Day 2 – 3 December, 2024: 9:30 – 10:30 Panel discussion: Inter-dependence between economic growth, innovation and skills in the era of digitization and green transition: the regional perspective

Day 2 – 3 December, 2024: 11:30-12:30 – Panelist at Breakout session 3. – Horizon Europe Cluster 2 and Societal Challenge 6: Inclusive, innovative and reflective societies – How to valorize the outcomes of successful Cluster 2 projects in service of reaching S3 goals.

Dr. Kimberly Couvson-Liebe is National Contact Point (NCP) for Horizon Europe Cluster 2 “Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society” and Scientific Officer in the department “Future Societies” at DLR Projektträger in Bonn, Germany. She is also part of the coordination team of the EU-funded project Net4Society, the transnational network of Horizon Europe Cluster 2 National Contact Points, where one of her core focuses is on SSH Integration. Kimberly has regularly presented on the issue of interdisciplinary research collaboration as a key aspect of European research policy in the previous and current EU Framework Programmes. Prior to her current roles, Kimberly also served as Societal Challenge 6 NCP during Horizon 2020 and was part of the coordination team of the EURAXESS Links project. Originally from California, Kimberly has lived in Germany since 2008. She holds a PhD in Sociocultural Anthropology from Cornell University (USA), a Masters in Regional Studies East Asia (China concentration) from Harvard University (USA), and is fluent in English, German, and Mandarin.

Day 2 – 3 December, 2024: 13:30 – 14:30 – Panelist – Panel discussion: To space and beyond: Transferable skills for the space sector - needs, provisions, challenges

Dr. László Csurgai-Horváth is a habilitated associate professor at the Department of Broadband Infocommunications and Electromagnetic Theory at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Informatics of the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME). His areas of expertise include wave propagation and modeling issues in terrestrial and satellite radio communication, as well as the study of the system-level design of space devices. He contributed to the development and launch of the space engineering master’s program at BME, where he currently serves as an university lecturer and as the chair of the program’s professional committee.

Day 2 – 3 December, 2024: 13:30 – 14:30 – Panelist – To space and beyond: Transferable skills for the space sector - needs, provisions, challenges

Day 1 – 2 December, 2024: 15:45-16:45 – Moderator – Panel discussion: Smart Specialization strategy implementation
Day 2 – 3 December, 2024: 9:00 – 9:30 – Speaker – Introducing the S3 CoP Observatory

Coen de Graaf joined IDEA Consult as an Expert on Innovation, Competitiveness & Sustainability as per January 2024.
Within IDEA he is active in the services offered by S3CoP,  I-3 projects and the submission of new proposals.
After his study “Commercial Economy” at The Hague University of Applied Sciences, Coen completed his economic and management education at Vlerick Business School in Ghent. Since 1990 Coen has been working for several international companies as a commercial director.
In 2007 he started advising and training organizations in their transitions from strategy to operations, also on developing the skills to manage and execute that strategy.
Before joining IDEA, Coen has been Project Manager for Interregional Innovation projects also involved in the Vanguard Initiative – both for the Dutch province of Noord-Brabant during 8 years. The Vanguard Initiative provides a platform for regions, companies, clusters, and knowledge institutions in Europe to meet and find new innovative solutions together. Coen specializes in innovation and strategy in the high-tech- and energy sector in Europe. He has been involved in the E.E.R., PRI, ERA-Net, and the I-3 instrument and has multi years’ experience in the development of Regional Innovation Strategies, Operational programs, Interreg projects, Horizon projects and cascade funding.

Day 1 – 2 December, 2024: 14:15-14:45 – Plenary session: Setting the scene for:  ’Defining a framework of skills development for smart specialization’

Day 2 – 3 December, 2024: 11:30-12:30 – Panelist at Breakout session 1. – Identifying the challenges and bottlenecks (e.g.: green transition, industrial transition, digitalization) that may affect the directions and expected goals of skills development; identifying related target groups and other stakeholders

John Edwards is Secretary General of EURASHE, the European Association for the Applied Sciences in Higher Education. In this role he acts as an interface between European policy makers and EURASHE members in the fields of higher education, employment, research, enterprise, and regional policy. John previously worked for the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre between 2011 and 2020, managing projects on the role of higher education and vocational excellence in Smart Specialisation. John holds degrees from the University of St Andrews, the College of Europe in Bruges, and Newcastle University, where he completed his PhD in economic geography. He is a dual Portuguese/UK national.

Day 2 – 3 December, 2024: 11:30-12:30 – Parallel sessions: Speaker – Breakout session 2. – Identifying the types of skills that could support industrial transformation in Europe by providing adequate resources; identifying related target groups and other stakeholders

Marko Hren serves as a head of unit coordinating Slovene Sustainable Smart Specialisation Strategy (S5).  Digitalisation, Deep Tech and Transition to Circular Economy are central to S5 which is understood as key transformative policy for Slovene Economy. S5 integrates innovation, entrepreneurship, internationalisation and human resources development policies.

Hren possesses extensive record of ICT development,   humanities research and social activism. His experiences involve   tech and social innovation in all spheres of quintuple helix. From 1983 to 1985 he managed a first eClassRoom in the region, installed at best performing secondary school in mathematics   by ICT enterprise where he was employed. Later, he established first open ICT center for empowerment of NGOs and artists to propel the digital competences of wider target groups. He served as independent node for Association for Progressive Communications, providing (pre) internet access to communities. In 2002 he joined the newly established Ministry of Information society to foster Digital Agenda, increase digital skills; he designed a project equipping regional centers for ECDL training scheme before Slovenia joined EU in 2004.
Besides working for the government, he - In the past 25 years - also serves as an independent evaluator and monitoring expert nationally and for centralised EU instruments.

Day 1 – 2 December, 2024: 13:00 – 14:15 – High-level opening session, Flash presentation of Spanish presidency on priorities and results in smart specialization

Day 2 – 3 December, 2024: 9:30 – 10:30 Panel discussion: Inter-dependence between economic growth, innovation and skills in the era of digitization and green transition: the regional perspective

Day 2 – 3 December, 2024: 13:30 – 14:30 Panel discussion: To space and beyond: Transferable skills for the space sector - needs, provisions, challenges

Day 2 – 3 December, 2024: 10:30-11:00 Spotlight on success stories – Examples from Hungary

Dr. Gergely Pálmai holds a law degree and has accumulated extensive experience through various roles at the Hungarian State Audit Office over the years.

Since January 15, 2023, he has been serving as the Head of the Department for VET Regulation and Governance in the Ministry of Culture and Innovation.

Day 2 – 3 December, 2024: 11:30-12:30 – Breakout session 1. Identifying the challenges and bottlenecks (e.g.: green transition, industrial transition, digitalization) that may affect the directions and expected goals of skills development; identifying related target groups and other stakeholders

Day 2 – 3 December, 2024: 11:30-12:30 – Parallel sessions: Speaker – Breakout session 3. – Horizon Europe Cluster 2 and Societal Challenge 6: Inclusive, innovative and reflective societies – How to valorize the outcomes of successful Cluster 2 projects in service of reaching S3 goals

Day 1 – 2 December, 2024: 16:45 – 17:45 – Moderator – What is your story? Panel discussion
Day 2 – 3 December, 2024: 9:30 – 10:30 – Panelist – Inter-dependence between economic growth, innovation and skills in the era of digitization and green transition: the regional perspective

Simone Rosini is team leader in the “fair green and digital transformations, research” unit of the “Directorate General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion” (or DG EMPL). He studied economics at the universities of Turin, Freie Universität Berlin, Paris 12 and Modena and Reggio Emilia (Ph.D.). After working in a regional innovation centre, a think-tank and a consultancy, he joined the European Commission (DG EMPL) in 2017. He has been an author of several editions of the “Employment and social developments in Europe” report, while becoming the main contact point for research and innovation in DG EMPL.

Day 1 – 2 December, 2024: 15:45-16:45 – Smart Specialization strategy implementation

Day 1 – 2 December, 2024: 13:00 – 14:15 – Welcome and opening speech

Day 1 – 2 December, 2024: 13:00 – 14:15 – High-level opening session, Flash presentation of Spanish presidency on priorities and results in smart specialization

Day 1 – 2 December, 2024: 15:45-16:45 – Panelist – Panel discussion: Smart Specialization strategy implementation

Richard lives in Brussels and is an expert on EU policy, particularly in the area of research and innovation policy, regional policy, smart specialisation and regional economic development. Richard worked for both the Kent and then West Midlands regional offices in Brussels before becoming Director of the European Regions for Research and Innovation Network (ERRIN) between 2010 and 2017.
Since leaving ERRIN, he has continued to be engaged in European policy and with two colleagues, he is a founder member of Friends of Smart Specialisation, an informal group that aims to promote and encourage critical thinking around the concept of smart specialisation. Richard has been involved in and evaluated numerous European projects, moderated and presented in numerous European conferences and is currently Chair of the S3 Community of Practice Interregional Collaboration Working Group and also on the advisory board of the EU3DRES2 university alliance.
In his spare time, Richard is an enthusiastic walker and completed the Camino Santiago de Compostela, walking from Le Puy in France to Santiago over a ten year period.

Day 2 – 3 December, 2024: 11:30-12:30 – Panelist at Breakout session 1. – Identifying the challenges and bottlenecks (e.g.: green transition, industrial transition, digitalization) that may affect the directions and expected goals of skills development; identifying related target groups and other stakeholders

Day 1 – 2 December, 2024: 14:45-15:15 – Speaker – Plenary session: Introducing the ETF Skills for Smart Specialization (S4S3) methodological approach