SusChem Greece participated for the second time since its birth in the annual Stakeholder Event of the European Technological Platform SusChem, in Brussels, on 8th June. SusChem Greece was represented in the event by Professor Kokossis, whose IPSEN unit at the National Technical University of Athens hosts the national platform and runs its secretariat.
SusChem Annual Stakeholder Events bring together global audiences, senior players from the chemical industry, academia, research technology organisations (RTOs) and EU institutions to address common challenges and debate priorities crucial to the sustainability of the European chemical and biotechnology innovation sectors.
Following a successful brand re-launch in November 2016, the 2017 Stakeholder event focused on a number of exciting activities and important new developments for the SusChem community, including:
- Three interactive breakout sessions
- A lively high-level panel debate to discuss how to accelerate innovation and deliver impact in the upcoming Framework Funding Programme (FP9)
- An update from National Technology Platforms, including SusChem Greece
- The stakeholder launch of the new SusChem brand.
This year’s breakout sessions provided space for a productive dialogue on three themes:
Session I: Defining success factors for EU funded projects to optimise innovation impact and value for Europe
Discussion was held as to how to maximize the market uptake and impact of EU funded project results by examining success learnings from projects. Partners and coordinators from exemplary projects were invited to share relevant success factors and critical learnings which they experienced during the various stages of their project. Participants had an opportunity to share their views on collaborative projects and how they can be designed to optimise impact.
Session II: SME’s as a driver of the EU innovation ecosystems: How can we stimulate market-creating innovation through SME funding?
. This breakout session identified the right mechanisms and ways to enhance engagement of chemical and biotechnology SMEs as key enablers of innovation in European public funding. Current policies, drivers, funding requirements and barriers to the commercialisation of SME innovation were examined. SMEs and their ecosystem partners (RTOs, universities & large companies) were invited to share their ideas and discuss how to boost impact of collaborative projects and relevant funding instruments.
Session III: Shaping funding instruments to accelerate innovation and competitiveness in Europe
In this breakout session the SusChem community had the opportunity to examine the strengths and weaknesses of the design and structure of EU innovation funding instruments by sharing their experiences with H2020. Together, participants identified a short list of ideas and recommendations for the EU Commission in the evolution and design of the next EU Framework Program (e.g., how to integrate Key Enabling Technologies), so that competitiveness is ensured through the capacity to create added value.
More information can be reached at http://www.suschem.org/newsroom/sustainable-chemistry-accelerating-innovation-and-impact-in-europe-2