SMARTER Stream by JRC: Urban and rural transformations for sustainability and resilience

  • 15 Jun 2023 to 16 Jun 2023

  • School of Economics and Business, University of Ljubljana. Room P-216 (first floor)

The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) and the Regional Studies Association (RSA) co-organised the 2023 SMARTER conference stream in the context of the RSA Annual Conference 2023 in Ljubljana. The overall focus of the SMARTER stream was set on challenges and opportunities of place-based transformations towards sustainability and resilience. The JRC curated a series of sessions including an opening session featuring distinguished keynote speakers, two policy dialogues and three paper sessions.

Participants were asked to register for the 2023 annual conference in order to participate in the event.

Programme

15 June 16 June

15 June

  1. 8:45 – 9:05
    Welcome to the conference
  2. 9:05 – 10:35
    Opening Plenary – Global Value Chains for Sustainable Regional Development
  3. 10:35 – 11:15
    Coffee break
  4. 11:15-12:45
    SMARTER Opening session: Key challenges and opportunities for urban and rural transformations for sustainability and resilience
  5. 12:45 – 14:00
    Lunch break
  6. 14:00-15:30
    SMARTER Paper session 1: Place-based perspectives on transformative innovation and transition pathways towards sustainability
    • 14:00 – 14:10 Setting the scene: Dimitris Pontikakis, JRC (session chair)
    • 14:10 – 14:30 Keynote: Lars Coenen, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences
    • 14:30 – 15:30 Conference papers and discussion

    − Circular Economy Innovation and Regional Conditions: Towards a Theoretical Framework, Rannveig Edda Hjaltadòttir, University North, Norway
    − Transformative innovation and transition pathways in rural areas, Michal Miedzinski and Simone Sasso, JRC
    − Mimetic Isomorphism and Pro-environmental Practices in SMEs: Evidence from Formally and Informally Established Firms, Udish Chalana Ranasinghe Hewage, University of East Anglia, UK

  7. 15:30-16:00
    Coffee break
  8. 16:00-17:30
    SMARTER Policy dialogue session 1: Making policy work for sustainability challenges – how to work in places and across governance levels?
    • 16:00 – 16:10 Setting the scene: Peter Benczur, JRC (session chair)
    • 16:10 – 16:30 Keynote: Lewis Dijkstra, JRC
    • 16:30 – 17:25 Panel conversation and plenary discussion

    −  Policy for Just Sustainability Transitions: lessons from transformative social innovation research Flor Avelino, Utrecht University
    − Michaela Trippl, University of Vienna
    − Rudiger Ahrend, OECD
    − Michal Miedzinski, JRC

    • 17:25 – 17:30 Closing remarks: Peter Benczur, JRC

16 June

  1. 8:45 – 10:15
    Plenary 2 – Finance and Sustainable Development
  2. 10:15 – 10:45
    Coffee break
  3. 10:45-12:15
    SMARTER Paper session 2: New research designs and methods to inform placebased policies fostering sustainability transitions and territorial resilience
    • 10:45 - 11:00 Setting the scene: Lewis Dijkstra, JRC (session chair)
    • 11:00 - 12:15 Conference papers and discussion

    − Quantifying Innovation and Resilience in Portugal: a Multi-level Space-based Analysis, Miguel Saraiva, CEGOT - FLUP University of Porto
    −     Strategies to develop a governmental data sandbox on place-based transformations towards sustainability and resilience: A case study on monitoring SDGs in the EU regions, Daniel Pop, Babeș-Bolyai University 
     

  4. 12:15 – 13:15
    Lunch break
  5. 13:15 – 14:00
    SMARTER Policy dialogue session 2: Interview with Franc Bogovic, MEP
    • Introduction by Alessandro Rainoldi, JRC
    • Interview with Franc Bogovic, MEP by Bryonny Goodwin-Hawkins, University of Gloucestershire, UK
       
  6. 14.50 - 16.20
    SMARTER Paper session 3: Towards place-based approaches to challenge-led policies and multi-level governance of sustainability transitions
    • 14:50 – 15:00 Setting the scene: Michal Miedzinski, JRC (session chair)
    • 15:00 – 16:00 Conference papers and discussion

    − Place-based transformation through innovation governance: what role(s) for regional government? Fabienne Corvers, European Commission
    − Directionality and Subsidiarity: A Regional Policy for People and Planet, Markus Grillitsch, Lund University
    − Institutionalising Experimentation in the EU Regional Innovation Policy: Challenges and Solutions in Upscaling, Peter Wostner, Institute of Macroeconomic Analysis and Development, Republic of Slovenia

  7. 16.20-16:50
    Coffee break
  8. 16:50 - 18.30
    SMARTER Policy dialogue session 3: Making policy work for future generations - Sustainability transitions as a long-term recovery
    • 16:50 – 17:00 Setting the scene: Dimitris Pontikakis, JRC (session chair)
    • 17:00 – 17:30 Conversation on JRC’s research activities on rural development

    − Alessandro Rainoldi, JRC
    − Bryonny Goodwin-Hawkins, University of Gloucestershire, UK

    • 17:30 – 18:20 Panel conversation and plenary discussion

    − Lars Coenen, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences
    − Bryonny Goodwin-Hawkins, University of Gloucestershire, UK
    − Peter Benczur, JRC

    • 18:20 – 18:30 Closing remarks: Alessandro Rainoldi, JRC, European Commission

Practical Information

When
15 Jun 2023 to 16 Jun 2023
Where

School of Economics and Business, University of Ljubljana. Room P-216 (first floor)