Innovation
Innovation is key to remaining at the forefront of global economic developments. Without innovation, we will not be able to sustain our high-wage jobs and preserve social equity.
While there is much talk in Europe about innovation, there is still too little public engagement and popular understanding that innovation is first and foremost about doing things differently. Put simply, we need renewal and change in all areas of society – public and private. Against this backdrop, the Lisbon Council is committed to leading a campaign on the role and importance of innovation, to shedding light on innovation’s intricate dynamics and to providing a platform where innovative minds can connect and exchange ideas.
Among the highlights of the Innovation Initiative are:
Innovation: Open, Collaborative, Interdisciplinary
June 2009
The Lisbon Council convened a High-Level Working Group on Innovation. Convening under the timely theme Open, Collaborative, Interdisciplinary: What the Next Wave of Innovation will Mean for Europe, the gathering brought together key thought leaders and global practitioners. Hal Varian, author of Information Rules: A Strategic Guide to the Network Economy and chief economist of Google, delivered The 2009 Guglielmo Marconi Lecture, the Lisbon Council’s flagship event on innovation and creativity. His address, entitled Combinatorial Innovation: How Mass Collaboration will Change Europe, shed light on the profound economic transition triggered by the application of new technologies and new innovation models. Peter Dröll, head of unit, innovation policy development at DG Enterprise, served as discussant and presented the European Commission view. In another session, Dirk Pilat and Andrew Wyckoff of the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development introduced their leading-edge work on the OECD’s new Innovation Strategy.
Watch The 2009 Guglielmo Marconi Lecture in full on EUX.tv
Download OECD presentation on innovation
Download Professor Varian's presentation
Read Ann Mettler's article on innovation in Parliament Magazine
The Future of the Internet: How the Obama Generation will Change the World
February 2009
How will society change as the internet becomes more widespread? What will Web 3.0 look like? And how will today’s under 30’s use the Internet to write their own version of democracy and society? These questions and more were addressed by top thought leaders and policy makers, such as Don Tapscott, author of bestselling books Grown Up Digital and Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything, and Viviane Reding, European commissioner for information society and media.
Read Commissioner Reding's remarks
Watch video introduction to Grown Up Digital
High-Level Roundtable on Innovation in Services
November 2008
The Lisbon Council convened its second annual High-Level Roundtable on Innovation in Services. The Initiative was kicked off by Esko Aho, executive vice president at Nokia Corporation, and former prime minister of Finland, who delivered The 2008 Jean Monnet Lecture. Author of the seminal report Creating an Innovative Europe, Mr. Aho made a strong case for why service sector innovation is crucial for Europe’s future. Dirk Pilat, head of the science and technology division at the OECD, Paul Gemmel, professor of services operation management at the Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School, and Jari Kuusisto, director of the SC-Research Institute in Finland, contributed expert presentations. Participants joined us from Finland, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
Presentation from Dirk Pilat of the OECD
Presentation from Prof. Gemmel, Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School
Presentation from Prof. Kuusisto, SC-Research Institute
The 2008 Innovation Day
November 2008
Charlie Leadbeater, author of the best-selling book We-Think: Mass Innovation, Not Mass Production, kicked off The 2008 Innovation Day with a rousing appeal for Europe to embrace the challenge and opportunity of 21st century social networking in The 2008 Guglielmo Marconi Lecture, the Lisbon Council’s flagship event on innovation and creativity. Janez Potočnik, European commissioner for science and research, led a fascinating discussion on Europe’s fifth freedom. And Kacim Kellal, assistant deputy minister of international affairs and co-development of France, and Jonathan Faull, director general of DG Justice, Freedom and Security at the European Commission, joined a working group on the talent challenge and the EU Blue Card. The 2008 Innovation Day was organised in collaboration with Oracle.
Watch an excerpt of Charlie Leadbeater’s Lecture on EUX.tv
Watch a YouTube summary of Charlie Leadbeater’s book We-Think
Download OECD presentation on the mobility of highly skilled
Innovation in Serivces: Drivers of Growth in the Networked, Knowledge-Based Economy
November 2007
This high-level roundtable on the timely issue of Innovation in Services brought together chief information and technology officers, as well as top experts, thought leaders and industry practitioners.
The 2007 Guglielmo Marconi Lecture: Wikinomics, Innovation and the Entrepreneur
November 2007
Don Tapscott, chief executive officer of Canada-based think tank New Paradigm, and author of Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything. Lessons for your Business from Web 2.0, delivered the keynote address to the Lisbon Council's Innovation and Entrepreneurship Day. Mr. Tapscott addressed a group of 80 entrepreneurs from 14 European countries on the timely issue of "Wikinomics, Innovation and the Entrepreneur," explaining why there has never been a better time to be an entrepreneur.
Download Don Tapscott's presentation slides here
The 2006 Guglielmo Marconi Lecture: Putting Consumers First
December 2006
William W. Lewis, director emeritus of the McKinsey Global Institute and author of the acclaimed book "The Power of Productivity: Wealth, Poverty and the Threat to Global Stability," delivered The 2006 Guglielmo Marconi Lecture, the Lisbon Council’s flagship event on innovation and productivity. Dr. Lewis shed light on the recent policy re-orientation in Brussels, moving away from protecting incumbent economic interests towards serving a citizens’ agenda. In a compelling presentation, he made a convincing case for putting consumers first.
Download Dr. Lewis' presentation slides
SME Seminar on Financing for Innovation and Growth
October 2006
Together with Oracle corporation, the Lisbon Council leads group of small- and medium-sized enterprises from ten countries to the European Investment Bank for one-day seminar on Financing for Innovation and Growth. Highlights included interventions from EIB vice presidents Simon Brooks and Torsten Gersfelt, as well as presentation by Francis Carpenter, chief executive officer of the European Investment Fund.
Günter Verheugen delivers The 2005 Guglielmo Marconi Lecture
December 2005
Günter Verheugen, vice president of the European Commission responsible for enterprise and industry, delivered an eloquent account of Europe’s innovation imperative. In his remarks, he called on participants to step up their advocacy and emphasized the important role of small- and medium-sized enterprises in championing innovative practices.
Download Vice-President Verheugen’s remarks
Innovation Forum convenes
December 2005
The Lisbon Council, in collaboration with Oracle Corporation, convened a day-long meeting of the Innovation Forum, a Lisbon Council advisory body of innovation experts, industry representatives, entrepreneurs, innovators, strategists and small business leaders. Isaac Getz, professor of ideas, involvement and innovation management at the ESCP-EAP European School of Management, led a working group on innovation processes within enterprises. Also, David White, director of innovation policy at the European Commission and Torsten Gersfelt, vice-president at the European Investment Bank, discussed the role that government can play in promoting and sustaining innovation.
Download Professor Getz’ presentation slides
Policy breakfast with Issac Getz, one of Europe’s most renowned innovation experts
November 2004
Dr. Isaac Getz, professor of idea, involvement and innovation at the Paris-based ESCP-EAP European School of Management, kicked off athought-provoking debate on the policies that encourage innovation and nurture new ideas. Focusing particularly on the solutions available to individuals and companies, Professor Getz outlined the key institutional and intellectual challenges to overcome.
