If you missed the conference "Getting higher with innovation", in which we presented the results of the project, you can watch it on YouTube: https://youtu.be/CkhyGPF8Zn4.
The HIGHER Final Conference, under the title "Getting higher with innovation", took place online on 28 January 2021. The objective of the event was to present the main results of the HIGHER project and share the best practices and actions of each region that have helped to strengthen the competitiveness of the business and the regional economic development, through smart specialization and the promotion of innovation projects under public private partnerships.
First, Ana Mihaljevic, Policy Officer at Interreg Europe, presented some news of the future Interreg Europe programme. Then, Juan Fran Sangüesa, coordinator of the project from UAB Research Park, talek about HIGHER’s main achievements.
In addition, different good practices to design innovation policies were presented: Jordi Serratosa, Head of Business Development at UAB Research Park explained an action plan oriented to increase the presence of social challenges in the Communities policy instrument; Mantas Vilys, CEO of LT Innovation Centre, presented the instrument for the development and implementation of innovation support services in Lithuania; and Ioannis Spandos, from Regional Development Fund of Region of Central Macedonia, who introduced their strategies to monitoring, evaluating and designing smart specialization strategies.
In addition, Mari Wøien and John Moodie, researchers at Nordregio talked about barriers to design a smart specialisation strategy. And Igor Kos, from the Institute for Circular Economy of Slovenia presented the case on innovation in circular economy on city level.
The event concluded with a round table around how to foster innovation investment, moderated by Natalino Barbizzi, from Marche Region, and with Danielle Antinarella, Office Manager for Strengthening the collaboration between the production system and the research system in the Abruzzo Region; Sigitas Besagirskas, President at Vilnius Industry and Business association; Nikolaos Komninos, researcher at Urban and Regional Innovation Research URENIO, and Xavier Vallvé, Head of Tech Transfer Office of Autonomous University of Barcelona.
