K4I Innovation Pact to launch at #7EIS

Launching the 'Pact for Innovation', the Seventh European Innovation Summit (7EIS) will call for closer cooperation between key innovation stakeholders and the EU institutions to overcome the challenges facing innovation in Europe today. Organised by Knowledge4Innovation, the four-day event will take place from 7 to 10 December 2015 in the European Parliament in Brussels.

The signatories of the “Pact for Innovation” (INPACT) share a common vision that a globally competitive and successful Europe needs closer cooperation to ensure that innovation contributes effectively to our continents long-term economic success and citizens’ well-being.

To achieve this goal, the Pact focuses on the implementation of actions in identified priority areas, where concrete and timely changes can be best achieved at the European Union level. The Pact’s signatories are committed to implement INPACT projects until the year 2020 across EU borders, individual regions, sectors and institutions. Furthermore, the Pact aims to increase consumer and investor confidence in the EU, thereby securing Europe’s position as a global innovation leader.

Innovation Summit
The programme of 7EIS focuses on key-challenges and opportunities in the field of innovation. The summit will host numerous sessions and events on Europe’s grand challenges in the innovation sector ranging from energy to industry, environment and agriculture, the bio-economy, health, transport, safety and security, quantum computing, and the role of regions and cities. It will provide a platform for leaders in various sectors to discuss the policies and instruments required to promote innovation throughout the economy.

Cefic-SusChem are organising a breakfast session on the chemical industry and advanced materials and their role in addressing global trends, including population growth, climate change, urbanisation and the rising demand for energy, that present major challenges for society.

Another session of interest to SusChem stakeholders on 8 December involves the Biobased Industries Joint Undertaking (BBI JU) who will be involved in a debate starting at 17:00 on the new Joint Undertakings (JUs) that have been set up to drive innovation in key industrial sectors including aviation, health, fuel cells and hydrogen, and bio-based products and materials.

A special focus of the Summit will be on youth involvement in order to spark a debate that provides constructive, sustainable and precise contributions to future EU-policy making. Young innovators from all over Europe will actively engage with policy-makers and innovation leaders. The Summit will serve these young innovators as a unique platform to enhance cross-border networking.

The Summit will be covered extensively via social media providing everyone with the possibility to participate in the debates. You can follow K4I on Facebook (Knowledge4Innovation) and Twitter (@k4innovation), and join the conversation by using the hashtags #7EIS or #INPACT.