Connecting regional innovation valleys through circular industries

21 Jun 2023 to 22 Jun 2023
Gijón. Asturias (Spain)

The Principality of Asturias and the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission co-organize the event Connecting regional innovation valleys through circular industries, building on the experiences and learnings of the pilot project Partnership of Regional Innovation, promoted by JRC in cooperation with the Committee of the Regions and supported by Commissioner Ferreira, Commissioner Gabriel, where 74 European territories have been experimenting a new strategic approach to innovation-driven territorial transformation, linking EU priorities with national plans and place-based opportunities and challenges.

The Partnerships for Regional Innovation will help to deliver on the New European Innovation Agenda establishing 100 Regional Innovation Valleys across Europe. The PRI Pilot participants agree that inter-territorial innovation cooperation offers new avenues to address common challenges in areas such as low carbon technologies, food security, circularity, health or climate resilience.

The event in Gijón, led by the Asturias regional experience, will open cooperation opportunities in one of the "burning challenges" identified by the New European Innovation Agenda, Achieving Circularity. The discussion will be ignited from one of the domains most impacted by the climate and energy challenges, process and energy Intensive Industries, connected upstream with the reliance on Strategic Raw Materials, and downstream, with the industrial value chain. The Green Deal Industrial Plan, the roadmap for low-carbon technologies, the human-centric approach of Industry 5.0 and the New European Bauhaus will be part of the debate. At the end of the event, under the PRI approach, participants will have shared their regional interests and capacities, identified common challenges and proposed joint missions.

Programme

Welcome coffee

Master of ceremony: SEKUENS (Former IDEPA)
10.00-10.20

Institutional welcome
- Borja Sánchez. Regional Minister for Science, Innovation and Universities & President of SEKUENS
- Nieves Roqueñí. Regional Vice Minister of Environment and Climate Change
- Margherita Bacigalupo. Team Leader. Joint Research Centre. European Commission
10.20-10.35

Keynote speech from Asturias

Eva Pando. SEKUENS Executive Director
10.35-11.45

European Industrial scene. Perspectives for a Secure, Sustainable and human centric industry
Moderated by Carmen Sillero Illanes. Joint Research Centre. European Commission
- Green Deal Industrial Plan for the Net-Zero Age – Benoit Esmanne. DG Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (GROW)
- Industry 5.0 - Laura Roman. DG Research and Innovation
- Interreg Cooperation Experience - Marc Pattinson. Thematic Expert – Research and Innovation. Interreg Europe Policy Learning Platform
- The New European Innovation Agenda. Fostering connected regional innovation valleys across the EU.
- Implementing co-funded action plans for connected regional innovation valleys - Panagiotis Sevdalis. Innovation Policy & Access to Finance. DG Research and Innovation
- Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) Instrument - Eric Amaral Garcia. Smart and Sustainable Growth. DG Regional and Urban Policy
Q&A from audience
11.45-12.10

How can we cooperate for speeding up the technology needed for reaching the European Green Deal objectives?
- Open conversation: Moderated by Antonio Novo. European Cluster Alliance
- Speaker: Pauline Sentis. Industrial Research, Innovation & Investment Agendas, RTD.E.1
Q&A from audience
12.10-13.00

Circularity Challenges and Avenues for collaboration among High Intensive Energy Industrial regions
Round Table: Moderated by IQPA (tbc)
- Cementos Tudela Veguín SA. Fernando Fernández-Tresguerres. Manager of Energy and Environment in Masaveu Industry
- University of Oviedo. Jesús Daniel Santos Rodríguez. Internationalisation Vice-rector
- Carbon Science and Technology Institute (INCAR). Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC). Fernando Rubiera. Director
- ArcelorMittal, Pedro Prendes. Global R&D Process Portfolio Leader
Q&A from the audience
Guided visit to Laboral Centro de Arte
13.00-15.00

Lunch hosted by SEKUENS
15.00-15.15

Introduction to the operational block

Methodology for identifying common challenges to face in cooperation
Moderated by Dynamisation team
15.15-16.15

Introducing our territories - done by Territories
Plenary participatory Session based on the inputs provided by the territories:
- Territorial agency and priorities
- Experience
- Capacities
- Interest
- Actors
16.15-17.00

Identification of challenges

Work in small groups. Moderated by Dynamisation team
17.00-17.20

Agreeing on common challenges

Plenary Session. Moderated by Dynamisation team
17.20-17.30

Debriefing of the sessions

Moderated by Dynamisation team
20.00

Dinner hosted by SEKUENS

09.30-09.40

Recapitulation Day 1. Organisation of the session.

Dynamisation Team
09.40-10.30

From common challenges to joint missions (I)

Participatory Session: After identifying common challenges, participants will agree on the missions to be addressed

Moderated by Dynamisation team
10.30-10.50

Learning from Processes4Planet co-programmed Partnership

Angels Orduña. A.SPIRE Executive Director
10.50-11.05

Coffee break
11.05-12.30

From common challenges to joint missions (I)

Which 'impulses’ are needed for achieving the mission?

Moderated by Dynamisation Team
12.30-12.45

Conclusions
12.45-13.00

Closing and next steps
13.00-14.00

Farewell cocktail and finger food

(depending on attendees’ confirmations)

Practical Information

When

21 Jun 2023 to 22 Jun 2023

Where

Gijón. Asturias (Spain)

Registration Information

Registration is open until 16 June 2023.

Description

Objectives

Setting the European scene for industrial strategic autonomy and transition to sustainability, including their impact in the territories specialised in high energy-intensive industries.
Promoting collaboration among the regions that, like Asturias, share the challenge of an industrial transition to circular and carbon-neutral economy in energy-intensive and process industry.

Areas of collaboration

●   Deep tech innovation: waste recovery and processes: industry and science
o   Increase circularity in the process industry
o   Infrastructures for scaling recovery technologies

●   Impact-based policy: Society and Government
o   Impact assessment of eco-innovative strategies
o   Stakeholders’ involvement: multiple futures
o   Funding mapping and synergies to support the transitions.

Audience

Territories (at local, national, European level), represented by policy officers, industry, technology and research actors, and citizen organisations interested in inter-territorial cooperation in industrial circularity.
All the territories wishing to participate to the event are invited to submit one fiche of regional information by 9 June 2023, following the template provided. Other professionals and institutions, not territorially bonded to the topic, could participate in the event as observer or expert (acceptance to the event will be limited by the maximum capacity).

EU policies of references

Methodology

JRC methodology based on mission-oriented dynamics

Dynamisation team

Margherita Bacigalupo, JRC
Guia Bianchi, JRC
Carmen Sillero, JRC
Pauline Sentis, DG RTD
Laura Roman, DG RTD
Paz Palacio, SEKUENS
Ana E. Fernández Monzón, SEKUENS

More information

SEKUENS website