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Triple-Helix Conference on Bio-based Economy

22. Jul. 2016

Danube-INCO.NET Event Review

The Triple-Helix Conference with the title Supporting the development of bio-based economy partnerships in the Danube Region through a triple-helix approach organised by the Danube-INCO.NET project took place in Budapest at Danubius Hotel Gellért on 19-20 June 2016.

The conference, brokerage event and 4th clustering workshop was one of the major events of the project. Its main objective was to support the university-business-government cooperation (triple-helix model) to enhance the establishment and development of bio-based economy partnerships in the target countries, tackling societal challenges in the field of food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, water research, bio-based economy and bio-energy.

The event was organised by Regional Centre for Information and Scientific Development (RCISD, Hungary), in cooperation with the Central European Initiative (CEI, Italy) and the Steinbeis-Donau-Zentrum (Germany). Danube-INCO.NET is coordinated overall by the Centre for Social Innovation (ZSI), which also presented one of the project's pilot activities.

The conference gathered about 130 representatives of the academia, industry and government sectors. Participants represented more than 90 organisations from 16 countries: Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Sweden, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. A number of international organisations (Bio-Based Industries Joint Undertaking, Danube Rectors Conference, Research Center Jülich), as well as a representative from the European Commission, the Senior Advisor of the Lord Mayor of Budapest and coordinators and members of the Priority Areas 2 (Energy), 6 (Biodiversity, landscapes, quality of air and soils) and 8 (Competitiveness) of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR) attended to the event.

Participants represented the areas of agriculture, forestry, aquaculture & fisheries and waste in the matrix of food, feed, material and energy.

The welcome speeches were provided by the Senior Advisor of the Lord Mayor of Budapest, the Research and Policy Officer of the European Commission (DG Research & Innovation), the representative of the Bio-Based Industries Joint Undertaking (Brussels) and the president of the Danube Rectors Conference.

The conference envisaged a plenary round table and three parallel sessions (on food, materials and environmental technologies and energy) during the first day, while a brokerage event to facilitate matchmaking between researchers, industry and government was organised in the morning of day 2, which was a unique possibility to link up participants with a special view of finding partners for upcoming calls.

During the brokerage event participants had altogether 86 meetings, where they could present themselves, their research ideas and know-how, they could meet potential partners for strategic cooperation and discuss and develop new projects.

Back to back with the conference, the Danube-INCO.NET 4th Clustering Workshop was organized in the afternoon of day 2, aiming at the formation of new macro-regional partnerships towards the development of bio-based economy, with particular focus on linking challenge-oriented research, innovation networks, industry and government. In line with the objectives of the Danube-INCO.NET project, as well as with those of WP3 “Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy in a Bio-based Economy”, the workshop contributed to the development of bio-based economy in the Danube Region. By drawing on the best practices highlighted in the context of the Triple-Helix Conference, the 4th Clustering Workshop promoted concrete cooperative actions among selected stakeholders from academia, government and businesses. An elevator pitch allowed for highlighting possible creative ideas from 18 young researchers, innovators and experts, while funding opportunities were also presented in order to help turn ideas into actions.

 

Please fint the agenda of the conference here.

Please find the agenda of the clustering workshop here.

 

Presentations of the conference:

Introductory session

Triple-Helix Round table on the approach for the development of bio-based economy partnerships in the Danube Region

 

Thematic parallel sessions: The Danube Region potential towards the development of bio-based economy partnerships

Session 1: Food & Feed – The challenges of sustainable agriculture

Session 2: Materials and Environmental Technologies

Session 3: Energy

Concluding remarks from parallel sessions

  • Miklós Marton, Ministry of Agriculture, Hungary, representative of EUSDR Priority Area 6 (Biodiversity, landscapes, quality of air and soils)
  • Dragica Karajić, Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Crafts, Croatia, coordinator of EUSDR Priority Area 8 (Competitiveness)
  • Pál Ságvári, Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, coordinator of EUSDR Priority Area 2 (Energy)

 

Presentations of the clustering workshop

Presentations of the elevator pitch

Venelin Angelov

Georgiana Birau

Sergiu Ceaus

Svetlana Chesari

 

 

 
 

Danube Slide

 

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