2 conferences on the globalization of R&D - how it works, how it affects policy, and how Europe can compete
The Policy Symposium, Brussels, 12/13 November
The Research Seminar, Leuven, 17/18 November
Among the mega-trends of our age is the globalization of R&D. Where once the US, Japan and a few EU members dominated R&D, they now contend in a flatter world against growing labs in China, India, Singapore and other nations. Inside corporations, gone are the old centralized labs, replaced by "open innovation" strategies that coordinate thousands of research collaborations across the globe. At universities, research careers, funding sources and research topics are all looking more international than in the past. Governments are adapting their national innovation strategies. And even the nature of science itself is changing - with collaborative, multi-disciplinary projects, creating new fields of research from systems biology to climate change that simply didn't exist a generation ago.
To examine this, a multi-day symposium is being organized in the Brussels area.
Confirmed participants include:
- *Andrew Herbert, Managing Director, Microsoft Research Europe
- *Kurt Vandenberghe, Chief of Staff to EU Science and Research Commissioner Janez Potocnik
- Reinhilde Veugelers, Professor of Business and Economics, KU Leuven, and Advisor, (EU) Bureau of European Policy Advisors
- Jerry Thursby, Professor of Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Commercialization, Georgia Tech
- Marie Thursby, Professor of Strategic Management, Georgia Tech
- Richard L. Hudson, CEO & Editor, Science Business Publishing
* Brussels only
The Global Lab: The Policy Symposium. November 12/13. Brussels, Belgium.
An invitation-only group of policy-makers, researchers, university officials and corporate executives debate new strategies for maintaining competitiveness in research.
Topics include:
- State of play - Summary of the extent and impact of globalized R&D
- Best practice - A look at successful policies to harness the trend to national advantage
- Strategy - How do companies, universities and research institutes take advantage of this trend, through open innovation, tech-transfer initiatives, and other new organizational strategies?
- New science - How does globalization change the nature of science?
- New tools - What networking, organizational and IT tools work in global research projects?
- Policy workshop - A brainstorming session on which policies are most promising for the EU
Brussels schedule:
- Welcome Dinner, 12 November from 1900 to 2200
- Seminar, 13 November from 0930 to 1600
The Global Lab: The Research Seminar. November 17/18. Leuven, Belgium.
An invitation-only group of policy researchers, economists, and industry officials examine the latest economics and policy research on R&D globalization.
Topics include:
- Scope and scale - Latest research on the breadth, depth and impact of R&D globalization
- Locations - How and why does research get sited in different parts of the world?
- Spillovers - Research on whether lab locations actually matter economically to a region
- Trade flows - How does global R&D affect tech trade, researcher mobility or knowledge transfer?
- Convergence - Research on how and whether countries are converging in R&D performance.
- University strategies - Research on what works for TTOs in a globalized R&D world.
Leuven schedule:
- Welcome Dinner, 17 November from 1900 to 2200
- Seminar, 18 November from 0930 to 1600
