EWI

EWI conferences

EWI as partner

EWI support 

EWI Conferences

During the Belgian presidency, every minister is responsible for the events within his or her competence. Consequently the organisation of three high level international conferences – both the content and the practical arrangements – will be in the hands of the Department of Economy, Science and Innovation.

• Knowledge Based Bio-Economy towards 2020 Conference | Brussels, 13-14 September 2010
  KBBE will be organised by EWI in collaboration with the European Commission (DG Research). The role of innovative applications in bio-economy will be key in tackling grand challenges such as climate change, the ageing population and the decline of biodiversity.
  The European Knowledge Based Bio Economy (KBBE) was launched in 2005 by the European Commission with the first KBBE conference and is part of the seventh framework programme. The purpose of the conference is to map innovations in the field of bio-economy and to develop a policy vision which meets the needs of the future. Prior to the conference EWI will be organising a visit to the KBBE clusters in Ghent as well.
  Read More: www.kbbe2010.be
   
• EurOcean 2010 | Ostend, 11-13 October 2010
  In collaboration with the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ), EWI will organise EurOcean 2010, an international marine and maritime research conference. The Federal Directorate for Science Policy, the Royal Belgian Institute for Natural Sciences, the European Science Foundation - Marine Board and the European Commission (DG Research) are the other key partners. With the conference, a scientific framework will be provided for the European Strategic Plan for marine and maritime research. In this regard the Ostend Declaration will be a key deliverable of the EurOCEAN 2010 conference in which policy makers will be addressed to prioritise specific topics. To optimise visibility and awareness building at EU policy level, a side event with high-level speakers will be organised in the European parliament on Monday 11 October 2010.
  Read more: www.eurocean2010.eu 
   
• Strategic Energy Technology Plan 2010 Conference | Brussels, 15-16 November 2010
  One of the priorities of the Flemish government is the implementation of the Strategic Energy Technology (SET) plan. Launched by the European Commission, the plan is the EU's response to the challenge of accelerating the development of low carbon technologies, leading to their widespread market take-up. In this regard it will be one of the pillars to reach the climate and energy targets for 2020. The EWI department is responsible for the organisation of the SET plan conference, in which an overview will be given of the current state of affairs of the SET plan. On the other hand the programme will focus on international cooperation with key strategic partners outside of the EU on the subject. With the international cooperation part within the SET plan, EWI and the European Commission are aiming for a global approach to renewable energy technology regarding to develop a pathway to a low carbon economy.
  Read more: www.setplanconference2010.be

EWI as partner

In addition, EWI will also act as a partner for the preparation of the programmes of events within our policy domain.

• Research, Development and Innovation for a more Secure Europe Conference | Ostend, 22-24 September 2010
  The fourth annual security research conference is organised by the European Commission, the Federal Directorate for Science Policy, the Federal Directorate of Transport and Mobility and the EWI department. With a wide interpretation of the subject “security research”, the conference hopes to attract a very broad target audience of policy makers, researchers and industry representatives. Topics covered during the conference are “logistical cooperation between police forces”, “linking of databases” and “protection of container ports and border control”. Read More: www.src10.be
   
• Industrial Technologies 2010| Brussels, 7-9 September 2010
  The brand new IT conference is organised by the European Commission in close collaboration with the EWI department. The conference aims to evaluate European research in nanoscience, nanotechnologies, materials & new production technologies (NMP) and to establish new priorities within this field. This will be the first large scale NMP conference of its kind with an expected audience of 1,500. Thus the conference will be a platform to facilitate cooperation between industry, research institutes, universities and policymakers. One of the goals of the event is to bring these stakeholders together to discuss proposals for cooperation and further integration.
  Read More: www.industrial-technologies.eu
   
• ICT Conference | Brussels, 27-29 September 2010
  With an expected attendance of 4,500 persons, the European Commission’s biennial ICT conference has grown into the largest ICT event in Europe. The event has become a unique gathering point for researchers, business people, investors, and high level policy makers in the field of digital innovation. ICT 2010 will focus on policy priorities such as Europe's Digital Agenda and the next financial programme of the European Union for funding research and innovation in ICT. In addition the conference will host dozens of networking sessions designed to facilitate contacts between researchers and innovators, engineers and investors from all fields of digital innovation. At the same time the conference will boast an exhibition with over 5,000 square meters of Europe's latest cutting edge ICT research. At the exhibition, Belgium's national pavilion will showcase the innovation spirit of the host country through a range of Belgian digital solutions.
  Read More: http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/events/ict/2010/index_nl.htm
   
• Beyond GDP Conference | Brussels, 4-5 October 2010
  The Beyond GDP Conference is organised by the EWI department, the Environment, Nature and Energy Department (LNE) and the Department of the Services for the General Government Policy in close cooperation with the committee of the regions. Key themes of the conference are welfare, prosperity and economic growth. The event, which will take place on 11 October, on the Open Days of the Committee of the Regions, will put a strong focus on the role of the European regions in the international debate on the creation of new indicators for sustainable development.
  Read More: http://do.vlaanderen.be/nlapps/docs/default.asp?fid=108
   
• ECRN Annual Congress | Brussels - 7 October 2010
  The European Chemical Regions Network will hold its 8th Congress of the European Chemical Regions on 7th October 2010 in Brussels. The 2010 Congress will be co-organized by member regions Flanders and Wallonia and supported by the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union. This year’s thematic focus is dedicated to Chemical Regions Reflecting High Level Group Recommendations, which will concentrate on the current state of implementation of the recommendations of the High Level Group on Chemicals.
  Read more: http://www.ecrn.net
   
• Enterprise Europe Network 3rd Annual Conference | Antwerp, 13-15 October 2010
  Enterprise Europe Network was created by DG Enterprise and Industry to support small and medium enterprises. The Flemish representatives in the network, i.e. the Agency for Innovation by Science and Technology and the Enterprise Agency, will actively participate in the organisation of this annual conference. During the event the representatives of the 600 member organisations will be able to discuss the priorities of DG Enterprise and Industry within the network and define action lines for the following year. In the different workshops organised during the event, participants will exchange best practices and work on new tools to enhance the support of SMEs. The focal point of the 2010 conference is the position of European SMEs in 2020 and the support needed for entrepreneurs to reach this target.
  Read More: www.enterprise-europe-network.ec.europa.eu 
   
• European Partnership for Career & Mobility of Researchers Conference | Brussels, 8-10 November 2010
  One of the priorities of the Flemish government during the Belgian presidency is the implementation of the European partnership for career & mobility of researchers. EWI therefore contributes to this conference, which is devoted to the key issue of researcher mobility and can give considerable added value to European research as a whole. The event is organised by the Federal Directorate for Science Policy.
  Read more: http://www.researcherscareer2010.be
   
   
• SMEs and Technological Innovation Conference | La Hulpe, 17-18 November 2010
  The EWI department contributes to the programme of the SME and Technological Innovation Conference in which the needs of SMEs in research and innovation are discussed.
  Read More: www.smeconference2010.eu
   
• Positive Visions for Biodiversity | Brussels, 16-19 November 2010
  The Positive Visions for Biodiversity Conference is organised by the Federal Directorate for Science Policy in close collaboration with EWI and the European Commission. On the one hand the conference will focus on the creation of an inspiring positive vision for the future of our environment. On the other hand the conference wants to highlight the research needs to develop a proposal for a long term scientific policy.
  Read More: www.epbrs.org
   
• Conference on Research Infrastructures for the Energy Domain | Brussels, 29-30 November 2010
  The conference will stress the crucial role of an optimal research infrastructure within the European Research Area (ERA). At the same time the conference aims to contribute to the creation of a comprehensive strategy for a pan-European research infrastructure. The event is organised by the Federal Directorate for Science Policy in cooperation with the European Commission and European Strategy Forum for Research Infrastructures (ESFRI). The Flemish partner is the Hercules Foundation. 

EWI support

A number of events can count on the financial support of EWI, even though the actual organisation is the responsibility of the federal government, the regions or the communities.

• RESCUE foresight initiative – Consensus Conference (ESF-COST “Frontier of Science” event) | University of Antwerp, 7-9 December 2010
  The ‘Responses to Environmental and Societal Challenges for our Unstable Earth’ (RESCUE) initiative will help the European science community and major stakeholders to address, in an integrative way, the societal and scientific challenges related to global environmental change, including its human dimensions. RESCUE will impact the European society by favouring common strategic understanding and coordination, and transformative education delivery to help ensuring strategic scientific advice and approaches for global sustainable development and governance.”
  Read More: www.esf.org
   
• ITEA - ARTEMIS co-summit | Ghent, 26-27 October 2010
  ITEA 2 (Information Technology for European Advancement 2) is a EUREKA cluster in support of the development of software intensive systems. The annual symposium is organised by the ITEA in close cooperation with ARTEMISIA (a Joint Undertaking with a focus on the support of innovation in embedded systems) and the Interdisciplinary Institute for Broadband Technology (IBBT). The Flemish co-financing of ITEA is provided by the Agency for Innovation by Science and Technology. The symposium is held every year with a focus on networking and the exchange of best practices.
  Read More: www.itea2.org | www.artemisia-association.org | www.ibbt.be
   
• Future Internet Conference Week | Ghent, 13-17 December 2010
  The World Wide Web is one of the most remarkable pieces of infrastructure of the 21st century. Acknowledged by everyone as a notable contributor to economic growth, the Web is seen as a catalyst for the knowledge based society. A wide array of conferences and activities dedicated to this theme will take place during the Future Internet Week. One of the goals is to develop synergies between the different participants of the conference to encourage innovation in the field. It is clear that government agencies, industry and research institutes should cooperate to maintain and improve their position in this fast developing business environment. The Belgian EU presidency is an opportunity to bring the different stakeholders together in order to open up the dialogue between the different disciplines in the field.
  Read More: www.fi-week.eu

The preparation of all these events by a five-strong project team is already in full swing.