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5-6 december 2011, Square - Brussels Meeting Centre

Welcome to the first Innovation Convention organised by the European Commission



This first edition of the Innovation Convention will be opened by President Barroso one year after the adoption of the Innovation Union flagship initiative, the EU's roadmap to turn Europe into a more innovation-friendly and competitive continent.

Research and innovation are the main motors for sustainable job creation and the only way to achieve a sustainable exit from the current economic crisis. This conference will bring together world leading experts in research and innovation to share their views on building a global innovation economy.

Speakers will include

Don Tapscott, Chairman of Moxie Insight (Canada), and co-author of 'Macrowikinomics: Rebooting Business and the World', Eric Schmidt, Executive Chairman of Google (USA), Professor Brian Cox, particle physicist and well known BBC science broadcaster (UK), Claudie Haigneré, former

astronaut and President of Universcience (FR), Professor Henry Chesbrough, Centre for Open Innovation (USA), Sam Pitroda, entrepreneur and advisor to the Prime Minister of India on innovation, Richard Dawkins, evolutionary biologist, former Professor of the Public Understanding of Science and author of several books, including ' The God Delusion' (UK), Silvia Venturini Fendi, fashion designer (IT) and Michael O'Leary, CEO, Ryanair (IE).

Why you should attend?

For anyone involved in the innovation cycle (from research, business, or financing innovation to policy-making), the Innovation Convention will be an opportunity to:

  • engage in and contribute to the innovation debate with high-level policy-makers, top researchers and business leaders
  • gain inspiration from world-renowned speakers
  • network and exchange experiences with your peers – at least 1200 participants are expected
  • discover exciting results of research and innovation in the exhibition of projects funded by the EU