Site Visit WG Innovation & Entrepreneurship in San Sebastian (not part of the official programme of the Forum)
To learn more about the site visit of the Working Group Innovation & Entrepreneurship taking place in San Sebastian between DAY 0 - 22 October and DAY 1 - 23 October 2024, please check their programme and registration form here.
Please note that if you want to attend both the site visit and the Economic Development Forum, you will have to register to both events separately.
OFFICIAL PROGRAMME
Lobby, groundfloor
Please note the venue of the second day is different from the venue of the first day.
29th floor
3rd floor
- WG Innovation and Entrepreneurship Room 2
- WG City Branding and International Economic Relations Room 3
- Joint WG Financing the Just Transition and Public Procurement Room 4
You can find the detailed agendas of the WGs here: https://linktr.ee/eurocities
3rd floor, Room 4
3rd floor, Room 2
In this session, participants can gain a deeper understanding of Eurocities’ organisational structure and learn about the advantages of being a member. They will learn about the thematic areas of the Economic Development Forum and the different opportunities that offers for its members. Additionally, this session will provide a space for participants to engage in discussion with Eurocities’ team and voice specific needs and interests of their cities.
SOCIAL EVENT
29th floor
Join fellow Forum attendees for an evening of networking, drinks and food. The Welcome Reception will take place at Iberdrola Tower, which offers a stunning view of the City of Bilbao.
- Juan Mari Aburto, Mayor of Bilbao
- André Sobczak, Secretary General Eurocities
Lobby, groundfloor
Room: Mitxelena Auditorium
- Juan Mari Aburto, Mayor of Bilbao
- André Sobczak, Secretary General Eurocities
- Francisco Blanco, Councillor, City of Valladolid and EDF Chair
Moderator: Adela Úcar, journalist and TV presenter
- Fernando Torija, Head of EIB Madrid Office
Room: Mitxelena Auditorium
The role of EU funding for cities in the next mandate, positioning in the next MFF.
- Eider Inunciaga, Councillor for Euskera, Public Services, Civic Engagement, 2030 Agenda & Internationalisation, Bilbao
- Vincent Languille, Councillor for European Funds and International Relations, Aix-Marseille-Provence, Aix Marseille Provence
- Francisco Manuel Paloma, Finance Councillor, Fuenlabrada
- Beppo Brem, City Councillor, Munich
- Marco Garza, Councilor for Budget and Human Resources, Brescia
Moderator: André Sobczak, Secretary General Eurocities
Room: Mitxelena Auditorium
Room: Mitxelena Auditorium
- Josep Piqué, Executive President of Technova Barcelona–La Salle Innovation Park
- Geana de Miranda Leschko, Coordinator of Innovation Projects and Urban Planning Law at Techfriendly
Moderator: Adela Úcar, journalist and TV presenter
Each thematic stream will offer participants the opportunity to discover and learn from local experts about what cities are doing to encourage entrepreneurship and sustainability, collaborative governance, tactical urbanism, and innovation. Each stream will feature a site visit and interactive thematic sessions.
- Thematic track 1 - Sustainable and Social Innovation in the SDGs framework
Venue: BBK Kuna
- Thematic track 2 - Innovation Districts: urban regeneration and tactical urbanism
Venue: Zorrotzaurre Island
- Thematic track 3 - Testing and scaling
Venue: BAT – B Accelerator Tower
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SOCIAL EVENT
Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
Lobby, groundfloor
Room: Mitxelena Auditorium
Energy transition and demographic change pose fundamental challenges to the local economy, which needs fresh talents and new hard as well as soft skills. Next to the mainstream discussion on upskilling and reskilling of the local workforce, Bilbao will open up the debate on the importance of transversal skills and competencies as key to sustainable climate-proof development.
- Isabel Urbano, Upskilling and Reskilling Manager at Novia Salcedo
Mitxelena Auditorium
In the context of the twin transition and an ageing demographic, ample cities struggle with a skills gap in certain key sectors of their economy. Many European cities already implement talent attraction policies to bridge these gaps, yet the threat of ‘brain drain’ is looming large and complicates the situation further. This panel aims to shine light on this issue and address the contemporary dynamics in European talent mobility.
Roundtable from local stakeholders and city representatives on the role of skills and talent in the framework of the Single Market.
- Inigo Larrea, Talent Manager in MONDRAGON Corporation (business perspective)
- Ivan Jimenez, Director at Bizkaia Talent
- Eurocities representative (European policy perspective)
Moderator: Adela Úcar, journalist and TV presenter
Participants can choose between one of the following parallel sessions.
Mitxelena Auditorium
Cities are drivers of innovation processes not only in their local ecosystems, but also within their own administrative structures. Innovation in policy making builds on well functioning mechanisms of collaborative governance and innovation capacity at city level.
- Nuno Ferreira Da Cruz, Senior Associate, LSE Cities, presentation of preliminary report on Innovation Capacity in City Governments
- Miren Estensoro, Senior Researcher at Orkestra-Basque Institute of Competitiveness
- Malin Ljung, Senior Development Officer, City of Linkoping (iCapital experience)
- Sandy Ceulemans, Manager Entrepreneurship & City Marketing, City of Antwerp
Public procurement can be a key tool in driving the development of innovative goods and services within the European market. the ‘Big Buyers Working Together’ project supports collaboration between public buyers with strong purchasing power and promotes the wider use of strategic public procurement for innovative and sustainable solutions.
- Representative from Big Buyers Working Together Project
- Representative from Innovation Procurement Empowerment Centre (IPEC)
- Representative from Manchester
- Cristina Oyón, Director of Technology, Innovation and Sustainability SPRI- Economic Development, Sustainability & Environment Dept Basque Government
Understanding the role of innovative local policies in preserving the social and economic fabric of urban
- Intro by Stefano Micelli, Professor of Economics, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice (tbc)
- Javier Garcinuño Zabala, Director General at Bilbao Ekintza (Bilbao Retail Forum)
- Clara Maddalena Calligaris, city of Milan
- Mark Boekwijt, city of Amsterdam
Room: Mitxelena Auditorium
- EDF chair
- Chiara Venturini, Head of Economic Development at Eurocities
- Javier Garcinuño Zabala, Director General at Bilbao Ekintza
Save the date! The next host and dates of the Economic Development Forum 2025 will be announced in Bilbao