November European Innovation Summit celebrates 10 years

The 10th European Innovation Summit (#10EIS) organised by Knowledge4Innovation (K4I) is taking place from 26 – 29 November 2018 in and around the European Parliament in Brussels. The theme this year is ‘Europe – A Global Leader in Science, Technology and Innovation’ and the event programme will address hot topics currently on the policy agenda, developments in sectors crucial for Europe’s competitiveness as well as taking a deep dive into emerging technologies.

Plenary Sessions on Horizon Europe as well as future Cohesion Policy in support of innovation will provide input to the ongoing negotiations among the three European Institutions. A special session will be dedicated to the European elections and how MEPs can play the 'innovation card' during their campaign and help to create a true single market for innovation in the EU.

Hot topics

Horizontal topics to be addressed at #10EIS include Horizon Europe (the next Framework Programme for Research and Innovation), the EU-Cohesion programmes that support innovation policy implementation in all regions, and the forthcoming MFF, the Multiannual Financial Framework post 2020.

Emerging and Breakthrough Technology topics include Artificial Intelligence (AI), Big Data, Blockchain, Quantum Technologies, Next Generation Computing, Internet of Things and 5G mobile, Synthetic Cells and Genome Editing, and Augmented or Virtual Reality.

Many topics will bridge across industries and sectors such as Digital Transformation and Industry 4.0, Climate Change, Clean Energy, Food for all, Healthcare for a better life, Materials and Chemicals for sustainability, Urban Mobility and Carbon free transport, Financial Technology and Financial services, Education: adapting curricula to reality, Smart Cities, Circular Economy, Security and Cyber security, Space technology and much more.

For more information on #10EIS visit the K4I website. Both Cefic and SPIRE are partners of  #10EIS and will be participating in the event.

EUTop50

In parallel with #10EIS the EUTop50 Founders and Tech Festival (#EUTOP50) will be staged on 26-27 November at the Palais des Academies and the European Parliament in Brussels. #EUTOP50 celebrates and supports young talent from all over Europe by bringing together the continent’s leading innovation actors, technology developers, incubators and accelerators, investors, corporate venture organisations, family offices and all those who contribute to the development of a globally competitive entrepreneurial ecosystem in Europe.

Learning from last year’s #EUTOP50 event, and to achieve maximum impact, the 2018 edition has invited not only start-ups and scale-ups but also R&D innovators from Horizon 2020 and national research programmes and university technology developers from across Europe as well Graduate Companies from Universities of Applied Science.

During the event 25 winners will be selected to give pitches during the #EUTOP50 event, participate in the Mentorship Programme of Europe`s Future Innovation Leaders, compete for awards from #EUTOP50 Partners, meet Corporates and Investors, network with future Business Partners and participate at the #10EIS Opening Ceremony and Networking Reception.

For more information on the #EUTOP50 event and competition visit their website. 

Join us to launch the new SusChem logo and brand at 8EIS

SusChem will be launching its new logo and branding at a cocktail reception on Tuesday 15 November. The event takes place during the Eighth European Innovation Summit (8EIS) organised by Knowledge4Innovation. The theme for the evening event is ‘Together for sustainability’ and the launch takes place from 18:00 to 19:30 in the Members´ Restaurant of the European Parliament in Brussels. 

Please come and join us to learn how sustainable chemistry is inspiring the change of pace and mind-set needed to make a sustainable, smart and inclusive society real. Get first-hand insights of SusChem’s vision for a competitive and innovative Europe where sustainable chemistry and biotechnology together provide solutions for future generations.

This launch event is an excellent opportunity to begin the dialogue and engagement needed to tackle the most significant global challenges we face through the co-creation of sustainable chemistry solutions.  This is at the heart of SusChem’s work.

The event is hosted by Lambert van Nistelrooij, MEP and the main speaker will be Dr Klaus H. Sommer, Chair of the SusChem board (left). The 8EIS event will feature the launch of SusChem's new brand identity and logo.

You can find a detailed agenda and list of speakers on the 8EIS webpage. The event is free, but registration is required. The event will also include a number of exciting activities and present important new developments for the SusChem community. If you are interested in attending please register here no later than Friday, 4 November. We will update you with further details closer to the date - stay tuned via our twitter feed @SusChem!

8EIS programme - innovation for business
On the 8EIS webpage you can also register for other events during the 8th European Innovation Summit including the Opening and Closing events, as well as 8th EIS Conference and Parallel sessions.

The 8th European Innovation Summit comes at a time of major challenges and opportunities requiring bold decisions. Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Things; innovative business models for the sharing economy; disruptive technologies such as autonomous driving or genetic engineering – are some of the big game changers that have a profound impact on the way we live and work.

Innovation as the response to major societal challenges is not only about technological developments executed by researchers in their labs. It requires the involvement of the users from the beginning and equally important a better connection and communication between science and society.

This year’s EIS debates cover a great variety of hot topics such as:

• The mid-term review and post 2020 discussions: Next Framework Programme, European Innovation Council, Structural Funds, etc. 
• People: STEM education, next generation innovators and entrepreneurs
• Disruptive technologies and business models
• Circular economy
• The effect of digitisation on society
• Bi-annual INPACT meeting - Pact for Innovation initial working groups

SusChem interest
Of particular interest to SusChem stakeholders will be a debate on the Mid-term review and post-2020 preparations on Tuesday 15 November from 9:00 to 11:00. In context of the midterm evaluation of Horizon 2020 and the planning for the upcoming Framework Programme 9, the debate will cover key questions on how to assess the success of EU research funding and its instruments, and what lessons to draw for the future.

The objectives of this plenary session are to gain insights in existing models and tools for measuring science and innovation impact, share experiences, identify lessons learnt and make recommendations for research and innovation policy and future programme design. The session will be moderated by Gernot Klotz President, K4I with contributions from Ronald de Bruin, Director, COST Association, Bert De Colvenaer, Director, Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking, Pedro de Sampaio Nunes, Head of Secretariat, Eureka, Andreas Klossek, COO, EIT KIC Raw Materials and Pierre Barthelemy, Executive Director, Research & Innovation, CEFIC

Also on Tuesday 15 November from 16:00 to 18:00 there is a conference on the Circular Economy with speakers including Dr Detlef Maennig, from Evonik Degussa, Sira Saccani, Director of Sustainable Production Systems, Climate KIC, and Andreas Klossek, COO, EIT KIC.

And Cefic and Knowledge4Innovation are holding an invitation-only EIS Lunch Debate on Wednesday, 16 November, from 12:30 to 14:30 with the topic 'Turning CO2 into value for Europe: Opportunities and challenges'.  During this session a range of opportunities will be discussed, such as renewable hydrogen and CO2 utilisation, which can help Europe towards its objective of a more sustainable economy, and the steps we have to take to insure investments and industrial deployment right here in Europe. Speakers include Alexis Bazzanella, Head of Research & Project Coordination, Dechema, Pierre Barthelemy, Executive Director Research and Innovation, Cefic, and Philippe Tulkens, Deputy Head of Unit, DG RTD, European Commission.

Launching a Pact for Innovation at 7EIS

Hosted by Knowledge4Innovation, the 7th European Innovation Summit took place at the European Parliament in Brussels on 7–10 December. With everyone from young entrepreneurs and students to European Commissioners and MEPs in attendance, the stage was set for exciting discussions on how Europe can bridge the innovation gap. Cefic co-organised a Breakfast debate on ‘Advanced materials and breakthrough opportunities for the energy transition’ at the event. Science writer Ben Skuse reports.

More than 1 500 delegates, including more than 50 MEPs, attended 2015’s European Innovation Summit (7EIS), offering a unique opportunity for stakeholders across the spectrum to get together and discuss the key challenges and opportunities for Europe to capitalise on its innovation potential, increase its competitiveness and help solve global problems.

Alongside the cross-sector, cross-disciplinary themes discussed throughout 7EIS’s plenary sessions and coffee breaks, a number of more targeted debates took place at the event. These offered the chance to hear sector-specific challenges and opportunities from leading stakeholders in each field. Critical topics including industry, environment, agriculture, bio-economy, health, transport, safety and security, quantum computing, the role of regions and cities, and energy were all debated through dedicated sessions.

Advanced materials, competitive economy
The latter – energy – was the focus of Cefic’s co-organised Breakfast debate entitled ‘Advanced materials and breakthrough opportunities for the energy transition’ on 8 December. Dedicated to how the chemical industry can contribute to enabling Europe make the transition to a competitive, sustainable low-carbon economy through innovation, the session was hosted by MEP Professor Jerzy Buzek with presentations from key policy makers and industry representatives including Cefic Executive Director for Research and Innovation Pierre Barthélemy.

Introducing the debate Prof. Buzek stressed the need for an innovative leap, in which development of advanced material would be very important, to enable change in the way we make and use energy.  Rudolph Strohmeier, Deputy Director General at the European Commission’s DG for Research and Innovation (below) agreed describing the Commission’s “two-sided approach with the Energy Union and SET plan and the Key Enabling Technologies (KETs) initiative - that includes advanced materials - to achieve a real energy revolution.”

Pierre Barthélemy highlighted the chemical industry’s responsibility to contribute to energy issues along the entire value chain and called for further EU support for technology development activities but also for the deployment of novel technologies. For example, central talking points included the chemical industry’s role in providing lightweight materials offering improved energy efficiency for the transport, construction and industry sectors described by Christian Collette of Arkema. While advanced materials for key energy technologies, such as energy storage, solar cells and wind turbines, and new materials for carbon capture and use as fuels or chemical energy storage were highlighted by Peter Nagler of Evonik.

The debate went well beyond advanced materials, turning to wider energy-related concerns, as Cefic Innovation Manager and SusChem Secretary Jacques Kormorniki illuminates: “There were excellent statements and discussions around the topic of energy during the Breakfast debate. This aligns with what we try to do in the SET-Plan and SusChem’s Strategic Innovation and Research Agenda – to have a global view of the energy issues.”

For example Martin Winter from Clariant claimed that advances in chemical catalysis to 2050, particularly for the synthesis of ammonia, could save energy equivalent to the current consumption of Germany and boost the global fight against hunger.

A Pact for Innovation
Although highly diverse, all the sessions and subjects were linked by the common goal of providing an environment in which Europe’s young innovators can be creative, expand their businesses and compete in the global economy. And nowhere was this theme more evident than in the official launch of the Pact for Innovation (INPACT) during the Summit’s opening ceremony on 7 December.

INPACT aims to create a space for innovation stakeholders and European institutions to meet and collaborate, in order to tackle key issues at the local, national and regional levels that hinder excellence in innovation. In essence, it will provide platforms for Europe’s innovators in all sectors to communicate with policy makers in a meaningful way.

Further, the Pact will focus on introducing and optimising favourable conditions for innovators to operate in and will lay the foundations for the next generation to be able to take risks. “A stronger EU-wide commitment is needed, and that’s why we’ve come forward with this Pact for Innovation, not just another reformulation of the overall [innovation] strategy between the key European institutions – we strive for a stronger, less institution-centric and firmer dialogue with all stakeholders,” stated Lambert van Nistelrooij, Chair, K4I Forum Governing Board, during his address.

The launch of INPACT was warmly welcomed by European Commissioner for Research Carlos Moedas at the opening ceremony (see box below).

Open Innovation 2.0
Offering a basis for INPACT to succeed, another strong theme pervading the conference was Open Innovation 2.0. Based on a Quadruple Helix Model, involving government, industry, academia and civil stakeholders, Open Innovation 2.0 calls for all actors to co-create the future through networking, collaboration, corporate entrepreneurship, proactive intellectual property management and R&D.

 “To use an analogy, we need multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary models of innovation with all stakeholders, all disciplines, all levels of technology readiness in a boiling kettle with the public authorities providing the kettle, the fire and ensuring the soup has all the right ingredients,” explains Bror Salmelin, Innovation Systems Adviser at the European Commission, DG CONNECT, and co-creator of the Open Innovation 2.0 paradigm. “And then we have the chefs who know how to cook it and how to grab onto the results – these are entrepreneurs, large or small.”

“Innovation is not a linear process any more, it is not science-based excellence, it’s about creating a lot of collisions, igniting new ideas that can be prototyped in a real-world setting very quickly, with the end-user there to say what is working and not,” Salmelin concludes.

Enabling innovators to innovate
Key to a meaningful dialogue between Europe’s innovators and policy makers, and introducing Open Innovation 2.0 to the current and next generation of innovators, will be engaging youth.

A number of young innovators were in attendance at 7EIS to offer their perspective of the innovation environment in Europe. During the parallel session ‘The next generation: mobility, jobs and entrepreneurship’, policy makers, academics and entrepreneurs shared their experiences with an eclectic crowd, including Govinda Upadhyay, 2015 EIT CHANGE award winner and founder of educational solar LED lamp startup LED safari. “It’s really good to see how people are working in the innovation direction at the European Union level, but I wish that this could be on a much more grand scale,” he explained after the session. “I am sure that if the policy makers took more initiative for young entrepreneurs in terms of market, funding, really encouraging them, it would be very beneficial.”

Another speaker at the session Tobias Bahnemann, co-founder of groundbreaking 3D sensor startup Toposens, shared Upadhyay’s tentatively positive sentiment: “The policy makers are listening to the problems and wishes of young entrepreneurs here definitely, but we will have to wait a few years to see if any changes have been made as a result.”

Support for the innovators

But perhaps entrepreneurs will not have to wait so long: “I would like to see Europe go further and faster towards open innovation,” stated European Commissioner Carlos Moedas in his foreword to the 7EIS programme.

During his speech at the Summit’s opening ceremony, Moedas went on to outline how he wishes to achieve a better innovation ecosystem. He explained how INPACT aligns perfectly with his idea of building a European Innovation Council to support innovators in the same way that the European Research Council boosts scientific discovery: “I was looking at the Pact for Innovation and I saw four key words that I think are essential […]. The first is careers, the second is refocus, the third is citizens and the fourth is future [… ]. Careers, yes: we have to streamline instruments, we have to get people in Europe to know where to go when they come to us. Refocus, yes: the European Innovation Council is all about refocus[ing]. Citizens, yes: it’s about how you get these new innovators to get on board. And the last point, future generation: […] how you transform curricula from a very young age to the Master’s level. And all this is about how you can get a bottom-up experience for innovators.”

“I would like to see Europe go further and faster towards open innovation,” – Carlos Moedas

Taking a Leaf out of Nature’s Book

Mimicking photosynthesis may be the key to unlocking a future energy scene dominated by renewables. But nature’s simple process still holds many secrets. In light of the high-level Cefic breakfast debate on advanced materials and energy challenges that took place at the 7th European Innovation Summit, we asked science writer Ben Skuse to delve into how breakthroughs in materials may help resign fossil fuels to the past through the development of novel technologies and perhaps – eventually – artificial leaves.

The development of novel processes using waste carbon dioxide - up to and including the ultimate goal of artificial photosynthesis - feature in the SusChem Innovation and Research Agenda. 


Photosynthesis is a wonder of nature. It transforms energy from the light that the Sun bathes the Earth in to energy‐rich sugars. Simply put, it takes carbon dioxide and water, and converts them to glucose and oxygen.

There are two stages to this process. The first – water splitting – converts water into oxygen and a protein. In the next step, the protein reacts with CO2 to produce biomass. So far, scientists have only managed to master the former, splitting water using electrolytic processes to create hydrogen gas instead of biomass. But even on its own this feat was a huge achievement, paving the way for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles being actively commercialised today by the likes of Daimler and Toyota, and for the power industry taking hydrogen energy storage seriously as an option to deal with intermittent renewable power generation.

Hydrogen has some limitations
While hydrogen has one of the highest energy densities of any fuel, it is also the lightest of all elements. This means its storage requires very large volumes or very high pressures, resulting in issues of safety. Furthermore, the high cost of developing infrastructure and the energy intensity of the water splitting process offer sceptics a strong argument that hydrogen may not be the future for energy storage or the automotive industry.

“Hydrogen has some limitations,” confirms Sophie Wilmet, Cefic Innovation Manager. Sophie believes CO2 conversion technologies might provide a good alternative for large-scale storage of renewable energy using existing infrastructure. “CO2 can be used to address the energy storage challenge brought about by the rise in renewables, as well as for alternative fuels for transport.”

Carbon as a resource
Although not using direct photoconversion of CO2, a number of technologies are being actively explored to transform CO2 from a reviled waste product to a useful resource, as Sophie explains: “From CO2 you can produce basic and added-value chemicals”.

For example, a process co-developed by RWTH Aachen University and Covestro, formerly Bayer MaterialScience, has led to the construction of a plant that will be opened in 2016 in Dormagen, Germany, capable of producing up to 5000 metric tons per year of polyols, a polyurethane intermediate. About 20% of the content of the polyols will be from waste CO2 captured from a nearby ammonia plant, with the final material a flexible foam for mattresses.

Another innovator is Icelandic company Carbon Recycling International (CRI), whose renewable methanol reduces carbon emissions by more than 90% compared to fossil fuels. The fuel is produced from CO2 and hydrogen that comes from renewable sources of electricity. The world's first liquid renewable transport fuel production facility from non-biological sources of energy, CRI has a 4000 metric ton per year production capacity.

Further novel ideas include using large volumes of waste CO2 from industrial processes to produce syngas (BASF);  converting waste gases from iron and steel mills into ethanol and other important chemicals, such as acetic acid, acetone, isopropanol, n-butanol or 2,3 butanediol (Siemens/LanzaTech); and creating a closed carbon cycle using renewable energy, CO2 and water to provide sustainable fuels for vehicles and decentralised electricity generation (sunfire).

Mimicking nature
Capable of absorbing CO2 at the very low concentrations (400 parts per million) found in the air, absorbing energy from low-photon count sunlight, and photosynthetic cell self-repair, the ‘technology’ within plants is far more advanced than anything devised by humankind so far.
However, with aeons to perfect the technique, it comes as something of a surprise that energy conversion in plants is not actually particularly efficient: “For most plants the photosynthetic and storage efficiency is an average of 1%,” explains Dr Junwang Tang, Reader in Energy from University College London, UK.  Why is photosynthesis so inefficient? “The natural process is capable of utilising 100% of photons but green plants give up that potential to protect themselves – nature doesn’t need so much energy.”

As a result, if society were to mimic photosynthesis unaltered, there would not be enough land on Earth to cycle the carbon required for a sustainable future. Instead, researchers are aiming to enhance the process from a number of angles. “We have learnt how nature stores CO2 and we have realised that we can probably do better,” exclaims Junwang.

Direct photoconversion
A major roadblock in developing such technology is finding photocatalysts that can absorb as much of the solar spectrum as possible while still being efficient. As plants only use a fraction of the visible range, great potential lies in the untapped electromagnetic spectrum, so photocatalysts that respond to different regions are being investigated. Other researchers are exploring doping, nanomaterials and co-catalyst surface-loading to improve the photocatalytic response of promising materials.

However, with numerous other hurdles to climb before real-world application, Sophie expects there to be a long wait before artificial leaves are realised: “It still requires development in terms of new concepts, designs of photoelectrodes and integration of the system,” she explains. “For Cefic, it’s part of our overall long-term strategy, but more like a second- or third-generation technology that will not have impact by 2020.”

Even though tangible impact from direct photoconversion seems a long way off, Europe’s competitors are keen to advance the state of the art now, with a number of multi-million Euro projects funded in Japan, a Joint Centre for Artificial Photosynthesis set up in the US and well-funded initiatives in many other parts of the world.

As a result, Junwang believes Europe’s highly able yet currently fragmented and small community of scientists working in the area needs to be brought together: “Europe is very strong in fundamental understanding of artificial and natural photosynthesis, but countries like Japan, USA and China are investing heavily in this technology through well-funded projects. If we don’t invest more – just like has happened with graphene – other countries will heavily patent the field.”

The Cefic breakfast debate
The Cefic breakfast debate took place at the 7th European Innovation Summit in the European Parliament on 8 December. The event was hosted by Jerzy Buzek, MEP and covered the wide-ranging topic of 'Advanced Materials and breakthrough opportunities for the energy transition’.

Super SusChem Contest at 7EIS

This year at the Seventh European Innovation Summit (#7EIS) the SusChem exhibition area will not only feature the latest advances in European sustainable chemistry but also electronically enhanced magic and the chance to win a brand new Apple Watch! But don't worry if you can't get to Brussels by 10 December SusChem is also opening the #iwatch4me #suschemcontest to our blog and twitter followers.

SusChem has an Apple Watch to give away during #7EIS. To get a chance to win you need to take one (or more) of the quiz contests on the Cefic-SusChem Innovation for Growth website. The site covers innovation for Smart Cities, Resource Efficiency and Water - and each section hosts one or more short quiz contests. Completing any one of the contests will enter you in a draw for an Apple Watch!

The quiz contests are fun ways to learn how sustainable chemistry innovation helps society. Why not share the fun with your friends and colleagues using the hashtag #iwatch4me?

• Smart Cities Contest 
• Resource Efficiency contest
• Water Contest

If you haven’t already taken our entire set of contests, we invite you to take the rest by going to one of the contest pages above and increase your chances of winning! The competition will close at 14:00 (Brussels time) on Wednesday 9 December.

Don’t forget to tweet your participation using the hashtag #iwatch4me. The lucky winner will be announced at 15:00 on Wednesday 9 December 2015 at the SusChem booth in the 7th European Innovation Summit exhibition area and we will be announcing the winners via the SusChem twitter channel (@suschem) too of course.

To learn more about the wonderful solutions that chemistry has for the significant facing our society today, please explore our Innovation4Growth portal.

Click here to download the full rules of our Innovation4Growth Flash Twitter Contest here!

7EIS
Organised by Knowledge4Innovation, the four-day event is taking place from 7 to 10 December 2015 in the European Parliament in Brussels.

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.

Pact for Innovation launched at European Innovation Summit

The Seventh European Innovation Summit (#7EIS) opened today (7 December) at the European Parliament with the signing of the ‘Pact for Innovation’ (INPACT). The objective of INPACT is to create a space for close collaboration between key innovation stakeholders and the European Institutions resulting in concrete solutions addressing the multiple barriers that currently prevent a strong and globally competitive innovation performance in Europe. The Pact was signed and handed-over to Carlos Meodas, European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation at the #7EIS ceremony.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Innovation Summit, Commissioner Moedas welcomed the Pact for Innovation initiative saying he recognised four key words in the document's priorities that aligned with Commission innovation strategy: coherence, refocus, citizens, and future. He said it was necessary to "acknowledge that innovation is tough - it takes you out of your comfort zone."

In his speech he also called for an innovation equivalent of the European Research Council to be established that could find the great innovators in Europe and "cherish them". He observed that it was often those outside the formal research and innovation system that are doing the most important work.

Opening the summit Lambert van Nistelrooij MEP, President of the Knowledge4Innovation Forum called for greater integration of European funds to stimulate further the implementation of innovation.

Following the speeches, the INPACT document was signed by Lambert van Nistelrooij MEP, Chair of the K4I Forum Governing Board (second left above), Prof. Jerzy Buzek MEP, Vice-Chair, K4I Forum Governing Board (second right), Dr. Gernot Klotz, President of K4I (left) and Dr. Roland Strauss, Managing Director, K4I (right) and handed to Commissioner Moedas (centre above).

Why Europe needs INPACT 

The objectives of INPACT reflect SusChem thinking on innovation and the need to promote collaboration across industrial sectors and along value chains to ensure Europe’s innovation performance is optimised and globally competitive.

INPACT will help to overcome barriers to innovation that prevent a strong and globally competitive innovation performance in Europe at all levels: national, regional and local. Close cooperation both at the level of the different Commission DGs as well as the stakeholder community will help strengthen Europe’s innovation performance.

INPACT calls for a joint effort to create pro-innovation conditions to overcome well-known weaknesses in turning knowledge created by research and invention into innovation that can provide jobs and growth for Europe. The signatories of INPACT share the vision that a globally competitive and successful Europe needs stakeholders and institutions to work together in an integrated approach to ensure that innovation can deliver solutions to major societal challenges Europe.

To move quickly from research and invention to innovation and accelerate the market uptake of innovations, Europe must build on its existing strengths but also address shortcomings by creating a favourable environment and encouraging the next generation of entrepreneurs to take risk. The signatories of the pact believe that it is imperative that Europe seizes the opportunity and position innovation at the heart of the Europe 2020 Review.

INPACT Priorities 
The priorities set out the INPACT document are grouped under four main headings:

• A coherent set of EU policies for innovation 
• Re-focusing and aligning EU budgets and investments towards innovation
• Improve Citizens and Investor confidence in Europe
• Paving the way for the next generation

The focus of INPACT is on implementation of actions within identified priorities, where timely changes can be achieved best at EU level. Harnessing Europe’s innovation will be best achieved by creating strong value chains and effectively orchestrating innovation ecosystems at all levels. The signatories commit to implement INPACT projects across EU borders, individual regions and sectors by 2020.

INPACT is open to cooperate with all other dedicated stakeholder groups working in the field of innovation within Europe. The initial signatories are inviting committed stakeholders to join as co-signatories. To find out more visit the Knowledge for Innovation (K4I) website or contact K4I direct.

You can find the full programme for the Seventh European Innovation Summit on the Knowledge4Innovation website.

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.

Innovation Summit to feature Advanced Materials, Innovation Pact and Youth

From 7 to 10 December the Seventh European Innovation Summit (7EIS) will set the stage for the future of innovation in Europe and SusChem will be there to highlight its contribution to sustainable innovation. 7EIS is organised by Knowledge4Innovation (K4I) and will take place in the European Parliament in Brussels. Cefic and SusChem are organising a special breakfast session on Advanced Materials for Energy on the morning of 8 December.

The four day 7EIS event will call for a ‘Pact for Innovation’ with the objective of developing an ambitious vision of what innovation can do for the EU economy and society. The future-oriented bottom-up approach of the Pact will unite a group of local, regional, national and EU innovation stakeholders.

The 7EIS programme 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.

Materials for the energy transition
The Cefic-SusChem session will address global trends including population growth, climate change, urbanisation and the rising demand for energy that present major challenges for society. Advanced materials have a strategic importance to support economic and sustainable growth, strengthen competitiveness and enable the transition to a low-carbon economy that meets these challenges.

The chemical industry, as a provider of innovative advanced materials, is in a unique position to supply the sustainable solutions that society needs to make this energy transition and to address the critical energy challenge we face. The chemical industry brings a vital contribution across the entire energy value chain including:

• Materials –including lightweight materials - for improved energy efficiency in areas from transportation to construction and industry
• Materials and key enabling technologies for advanced energy storage including new battery technologies
• Materials that enable new low-carbon energy production such as solar cells, wind turbines and other renewable energy sources
• Materials and technologies (Power to Gas, Power to Liquid) that can capture and use CO2 for alternative sustainable fuels and chemical energy storage, and
• The ultimate goal of direct conversion of atmospheric CO2 to fuels and materials

Join the session on the morning of 8 December from 08:00 to discuss these exciting opportunities and challenges for innovation and find out about new developments from the chemical industry that can enable Europe to make the transition to a competitive, sustainable low-carbon economy.

The session will be hosted by Jerzy Buzek, MEP, Vice Chair of the K4I Forum Governing Board and speakers will include K4I President Gernot Klotz as the session moderator, Rudolph Strohmeier from DG Research and Innovation in the European Commission, Peter Nagler, Head of International Innovation at Evonik and SusChem board member, Christian Collette, VP Research & Development at Arkema, Martin Winter, Senior Manager Corporate New Business Development at Clariant, and Pierre Barthélemy, Cefic’s Executive Director R&I and also a SusChem board member. More details of the session can be found here.

Cefic and SusChem will also be present in the 7EIS exhibition area at the Parliament including an innovative interactive game offering the chance to win valuable prizes – more details soon!

Socio-economic impact of EU JUs
Another session of interest to SusChem stakeholders on 8 December involves the Biobased Industries Joint Undertaking (BBI JU). A debate stating at 17:00 will look at 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.

The session will investigate the broader socio-economic impacts of the JUs. Early analyses reveal that the JUs are starting to make a real difference in this area, for example by enabling growth and job creation, and by delivering results that are already having an impact on some of the biggest challenges facing European society.

High-level representatives of the European Commission and the JUs, including Philippe Mengal, Executive Director of the BBI JU and Bert de Colvenaer, Executive Director of the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen JU, will present facts and figures on their socio-economic impact so far, and offer an insight into their expected impact in the years to come.

Youth focus
A special focus of the 7EIS summit will be on youth involvement. In order to spark a debate that provides constructive, sustainable and concrete contributions to future EU-policy making, young innovators from all over Europe will actively engage with policy-makers and innovation leaders. In addition, the summit will provide young innovators with a unique platform to enhance cross-border networking.

To register and be part of 7EIS complete your registration by 27 November. For more details visit the Knowledge for Innovation website or contact the K4I secretariat.

Sixth European Innovation Summit: Passion and 3D Printing

Sixth European Innovation Summit ran from 17 to 20 November and SusChem, Cefic and other sustainable chemistry stakeholders were heavily involved with the event. In total 40 Members of the European Parliament, led by the K4I Forum Chair Lambert van Nistelrooij and Vice-Chair Jerzy Buzek, attended the event and 900 registered participants took part in the 30 conference sessions that featured some 150 speakers gathered under the patronage of the President of the European Parliament.

 ‘A Mandate for Innovation in Europe’ was the topic of this year’s summit summarising a common ambition of making innovation the top strategic priority in the new institutional cycle. The continuing inability of Europe to successfully bring great ideas to the market remained the key issue raised by the summit participants. Better regulation, change in the educational system, risk acceptance and management were discussed as the key steps, necessary for Europe to move forward.

A particular focus was put on the importance of a strong engagement of the member states on the innovation front.  There was a broad agreement on the need to clearly assess the potential impact EU legislation has on innovation across all sectors.

Advanced manufacturing
On Tuesday morning The European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic) organised a breakfast debate on "Advanced Manufacturing for a new European Industrial Renaissance." The debate was hosted by Christian Ehler, MEP. Much of the discussion was focused on the ongoing European Commission budget negotiations and the threats to Horizon 2020 funding that could – according to Ehler - lead to a € 10 billion reduction in funds.

Rudolf Strohmeier (above), Deputy Director-General at DG Research and Innovation, European Commission described the proposed budget cuts rather bluntly as “Intellectually incoherent” and joined Ehler’s call for industry and other stakeholders to raise their voices to preserve research and innovation funding.

He stated that the programme itself had got off to a good start in particular praising the success of the new PPP initiatives such as SPIRE. But he said the Commission needed to better understand what is hampering innovation in Europe: what inhibits private investments in Research and Innovation and he called on stakeholders to talk to the Commission about their experience.

Gernot Klotz, Executive Director (above), Cefic talked about the new processes that chemistry could bring to enable a circular economy in particular via the SPIRE and BioBased Industries initiatives. He described Project Phoenix a proposed flagship project of common European interest led by the chemical industry that would work to bring breakthrough innovation to use CO2 to make chemicals and fuels for Europe.

Obstacles to innovation
The debate was continued at the first plenary session on Tuesday that was hosted by Neena Gill, MEP and moderated by Gernot Klotz.

Amongst the speakers Vicky Ford (above), MEP stated that “We must be positive – we can do it” and saw the key as sectors working together for innovation. But she saw a skills shortage as an issue.

Vladimir Sucha (below third from right), Director-General, the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre thought that we needed to break things down and understand the building blocks of innovation. In fact a general misunderstanding of innovation was one of our biggest bottle necks to progress.

Joanna Dupont-Inglis (on left above), Director of Industrial Biotechnology at Europabio described initiatives to build a European bioeconomy a development that would “require bold political moves, clarity of long-term strategy as well as legal certainty and stable conditions.”

Klaus Hoffmann, President of Dow Corning Europe (second right above) agreed with the need for stability. He thought that conditions are important. “Make it easy for me to say yes to invest,” he said. An attractive environment that was predictable and flexible was important.

Horizon 2020: First impressions
The budget discussion was revisited in this final session Tuesday morning. Rudolf Strohmeier called for a wider participation for experts – in particular for industry - to evaluate call responses in Horizon 2020. He also said there was a need for “concrete examples of use of structural funds in combination with Horizon 2020 funds – how it is done

And concluded with a warning that if the European Council get the budget they are proposing then the net effect will be to return European research and innovation back to the level of FP6.

Andreas Förster (above), Director, Dechema said his members thought that Horizon 2020 was working well, in particular in the cross sectorial and value chains initiatives such as SPIRE and BBI working well and more could be done in this area.

He thought that more explanations of calls with higher technology readiness level (TRL) would be good especially for academics who rarely operated at this level. He also thought wider adoption of two-stage assessment process would be useful in reducing workload and standardisation is an issue.

Innovation for energy
Prof. Jerzy Buzek, MEP introduced the debate on energy stated that an upgraded European energy community with new technology for low emission fossil fuels as well as renewable sources.

David Salisbury, President of GERG (the European Gas Research Group) said that we need to think differently about the future. Must avoid ruling out the options keep things open. He observed that existing European gas networks deliver much more energy than the electric grids: “[Europe] must use the existing networks better and smarter,” he said.

Gernot Klotz (above, with Jerzy Buzek) talked about the chemical industry’s contribution to innovation in energy as a major users of energy and also a supplier of materials for energy use and production. There was a need for a strategic continuum for energy technology development, he said.

He also described the three areas of the proposed Phoenix project that all impacted on energy: using CO2 to make chemicals; use of CO2 chemistry for large-scale chemical storage of energy; and the longer-term ‘artificial photosynthesis’ conversion of CO2 into chemicals and fuels.

3D highlights
One of the highlight of the event for many people was a visit to the Cefic SusChem stand and our 3D Printing machines in the Exhibition Space on the third floor gallery of the Parliament in Brussels. The Cefic team is pictured below.

K4I President Lambert van Nistelrooij made a particular reference to the SusChem exhibit in the closing press conference stressing the “need for” and the new materials needed for 3D printing. “We need to not only build new industries, but also rejuvenate traditional and existing industries,” he said. He was also scanned for a ‘mini-me’ figurine (see below).

He had been impressed with the 3D Printing demonstration and saw “a real change coming [in manufacturing] and it was imperative that the EU remains at the core of advanced manufacturing.”

The scanning and 3D printing of figurines was a very popular feature with a number of MEPs being scanned (below) and reproduced in plastic.

Also at the press conference Gernot Klotz emphasised the need for clear stability of policies for innovation. Trust is important in attracting innovation. He also said there was a need for structured research and development advice in all European Institutions and he hoped that the recent abandonment of the Chief Scientific Advisor role at the European Commission was not a sign of a future trend to disregard scientific advice in policy-making.

Passion for innovation
At the opening ceremony on the evening of 17 November Commissioners Carlos Moedas (Research, Innovation & Science), Corina Cretu (Regional Policy), Phil Hogan (Agricultural and Rural Development) and Günther Oettinger (Digital Economy & Society) had made their first public appearance.

Observers described Commissioner Moedas’ speech as “impassioned” and showed a very clear understanding of the issues. Here is an excerpt:

"Over the next five years, I know the new Commission will be tireless in its efforts to create the right conditions for European innovation to flourish.

 Research, science and innovation are not just the sum of a Commissioner's portfolio. They are not just the domain of multinational corporations or elite academic institutions.

They touch every tiny aspect of our lives. From the way we heat our homes, to the way we run our businesses. From the way we heal our bodies, to the way we construct our buildings.

Nothing has greater power to bring about economic prosperity. Nothing will enable us to contribute more to an increasingly interconnected, global society. Nothing has greater power to secure our place on the world stage, as a continent that leads: that eats, sleeps and breathes excellence.

Nothing has more power than research, science and innovation to change lives, to change the status quo, to wake us up, to disrupt! To unleash an outpouring of transformative energy."

You can read the full text of his speech here.

More about K4I
Knowledge4Innovation is an open, independent, non-profit platform with a wide variety of stakeholders including small and large companies, universities and research centres, regions and cities, trade organisations and think tanks. As such, it is the leading Brussels based innovation platform operating within the environment of the EU Institutions. K4I members are from the private, academic and public sectors and include large networks such as EUREKA, COST, Cefic, ECPA and EFPIA as well as universities, regional development organisations, cities, think tanks and small enterprises.

Chemistry and 3D Printing

Chemical research for the development of 3D printing materials covers a huge range of opportunities including synthesis and discovery of new or mixed material compositions that are amenable to printing techniques, new methods of printing to increase speed while simultaneously reaching higher resolutions, and materials that can provide component properties (such as strength) that are on a par with components produced by conventional methods.

Chemists use 3D printing
Chemists have used 3D printing to manufacture customised lab ware and reaction systems; others are working on a 3D printer that, instead of objects, is able to print molecules. An exciting potential long-term application is printing your own medicine using chemical inks.

What kind of ‘ink’ is used in 3D printing?
3D printers can use metallic powders, polymers, resins, sand, organic materials (for example cells, but also chocolate!), and mixtures amongst many others.

Chemists provide new materials for 3D printing
Chemists developing materials to be used in 3D printing need to take into account variety, composition, strength, and finishing procedures in order to increase the versatility of the technology. Currently, the variety of materials is limited to the ability of the materials to be powder-based or have low enough viscosities to be extruded from the printing head. Many manufacturers require proprietary materials to be used in their 3D printers or risk forfeiting the warranty. This scenario has limited the material pool, and thus, for 3D printing to continue to grow, the quantity and diversity of materials must increase.

Polymers with the right end-use performances and adapted to the specific 3D printing technologies are needed together with suitable metallic or ceramic materials. The chemical industry can deliver these materials - often working on novel derivatives of existing polymer formulations – and the area is a priority topic within the SusChem Strategic Innovation and Research Agenda (SIRA).

Want to know more?
Visit the Cefic-SusChem booth in the exhibition space at the 6th European Innovation Summit organised by Knowledge4Innovation (K4I) on 17 – 19 November 2014. Or contact the SusChem secretariat.

3-D printing: Additive Manufacturing

It’s the piece of cool technology at the top of every self-confessed geek’s wish list: a 3D printer. Who would not want the possibility to print a range of gadgets on a whim?

But for manufacturing 3D printing innovation could lead to a disruptive change in the way we make things. It could be the key to true mass-customisation as well as truly sustainable manufacturing.

And Cefic - SusChem will be demonstrating the potential for 3-D printing at its booth in the exhibition space at the 6th European Innovation Summit on 17 – 19 November 2014 at the European Parliament.

What is 3D printing?
3D printing (aka Additive Manufacturing) is based on making a three-dimensional object from an electronic data set through an additive process of adding layers of material in successive steps under computer control.

Additive manufacturing is a key technology for fostering European innovation and manufacturing industry – effectively reducing the gap between innovation and manufacturing.

The first 3D printers were developed 30 years ago, but the area experienced rapid growth from 1990 when plastic extrusion technology was commercialized using fused deposition modeling and thermoplastics with high melting point for rapid prototyping and small series production. 3D-printing allowed production of products in small quantities at relatively low cost.

3D printing has a vast array of applications from use in the medical and dental industries and in biotechnology (human tissue replacement), architecture, industrial design, and the aerospace and automotive industries. Consumer applications now include fashion and jewelry products. The global market for materials and services for 3-D printing (not including the printers themselves) is predicted to grow to US$ 10.8 billion by 2018.

Future 3D printing applications will require improved quality in, for example, the surface finish of components. This means that the range of available materials suited for additive manufacturing needs to be extended to cover a full portfolio of consumer products.

Meet ‘Team Juncker’ at the 6th European Innovation Summit

Five Commissioners from ‘Team Juncker’ will be joining the 6th European Innovation Summit that kicks off on Monday 17 November. The four day event will feature 31 conference sessions, attract some 1000 participants, and provide 200 stimulating speakers in the sixth edition of this major innovation event at the European Parliament. And, of course, SusChem will be there!

The 6th European Innovation Summit, organised by Knowledge4innovation (K4I), will take place from 17 to 20 November 2014 in the European Parliament in Brussels. The programme features more than 30 conference sessions and discussions on topics of great importance for everyone working in the area of innovation and speakers from the European Parliament, the European Commission, the educational and the private sector.  Guests of honour are Commissioners Carlos Moedas, Corina Cretu, Phil Hogan, Elzbieta Bienkowska and Günther Öttinger.

The motto of the this year’s edition is ‘A Mandate for Innovation in Europe’ which highlights the strong belief that innovation should be a top strategic priority in the new institutional cycle of the European Union and the centrepiece of a revised Europe 2020 strategy.

Unique event
For a sixth consecutive year the event brings together EU’s political, business, academic and scientific elite and provides a valuable opportunity for networking and sharing experience with other innovative organisations and high level EU policy makers. What is more, the summit is a unique chance to meet the newly elected MEPs and Commissioners and learn about their plans for the future of innovation in Europe.

The programme of the 6th European Innovation Summit features conference sessions on important "horizontal" aspects of innovation such as Framework conditions for innovation, TTIP, Horizon 2020, as well as parallel sessions for specific sectors for which innovation is the major resource to overcome the big challenges ahead including agriculture, energy, transport, health, climate, and IT. You can download the detailed programme for the summit here.

 Exhibition space
During the four days of the event, participants will also have the opportunity to visit the special EIS Exhibition Space where a number of organisations will present concrete cases from their day-to-day experience and demonstrate how their innovative and technological solutions can help solve the pressing challenges facing our European society today.

Examples include, for the first time ever in the European Parliament, a demonstration of a 3D Printer and a 3D Scanner, as well as an ambulance drone (a flying “medical toolbox”) developed by a student. Visit the exhibition area to discover for yourself why there is an intense fascination with 3D printing, also known as additive manufacture, and see the unparalleled promise that technology has to offer to the future of healthcare.

For more information, please visit the K4I website or send an email to the K4I secretariat.

Sixth European Innovation Summit: A Mandate for Innovation in Europe

The Sixth European Innovation Summit (6EIS), organised by Knowledge4innovation, will take place from 17 to 20 November 2014 at the European Parliament in Brussels and Cefic and SusChem will be there to show how sustainable chemistry can inspire and lead innovation for growth in Europe.

The programme features more than 25 conference sessions and discussions on important topics for innovation in Europe and presents more than 100 speakers from the European parliament, the European Commission, the educational and the private sectors. The motto of this year’s summit is ‘A Mandate for Innovation in Europe’: innovation should be a top strategic priority in the new institutional cycle of the European Union and the centerpiece of a revised Europe 2020 strategy.

Innovation to market
Cefic-SusChem is involved with a number of the events taking place at the 6EIS including a breakfast debate on 'Advanced Manufacturing for a new European Industrial Renaissance' on the morning of 18 November.

“Despite Europe’s strong performance in research, we still lack the ability to bring innovation swiftly and successfully to the market,” comments Gernot Klotz, Executive Director Research and Innovation at Cefic. “Therefore, we need a critical mass to push the market uptake of our innovations by working along the entire value chain. It is only by working together that we can reach the true potential of Europe’s innovation capacity. We shouldn’t design materials and cars, but rather materials for cars.”

Now, more than ever, Europeans need industry and industry needs Europe. To establish the roots of a viable economy for growth and jobs, industrial production is paramount to ensure the future of Europe and a high living standard for its citizens. However, under global competition, a new European Industrial Renaissance can only be achieved through a rejuvenated, and therefore sustainable, advanced manufacturing and processing sector.

Europe must integrate resource and energy efficiency along the full value chains where all input resources (including raw materials, renewable feedstocks, energy and water), all processes, output materials (including products, by-products and waste streams) and all recycle options can be  fully optimised.

“This means opening minds and our business models to new concepts and materials for sustainable and smart construction and urban mobility,” continues Gernot Klotz. “Where self-healing properties, printed electronics, 3D printing can really leap-frog Europe into the 21st century.”

Europe – industry and the public - needs to be enthused by breakthrough key enabling technologies that would make science fiction become reality: such as transforming CO2 into a renewable power engine both for industry and daily life.

“We need to give a chance to “good-old-manufacturing” to become the new, responsible “high-tech-made-in-Europe-driver” of endless possibilities,” concludes Gernot Klotz.

Speakers at the event will include Rudolf Strohmeier,  Deputy Director General, DG Research and Innovation, European Commission; Gernot Klotz, Executive Director Research and Innovation, CEFIC; and Henna Virkkunen, Member of the European Parliament.

Innovative programme
For a sixth consecutive year 6EIS brings together EU’s political, business, academic and scientific elite and provides a valuable opportunity for networking and sharing experience with other innovative organisations and high level EU policy makers. What is more, the summit is a unique chance to meet the newly elected MEPs and learn about their plans for the future of innovation in Europe.

Cefic –SusChem will actively participate in a number of events; in particular on 18 November when contributions will be made in two morning sessions (‘Framework conditions and obstacles to innovation in Europe’ and ‘Horizon 2020: First impressions and expressions’ – where new Research Commissioner Carlos Moedas will speak) and one of the afternoon sessions (‘The role of innovation for a secure and affordable energy in Europe’)

The 6EIS programme also features conference sessions on important "horizontal" aspects of innovation such as Framework conditions for innovation, TTIP, Horizon 2020, as well as parallel sessions for specific sectors for which innovation is the major resource to overcome the big challenges ahead: agriculture, energy, transport, health, climate, IT.

The detailed programme for the summit can be found here.

Exhibition space
During the four days of the event, delegates will also have the opportunity to visit the special EIS Exhibition Space where a number of organisations, including Cefic – SusChem, will present concrete case studies from their day-to-day experience and demonstrate their innovative and technological achievements and solutions.

Cefic – SusChem will be highlighting the role of sustainable chemistry in innovation for growth and including how developments in chemistry and materials are fuelling additive manufacturing and potentially revolutionising how we make ‘stuff’: minimising waste and energy use while maximising consumer choice.

K4I
Knowledge4Innovation is an open, independent, nonprofit platform with a wide variety of stakeholders including small and large companies, universities and research centers, regions and cities, trade organisations and think tanks. It is the leading Brussels based innovation platform operating within the environment of the EU Institutions. K4I includes members from the private, academic and public sectors and includes large networks such as EUREKA, COST, Cefic, ECPA and EFPIA as well as universities, regional development organisations, cities, think tanks and small enterprises.

For more information visit the K4I website or email the K4I secretariat.