Innovation Procurement Conference - Programme

Private sector procurement represents an important opportunity for corporates and innovative SMEs and start-ups. It enhances the competitiveness of large companies by modernizing their services with breakthrough solutions and it contributes to the scaling up of SMEs/start-ups by offering new markets. Join this workshop to hear from ecosystem and business stakeholders about success cases, benefits and barriers linked to the access of top-notch innovators to the supply chains of private sector buyers.
 

Moderator: Mandy Chan
Panel: Stéphane Ouaki, Marc Delobelle, Edelio Bermejo, Jean-Jacques Bois, Trude Sundset 

European public authorities - including cities - need to become climate-neutral and ready to tackle climate change. This session will reflect on how innovation procurement can accelerate this green transition. Public buyers, including smart cities, will contribute their practical experience on how available solutions are now applied now, and how to move forward to better leverage the full potential of innovation procurement to deliver innovations that turn green problems into solutions.

Moderator: Rosalinde Van der Vlies
Panel: Dominique Sandy, Robert Miskuf, Valentina Schippers-Opejko, Teuta Cakolli

This session aims to foster cooperation between EIC Beneficiaries and national competence centres for innovation procurement. It aims to unlock the potential of EIC-backed innovations and their adoption and harness the expertise of competence centres to bridge the gap between innovation and the public sector. Together, we can foster a collaborative ecosystem that propels innovation procurement to new heights. Join us to shape the future of innovation procurement with the European Innovation Council.

Moderator: Keith Sequeira
Panel: Silke Guggenbichler-Fellner, Rossana Alessandrello, Masayuki Omote, Juris Ulmanis, Malcolm Harbour

Watch the video of this session

• In an era of swift advancements within the AI landscape, navigating the fine line between hype and tangible advancements and substance poses a significant challenge. Jens Bontinck will articulate his perspective on the evolution of autonomous AI, and how to leverage it within the public sector and procurement.
• Procurement of digital innovation within the public sector is far from trivial: technology velocity exceeds tendering cycles. Enters innovation procurement, allowing demand and supply side to interact. But how? Ruben van Caelenberg will elaborate on some proven methods to structurally increase the success rate of procuring innovation within the public sector.

Read the full abstract here

How much does the public sector in your country invest in procuring innovations and in which sectors they invest most? Does your country have an action plan, target, financial incentives and a competence center for innovation procurement?

Join this session to find the answer to these questions and more. Learn about the key findings of the 2024 EU wide benchmarking of national policy frameworks and investments on innovation procurement. We will also share good practices and discuss new initiatives.

Moderator: Lieve Bos
Panel: Jelena Drndic, Marina Jurišić, Justyna Pożarowska, Teodora Tataru   

This session will decipher the sector specific peculiarities and identify the ingredients for successful innovation procurement to tackle the ever-increasing need for innovative solutions in health and care.  Suppliers and procurers will share their views on the impacts achieved in innovation procurements, how to bridge the knowledge gap, what actions are needed for maximising uptake and impact, including also coordination at regional, national and European level.

Moderator: Carmen Laplaza Santos
Panel: Marc Van den Bulcke, Boris Dimitrov, Reinhilde Veugelers, Xavier Vinolas Prat

Watch the video of this session

• Governments can use the lever of their purchasing power to promote innovation, sustainability or other strategic policy goals. Bart Zoete and Alexander Lemmens will open the debate on the ‘sense and nonsense’ of (EU and national) mandatory requirements in this regard.
• The global economy has affected supply chains and the way service provision is organised. Steven van Garsse will look at the threats for and the limits and opportunities of public procurement law and practice in this matter, taking into account the growing importance of responsible business conduct. 

> Find more details here

Watch the video of this session

• In Belgium the Communities joined forces to procure jointly an innovative Electronic System for monitoring delinquent people. Rudi Strubbe will highlight the good, the bad and a little bit of ugly of the use of a competitive dialogue procedure in a joint procurement.

• The Mobilidata contract was one of the first competitive dialogues within the Flemish Government. In the Mobilidata program, governments, companies and researchers work together to bring innovative technological traffic solutions to the road user. These deliver many benefits, such as better route advice, tailored traffic notifications and smoother green lights at intelligent traffic lights. A successful story, despite its unusual trajectory. Kristof Rombaut will share his insights on this remarkable journey.

> Find more details here

This session tackles overcoming challenges that small companies face trying to access the public procurement market in other countries. Hubs like living labs and incubators can serve as laboratories in which public sector needs are challenged with possible innovative solutions from start-ups and entrepreneurs and where also links with other ecosystem stakeholders like investors can be made. Examples will focus on facilitating the access of small companies to innovation, green and social procurements.

Moderator: Ivo Locatelli
Panel: Minouche Cramer, Thomas Cottinet, Kamila Gasinska

Europe needs to strengthen its ability to prevent, prepare for, and be resilient to a wide range of security threats.  Innovation procurement has proven to be a very useful tool as it enables end-users to continuously improve their capabilities by using innovative solutions in real operational environment. This session aims to showcase successful practices and examples of innovation procurement in the security domain and highlight challenges and opportunities for suppliers and buyers.

Moderator: Giannis Skiadaresis
Panel; David Lund, Pantelis Michalis, Serena Bianchi

Watch the video of this session

• Dany Robberecht will explore the intricacies of public innovation and its procurement, offering insights into the collaborative process with both the market and users within the unique context of public organizations, and emphasizing the need to rethink conventional approaches to procurement, in order to create value.
• Although most procurement professionals are amicable, public procurement is not so innovation-friendly yet. Professor Fredo Schotanus will share ideas on how to change this.

> Find more details here

Watch the video of this session

• "Never let a good crisis go to waste!" Thierry Decocq will elaborate on procurement strategies, tools and techniques used during the Covid-19 crisis and demonstrate their added value for procurement in normal non-crisis times. You will go home with a toolkit to navigate procurement challenges with resilience and innovation.
• Embark with Tony Mortier on a journey into the transformative realm of 'innovative partnerships' in public procurement – a landscape rich with promises of collaboration and groundbreaking solutions. Yet, behind the curtain of anticipation, a tale unfolds of unmet expectations and untapped potential.

> Find more details here