Theme Spotlight: INDUSTRIAL COMPETITIVENESS

The European Commission set forth a New Industrial Strategy for Europe in March 2020, which is set to be updated with accelerated ambitions in the first half of 2021.

This strategy outlines a path toward both a green and digital transformation in European industry. Central to these simultaneous ecological and digital transitions is the ability of Europe’s industry to lead and drive global competitiveness.

The 2nd RTO Innovation Summit will address the crucial role that European Research and Technology Organisations (RTOs) play in connecting policy goals, research initiatives and enterprises to accelerate and enable innovative industry solutions.

In this context, Summit participants are invited to join three exciting event sessions covering Technology Solutions for Health Challenges, next steps in Quantum Technology and Sustainable Manufacturing.

Sessions at a Glance

How do we take care of Europeans while facing demographic changes and rising healthcare costs? How can we facilitate preventative and participatory patient care? The first of the Industrial Competitiveness sessions focuses on Solving Health Challenges with New Innovations. This session will centre on health technology and health data topics, as research and innovation are crucial to developing novel public health approaches and applications. How can we create impact with more effective uptakes of health technology? How can we improve efficient, secure and responsible health data exploitation? Join this session for insight on the future visions for a Europe that has solved these crucial questions.

At the second Industrial Competitiveness session, Quantum Technology – the Future is Now, we explore the actions Europe needs to take to win the global competition for dominance in the realm of quantum technology. The time for quantum science to be translated into functional quantum computing and communication technologies is now. Europe needs to collectively invest in the next steps that take it from being a big quantum science player to the global leader in the QT industry. This session’s discussions will be fostered by a white paper prepared by the organising RTOs, which will be open to comments from registered participants. The input collected during this session will feed into the final version of the paper, which will be shared with the European Institutions.

The final Industrial Competitiveness session revolves around Sustainable Manufacturing, i.e., managing production-related operations in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. Sustainable manufacturing is essential for the future of the planet, its inhabitants and businesses. Businesses can no longer create products without considering how the manufacturing process and recycling will impact the environment and society; it is no longer just "nice to have", but a business imperative and competitive advantage. Companies across the world face increased costs of materials and energy. They also need to comply with higher expectations from customers, investors and regulations. Pursuing sustainability means increasing operational efficiency by reducing cost and waste, developing new functionalities, increasing competitive advantage, strengthening the company brand and reputation, building long-term business viability and responding to regulatory constraints and opportunities.

Join this session to see the potential Europe has to take the lead and develop innovative solutions in sustainable manufacturing based on cross-sectorial idea generation, technological development through open innovation and demos, pilot lines, technology hybridization, industrial symbiosis and new business models.

 

Using concrete cases and white papers, these three sessions will showcase the technology developments, partnerships, skills and business changes that RTOs provide to industry to bring the European Industrial Strategy’s visions to life.

For continued updates and further details about these Industrial Competitiveness session topics, please visit the event programme page and be sure to register to attend the Summit.