Vladimir Sucha, European Commission, Director-General of the Joint Research Centre (JRC)

09:30 - 10:15 Panel I: Universities and the Smart Specialisation Agenda
Moderator: Vladimir Sucha, European Commission, Director-General JRC
- Video message by Maire Geoghegan-Quinn, European Commissioner for Research and Innovation
- Maria da Graça Carvalho, Principal Advisor, BEPA – EC (Former MEP and Portuguese Minister of Science and Higher Education)
- Maria Helena Nazaré, President of the European University Association (EUA)

  10:45 - 12:15: Panel II: University-regional partnerships for Smart Specialisation
Moderator: Xabier Goenaga, Head of Unit Knowledge for Growth, Institute for Prospective and Technological Studies, JRC
- Ostrobothnia, Finland by Olav Jern, CEO of Ostrobothnia Regional Council and Matti Jakobsson, Rector of the University of Vaasa
- South Moravia, Czech Republic by Miloš Šifalda, Advisor to the Governor of the South Moravian Region and Martin Bares, Vice-Rector of Masaryk University
- Norte, Portugal by Antonio Cunha, Rector of Minho University and Carlos Alberto Neves, Vice-President of the Northern Portugal Development Board
- Siegen by Peter Haring Bolívar, Vice-Rector for Research
 

13:45 – 15:00 Panel III: EU policy framework for strategic university-regional partnerships
Moderator: Markku Markkula, Member of the EU Committee of the Regions.
- Walter Deffaa, Director-General for Regional and Urban Policy
- Robert-Jan Smits, Director-General for Research
- Jan Truszczyński, Director-General for Education and Culture

15:00 – 15:30 Conclusions and next steps
Moderator: Vladimir Sucha, European Commission, Director-General JRC
- John Goddard, Emeritus Professor Newcastle University
- Charlina Vitcheva, Director, DG Regional Policy
- Maria Helena Nazaré, President of the EUA

Practical Information

When
20 Jun 2014
Where
Alcide de Gasperi Room, Charlemagne Building in 170, rue de la Loi-1049 Bruxelles (BE)
Registration Information
Registration is closed.

Description

How universities can be part of smart specialisation was the question discussed by participants at this major Commission conference. The President of the European University Association (EUA) told over 300 stakeholders that it was the first time universities had been addressed jointly by the Director Generals for Research, Education and Regional Policy. The result was a commitment from all sides to support universities in having a central role in the development and implementation of Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3), as expressed in the concluding panel by Vladimir Sucha, Director-General of the Commission's Joint Research Centre.

The conference resulted in a Joint Statement of the European Commission and the EUA, as well as a collection of Case Studies including four that were presented at the conference.

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