"Start-ups in Innovation Ecosystems in South-East Europe" workshop organised by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (DG JRC), 15th and 16th November 2018 in Ljubljana, Slovenia

8/10/2018

The European Commission's Joint Research Centre (DG JRC) is organising on 15th and 16th November 2018 a workshop on "Start-ups in Innovation Ecosystems in South-East Europe" in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

The purpose of the workshop and proposed content is:

• To provide policy makers and innovation practitioners with knowledge and training/practical insights in setting up successful start-up platforms with support programmes strengthening regional/national innovation ecosystems. 
• To review various models of acceleration, building a pipeline of projects, attracting industrial partners, providing business support services, involving governmental entities, which are key elements in the development of successful innovation ecosystems. 
  
  

The workshop will target in particular policy makers and other innovation stakeholders such as universities, research organisations, chambers of commerce, business angels, science parks and other relevant practitioners from South-East Europe. Issues to be addressed include:

• What is an innovation ecosystem? Elements and examples.
• What support services are needed and how best to deliver them? 
• Why is it important to create an ecosystem supporting start-ups? 
• How to build a successful start-ups ecosystem? 
• How to build an adequate pipeline of projects and a deal flow? 
• Whom to involve: actors and stakeholders (quadruple helix)?

 
The workshop is co-organised by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) in collaboration with Technology Park Ljubljana as a main co-organiser.

The Technology Park Ljubljana Ltd. is one of the largest innovation ecosystems for commercialisation of knowledge and technology in South-East Europe. Technology Park Ljubljana Ltd. is an experienced and trusted trans-national partner for business innovation development. It is an award-winning collaborative innovation ecosystem that provides highly professional services covering all phases of company growth and development (from pre-incubation through incubation towards global expansion). Services are developed and implemented through a tailor-made approach,  bottom-up lean methodologies, based on contemporary business development theories and in association with a broad partners' network in Slovenia, the EU and globally.

The JRC promotes the exchange of innovation-related best practices, knowledge, tools and methods among innovation practitioners and policy and decision makers from South-East Europe including the Western Balkans. The JRC, and in particular its Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Unit, are in possession of operational and technical expertise in the domains of Technology and Knowledge Transfer. The JRC also hosts the Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3) platform intended to support the development, through an Entrepreneurial Discovery Process of bottom-up innovation strategies. This workshop intends to support the operationalisation of S3 strategies by making expertise and best practices available to practitioners that can initiate change and restructuring programmes on the ground.

The target audience are policy makers in the innovation support, science, research and technological development domains, managing authorities and institutions directly involved in the design, operation and promotion of innovation areas and ecosystems, national and regional agencies and bodies managing investment funds for innovation, science and technology parks and incubators, technology transfer practitioners, start-ups and SMEs, practitioners from both the supply and demand sides, financial intermediaries, venture capital and corporate venture funds, start-up support organisations and associations.

Attendance to the event is by invitation only. In order to participate an expression of interest must be submitted by 10 October 2018. An overview of the draft programme can be found at the event page.
 
Given the limited number of places, applicants will be selected on a background, affiliation, motivation and a geographical representation basis.