Southern Switzerland Innovation Forum

The University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland is pleased to invite you at the Southern Switzerland Innovation Forum. A pooling of opinions between the political, economic and scientific worlds on the theme of innovation analyzed from three different perspectives: European, Swiss and Regional. The focus of the three previewed sessions, a reflection about the innovative level and capacity of our region, provided by the participation of prestigious personalities and by solid examples of innovative firms.

Registration deadline: October 25, 2017

Online registration at: www.supsi.ch/go/fisi-iscrizioni

The Forum will be held in English and chaired by Charlotte Geerdink, European Advisor for Innovation of Swisscore, and Diego Gilardoni, Strategic Advisor and international speaker.

Program

14.00 Welcome, Alberto Petruzzella, SUPSI President

14.15 Panel 1 – Research and Innovation

Innovation cases - Round table. During the three sessions, European, Swiss and Regional visions are compared and discussed to evaluate convergence and divergence of their roles and explain tendencies.

Guest speakers

Europe: Stefano Fontana, Member of the Board of the European Institute of Technology.

Switzerland: Gerd Folkers, President of the Swiss Scientific and Innovation Council.

Ticino: Giambattista Ravano, SUPSI Deputy Director of research and innovation.

15.15 Panel 2 – Economy and Innovation

Innovation cases - Round table. Economy today is innovation driven. What does innovation mean for the economy and how is this concept practically translated?

Guest speakers

Europe: Benedikt Bitzi, Head of Google Marketing Solutions for Switzerland and Austria.

Switzerland: Monika Rühl, Chairwoman of the Executive Board of economiesuisse.

Ticino: Glauco Martinetti, President of the Camera di Commercio; Fabio Regazzi, President of the Associazione Industrie Ticinesi.

16.30 Panel 3 – Policy and Innovation

Innovation cases - Round table. Does an innovation policy exist? How will it act and interact with Science, Economy and Society?

Guest speakers

Europe: Robert-Jan Smits, Director General DG RTD European Commission.

Switzerland: Johann N. Schneider-Amman, Federal Councillor, Department of Economy, Education and Research.

Ticino: Christian Vitta, State Councillor, Director of the Department of Finance and Economics; Marco Borradori, Major of Lugano.

17.45 Disability on stage

Students’ performance of the Accademia Teatro Dimitri, part of a research project supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation.

18.00 Questions and conclusions

18.30 Closure, Claudio Boër, SUPSI Vice President.

18.40 Apéro and SUPSI research project exhibition