June 15, 2012 Tallinn, Hotell Euroopa (Paadi 5) http://www.euroopa.ee/
The conference is organised jointly by Ministry of Education and Research of Estonia, Ministry of Agriculture of Estonia, Enterprise Estonia and Estonian Research Council. Please note that the conference is organized back-to-back with the global conference of science parks taking place in Tallinn on June 17-19.
Conference Schedule:
– 09:30 opening
– 09:50 I session
– 11:00 coffee
– 11:30 II session
– 13:00 Lunch
– 14:00 III session
– 15:30 coffee
– 16:00 IV session
– 17:00 closing (15 min)
– 09:30 Opening session.
In the light of the new European Bioeconomy Strategy and the forthcoming new framework programs for research and innovation as well as for agriculture, rural development and regional development, Estonia and its Baltic neighbors are exploring new ways for embedding research and innovation in the center of traditional industries and traditional policies.
Moderator:
– Andres Koppel, Deputy Secretary General for higher Education and Research, Ministry of Education and Research, Estonia.
Speakers:
– Jaak Aaviksoo, Minister of Education and Research: The potential of biotechnology driven growth.
– Maive Rute, Director for Biotechnology Research, European Commission: Implementing the new Bioeconomy strategy in Europe. Prospects for Baltics.
– 09.50 I session: Bioeconomy – who should catch the ball?
Bioeconomy is a broad concept involving various ministries and a large number of stakeholders. Who would take the lead? How to ensure proper funding from the national sources? What is the role of private sector?
Moderator:
– Vygantas Katkevicius, Director of the Department of Economics and Programs Evaluation, Ministry of Agriculture of Lithania
Speakers:
– Alison Middleton, Bioeconomy Programme, Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, the Netherlands.
– Dr Mika Aalto, Director for Forest and Chemical Industries, Tekes, Finland.
– Stefan Källman, Ministry for Rural Affairs, Sweden.
– 11.30 II Session: Bioeconomy – opportunities for innovation in traditional economy and linking the high tech science with the traditional economy.
How could private initiatives in bioeconomy sectors bring new life to old industries? What policy initiatives at national, regional and European level help turn bio-resources and waste into new growth and jobs opportunities? Would oil refineries of future run on biomass? Should ports prepare for switching from oil and gas to transport of bio based resources? What new opportunities are opening up in the forest-based, agriculture and energy sectors? Can we turn waste into gold?
Like in Latvia and Lithuania, Estonia has strong competencies in the areas of life sciences, while the related industries have remained relatively small. How to combine high-tech bio-sciences with low-tech traditional industries and promote the interaction between them in an effective way? What role to the science policy and the regional development initiatives?
Moderator:
– Olavi Otepalu, Director for Biotechnology, Enterprise Estonia.
Speakers:
– Kare Riis Nielsen, Director of European Affairs, Novozymes, Denmark.
– Jaanus Arukaevu, Strategy Manager, Eesti Energia, Estonia.
– Frans Jan Hellenthal, Bioeconomy Strategy of Port of Rotterdam Authority, the Netherlands.
– Anton Robek, Royal DSM, the Netherlands.
– 14.00 III session: Country presentations
What is already going on in biotechnology and bioeconomy innovation in the Baltic States?
Moderator:
– Ina Alsina, University of Agriculture, Latvia.
Speakers:
– Andres Pajuste, NordBioChem, Estonia.
– Gervydas Dienys, Lithuanian Biotechnology Association.
– 16.00 IV session: Bioeconomy – where to start?
Many European and regional initiatives exist which could facilitate the involvement of smaller Member States researchers and enterprises in collaborative efforts in bioeconomy. The upcoming FP7 final call for proposals would make some 370 M euros available for research projects in the bioeconomy sectors.
Moderator:
– Riin Ehin, Competence Centre for Cancer Research.
Speakers:
– Johan Elvnert, European Technology Platforms as a stepping stone to international cooperation in bioeconomy.
Someone from Joint Programming Initiative FACCE and ERA-Nets as a way to pool resources and coordinate.
– Maive Rute, Director for Biotechnology Research, European Commission: What will we look for in the next call for proposals?
– 17.00 Closing remarks.
– Minister Parts, Estonian Ministry of Economic Affairs.
Followed by networking reception.
The Conference will be held in English.