Developing innovation ecosystems
TIME
Thursday, 9th September, 10:00-11:15 CEST
Description of the session
The Session Developing innovation ecosystems will be centered on how Ecosystems can face the recovery towards the post-COVID digital society. We will focus a relevant part of our debate on one of the main pillars of the DLLD21: Co-creation as a relevant component of ecosystem development. Particularly, we will focus on how SMEs and other stakeholders can make use of current instruments for boosting innovation in their respective ecosystems, how to co-create with SMEs, to offer them both lab structures and real-life environments to innovate in regional and larger ecosystems. European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIH) represent a good example and an excellent opportunity for that. We will identify how the Community of living labs can contribute to this ecosystem development, with specific examples for digital innovation hubs. Although citizens as end users are not present in the equation yet, pathways for citizen engagement can, of course, be found, and pointers to that will be discussed.
Anne-Marie Sassen (Deputy and Acting Head of Unit, of DG CONNECT, Unit A4, Digital Transformation of Industrial Ecosystems) will present a general approach to the specific instrument of EDIH, and she will develop on the points already presented last year at our DLLD2020. Indeed, EDIHs provide the test-before-invest approach and this brought to real life-settings is the initial path to living lab approach, but they appear as a relevant tool for regional ecosystems to advance in innovative solutions.
Fernando Vilariño (CVC Associate Director, ENoLL Chairperson) will participate in the session by providing an ENoLL’s view on how living labs could contribute on different topics, including capacity building. The specific opportunities arising for AI will be also discussed
Petri Pohjola (Tampere University of Applied Sciences, and ENoLL member) will showcase their case study as a living lab working in B2B for the manufacturing industry. Indeed, SMEs are the core, and the approach to use the actual real-life environments as boosters of innovation in local ecosystems is fully aligned with this strategy. Although the full approach is not yet including a strategy for direct involvement of the citizens in the process, the case study allows for the identification of specific pathways.
Sandra Planes Satorra (Policy Analyst, Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation at OECD) will present the latest work developed by OECD, explicitly focusing in co-creation as a tool for ecosystem development, also commenting on living labs as relevant instruments for that to happen.
From a more general perspective, we would also like to approach the idea to the audience that a community of ENoLL members and other institutions are developing different pathways with diverse approaches within the different Action-oriented Task Forces. Co-creation for Innovation in public administration will be tackled from this point of view.
SPEAKERS
Fernando Vilariño
Associate Director at Computer Vision Centre and Associate Professor at UAB. Co-Founder of the Library Living Lab

Fernando Vilariño
Associate Director at Computer Vision Centre and Associate Professor at UAB. Co-Founder of the Library Living Lab
Prof. Fernando Vilariño is Associate Director of the Computer Vision Centre and Associate Professor of the Univ. Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain. He is currently lecturing in Robotics and Multimedia Systems. His research has been linked to diverse areas of Computer Vision and Machine Learning, and Robotics. His current research is focused on the development of the link between physical and digital objects. He has led different projects related to citizen science through the implementation of a model for Living Labs in the context of Open Innovation. He has participated in the different workshops and invited talks in the context of ICT and culture. Dr. Vilariño has been awarded with the Spanish Gov. Ramon y Cajal Grant (2010), and Google Academy Award (2014) for his research. As Associate Director for the CVC he has contributed to the technology transfer of Computer Vision technology with setup of a number of start-ups in the field of Machine Learning and Computer Vision. He is co-leading the implementation of the Regional Computer Vision Ecosystem, the regional economic driver of AI. He has developed a model for innovation based on living labs that allows for multi-stake holder user centric approach. Fernando Vilariño is the current Chairman of the European Network of Living Labs.
Petri Pohjola
Tampere University of Applied Sciences, and ENoLL member

Petri Pohjola
Tampere University of Applied Sciences, and ENoLL memberPetri Pohjola, MSc, is Senior Lecturer in Department of Industrial Engineering in Tampere University of Applied Science (TAMK), Finland. His main research and interests areas include product creation process, innovation management and new product development, new technologies and intelligent machines. Petri is teaching industrial engineering management and multidisciplinary engineering courses. Petri is also heading reaserch group of Design and Manufacturing in Industry. Before joining TAMK Petri had more than 15 years of working experience from different manufacturing and technology industry positions.
Anne-Marie Sassen
Deputy and Acting Head of Unit, of DG CONNECT, Unit A4, Digital Transformation of Industrial Ecosystems

Anne-Marie Sassen
Deputy and Acting Head of Unit, of DG CONNECT, Unit A4, Digital Transformation of Industrial EcosystemsAnne-Marie Sassen is Acting Head of Unit of the "Digital Transformation of industrial ecosystems" unit in DG CONNECT, European Commission. The Unit’s aim is to ensure that all industrial sectors in Europe benefit from digital transformation through greater efficiency in production processes, higher value digitised products, and new business models. The unit is responsible for the setup of a network of European Digital Innovation Hubs (co-funded between the EU, Member States and/or their regions) to enable all companies and public sector organisations to benefit from digital technologies. Before joining the European Commission Anne-Marie worked as project manager for Atos in Spain and researcher for TNO in the Netherlands. She studied Computer Science at the University of Leiden, the Netherlands and received her PhD from the Technical University in Delft in the field of Human-Machine interaction.
Sandra Planes Satorra
Policy Analyst, Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation at OECD

Sandra Planes Satorra
Policy Analyst, Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation at OECDSandra Planes-Satorra is a Policy Analyst at the Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) of the OECD. Her research and policy advice work focuses on the fields of inclusive, sustainable and digital innovation, science-industry collaboration, and the geography of innovation. Her recent work has focused on assessing the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on STI systems and exploring how science and innovation policy can support transitions towards a sustainable, inclusive and resilient future. Prior to joining the OECD, she worked for the European Commission, for a policy consulting firm (Milieu Ltd) and for the Barcelona Provincial Council. She holds a BSc in Economics and a BSc in Political Science and Public Management from Pompeu Fabra University, and a MSc in Local Economic Development from the London School of Economics (LSE).