Events

Launch Event of the EER Year

30.11.2021 - 30.11.2021

Come celebrate with Helsinki-Uusimaa Region for the launch of its European Entrepreneurial Region Award Year 2022 and the closing of the European Commission / EISMEA project which fostered collaboration among regions awarded with the EER label earlier.

Entrepreneurs and ecosystem builders from Helsinki-Uusimaa and Europe are invited to Connect and Rebound – building connections for future cooperation and acting on growth opportunities in green and digital entrepreneurship in the post-pandemic recovery journey. These connections will resonate beyond Helsinki-Uusimaa to all European Entrepreneurial Regions who worked together to drive the start-up and scale-up of SMEs and enterprise over the years and seek to deepen their collaboration.

Join the discussion online.

Take part in the discussion on the challenges and particularly the opportunities connected to the transition towards green and digital entrepreneurship. Hear about how ecosystem service actors respond to and act on the challenges faced by entrepreneurs. Learn about experiences of earlier EER awarded regions across Europe in fostering green and digital entrepreneurship and take the opportunity in hand to initiate collaboration with international actors.

Agenda

Moderator of the event is Christine Chang, Project Director at Helsinki-Uusimaa Regional Council.

13:00 Eastern European Time / 12:00 Central European Time

Opening session

Helsinki-Uusimaa European Entrepreneurial Region accelerating green and digital transition – Launch of the EER year 2022

Apostolos G. Tzitzikostas, President of European Committee of the regions (video)
Juha Eskelinen, Director, Regional Development, Helsinki-Uusimaa Regional Council
Mari Holopainen, MP and Vice Chair of Startup Working group of Finnish Parliament
Maive Rute, Deputy Director General, DG Grow, European Commission

13:30 Businesses and entrepreneurs driving green and digital transition for sustainable growth – a business perspective

Panel discussion among business representatives

Moderator: Kari Herlevi, Project Director, Finnish Innovation Fund
Tuuli Mäkelä, Head of Marketing, ZenRobotics
Sauli Böhm, CEO, ResQ
Phil Brown, VP Business Development & Strategy, Circularise
Petri Alava, CEO, Infinited Fiber

14:15 Building a world-class entrepreneurship ecosystem in Helsinki-Uusimaa supporting green and digital transition – an ecosystem actors’ perspective

Panel discussion among ecosystem builder representatives

Moderator: Kari Herlevi, Project Director, Finnish Innovation Fund
Fredrik Pressler, CEO, Posintra
Jouni Lounasmaa, CEO, Startup Foundation
Mikko Järvinen, Project Manager, Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences

15:00 Coffee break

15:30 Accelerating green and digital transition for sustainable growth – a European partnership perspective

The role of European cooperation in fostering the scaling up of entrepreneurial ecosystems

André Meyer, European Commission, SME Policy
Piotr Zajaczkowski, Committee of the Regions

Taking stock of the results of the EU Project interlinking EER regions

Laura Roman, Technopolis Group
Isabelle de Voldere, IDEA

Follow-up of the SME Assembly EER Policy Hackathon and call for actions

Tess Rutgers van Rozenburg, Ideas from Europe

16:00 EER Regions’ experience for future collaboration

Moderator: Lena Tsipouri, University of Athens

Calls for collaboration from EER Regions in pecha kucha format

Montse Daban, BIOCAT Cluster Catalonia
Maria Goulaptsi, Region of Central Macedonia
Sergio Pérez García, General Director of External Action, Navarra Regional Government
Malgorzata Skulimowska, Pomorskie Regional Government
Karin Herzog, Ecoplus Lower Austria
Coen de Graaf, North-Brabant Region

Followed by a roundtable discussion on why and how the EER cooperation should continue, and how the EER cooperation model should support the green and digital transitions in the regions.

17:00 Closing remarks and invitation to join Helsinki-Uusimaa EER year 2022

Call to actions and invitation to collaboration.

Markku Markkula, Chairman of Board, Helsinki-Uusimaa Regional Council

Speakers — Stay tuned for more

Implementation of the EER year is funded by the EU Interreg Europe Programme, the European Regional Development Fund, the national funding for sustainable growth and vitality in the region, as well as the budget funds of the council itself.

Follow up: EER Matchmaking Event

To follow up the new collaborations and project partnerships, Technopolis Group Belgium is organising an EER Matchmaking Event on December 6-10. For more information and registration, click here.