eForesee News: Final International eFORESEE Conference, Malta November 2003

Subject: eForesee News: Final International eFORESEE Conference, Malta November 2003

From: eForesee

Date: Tue, 13 May 2003 16:20:49 +0200

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Dear All,
We are extending you a warm invitation to participate in the final =
International eFORESEE Conference to be held in Malta between 13-14 =
November 2003. This is the first notice and further information will be =
available shortly. We suggest you make a preliminary registration at the =
e-mail address indicated at the end of this page. =20
For those of you who will be present in Ioannina later this week, =
Patrick and I are very happy to meet with you to discuss contributions =
to this event.=20
All the best,
Jennifer=20
=20
Malta Council for Science and Technology =
eforesee.info=20
4th eFORESEE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
Exploring the role of Foresight and related policy tools in the =
development of a
Euro-Mediterranean Research and Innovation Area=20
Malta, 13-14 November 2003=20
This final International e-Foresee Conference will draw upon the =
insights of experts from Europe and the Mediterranean region & lessons =
learned from seven e-Foresee foresight pilot projects to continue and =
build upon strategic conversations started in the EU Presidency =
Conference at Ioannina. These conversations concern the role of =
foresight and other tools of participative policy development, to renew =
and improve RTD and Innovation policy processes in both public and =
private sectors, in a Euro-Mediterranean context and in anticipation of =
the emergence of a Euro-Mediterranean Research Area. These conversations =
consider issues such as the 'governance' of Innovation systems made up =
of autonomous players from private public sectors, with a capacity to =
act at a local, national and regional level, the emergence of =
region-wide (Euro-Med) networks, the emergence of venture capital =
providers, incubators and other intermediaries in the region, the =
implication of modern thinking about social capital and social =
innovation for each of these current trends as well as the need for new =
forms of public-private partnership. The Conference will adopt a =
workshop style where high-level policy-makers, senior corporate players, =
venture capitalists as well as technologists and social scientists will =
have the opportunity to interact with foresight experts and =
practitioners. The aim is to attract an equal balance of representation =
from the southern and northern Euro-Mediterranean countries, allowing =
for an open exchange of experiences on foresight and foresight-type =
activity from the North and South. =20
The Conference will focus on foresight as a form of strategic =
intelligence in addressing common innovation policy priorities:
* Policy and Governance for Networked Innovation Systems=20
* Public-Private Sector Perspectives and Partnerships=20
* Supporting and Sourcing Innovation and the Role of Intermediaries
Target Audience:
* High-level policy-makers, academic leaders and senior corporate =
players
* Foresight experts and practitioners=20
* Representatives of Euro-Mediterranean networks active in the =
innovation policy area=20
* Representatives of public-private sector partnerships
* Representatives of intermediaries and venture capital organizations
Background
The last 10 years have witnessed considerable progress in the =
development of RTD and Innovation systems throughout the Mediterranean =
region - not only in EU member states but also in neighboring countries =
such as Malta, Cyprus, Turkey, Tunisia, Morocco and Jordan. Undeniable =
progress has been made in the development of RTD systems, the =
introduction of innovative forms of financing and the emergence of =
professional intermediaries such as innovation centers and incubators to =
support university spin-offs and new-technology-based-firms. In most =
cases however these innovation systems are still at an early stage of =
development, a stage where the various components are still in the =
process of establishing and positioning themselves in both national and =
international contexts, building links with one another and learning how =
best to cooperate at a systemic level. Nowadays such linkages are =
considered a form of 'Social Capital'. The development of new working =
practices that rely on such linkages is thought of as a form of 'Social =
Innovation'. Foresight especially 'process oriented' foresight can be =
thought of as a tool for developing social capital and facilitating =
social innovation. This places foresight at the center of the next phase =
of development of systems of RTD and Innovation in the =
Euro-Mediterranean region. The goal of this Conference is to recognize =
current trends and recent achievements in the development of =
Euro-Mediterranean innovation systems, to explore the role that =
foresight and other participative tools for policy development could =
play to enhance the performance of innovation systems in the =
Mediterranean region and introduce the working practices that will help =
them harness opportunities provided by the European Research Area.
Key topics for discussion:
* Current challenges faced by science and innovation policy makers in =
helping to establish alliances among the different players and cultures =
of the innovation systems.
* Current challenges faced by intermediaries in defining their mission =
and targeting their services to both academic and business sector =
actors.
* Current challenges faced by academics in areas of industrial =
significance in getting access to opportunities for commercialization - =
IT, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, manufacture, logistics, food production =
etc.
* Current challenges faced by venture capital funds in identifying =
hi-tech investment prospects.
You are invited to make a preliminary registration to participate in =
this event. You will be automatically put on the mailing list for =
subsequent announcements. Please register your interest by sending an =
e-mail to the following email address:
[email protected]
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Foresight Approaches to RTD & Innovation Policy

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style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'>Dear All,