Building the Future on Knowledge - Foresight and the Transition to Regional Knowledge-based Economies (conference 2004)

A dissemination conference was held on September 23rd,2004 in Brussels titled "Building the Future on Knowledge" to present the results of the expert group works Blueprints for Foresight Actions in the Regions. The conference also aimed at informing national and regional policymakers and policy-shapers of the combined policies and instruments of the European Union supporting the development of regional knowledge-based economies. High level political input was combined with the hands-on experience of the five working groups of the Blueprints expert group. Several European Commission Directorates (Agriculture, Enterprise, Environment, Regional Policy and Research) participated in a panel discussion focusing on how EU policies and their instruments in different areas can be orchestrated to promote regional economies built on knowledge.

The conference was chaired by Prof. Liam Downey, Chairman, Blueprints expert group

The regional dimension of the European Research Area

Opening (in French )
Philippe Busquin, Member of the European Parliament, Former European
Commissioner for Research

EU regional policy: integrating the regions of the enlarged Europe in support of a knowledge-based economy

The enrichment of enlargement
Péter Balázs, Commissioner for Regional Policy

Subsidiarity - proximity - partnership: bringing policy making closer to the citizens and the economic actors

The new role of the regions (in German )
H.P. Georgi, Wirtschaftsminister des Saarlandes (D)

Regional sustainability: towards a socio-economic geography

Towards sustainable regions (in French )
Alain Lipietz, Member of the European Parliament

Foresight in support of a demand driven regional knowledge economy

The Blueprints exercise ( - 335 KB)
Prof. Peter Heydebreck, Rapporteur, Blueprints expert group

Moving towards a knowledge economy in reality: lessons learnt from the Blueprints

FOR-RIS: Extending the time horizon of regional innovation strategies - foresight
in the context of RIS/RITTS
Karel Klusacek, Managing Director, Technology Centre, Czech Republic
Marja Toivonen, Foresight Project Manager, Employment and Economic Development Centre, Finland

UPGRADE: Foresight to stimulate the transformation of traditional industrial
regions into dynamic and knowledge based economies ( - 988 KB)
Gordon Ollivere, Managing Director, RTC North, UK

TECHTRANS: Development of differentiated portfolios or tool-boxes for trans-regional innovation support mechanisms ( - 611 KB)
Henning Banthien, Head of department IFOK, Germany
Rafael Muguerza, Director of Innovation and Technology, Navarra, Spain

TRANSVISION: Bridging neighbouring regions belonging to different jurisdictions,
i.e., historically and culturally close regions divided by national borders ( - 4.7 MB)
Philippe Destatte, Managing Director, the Destrée Institute, Belgium

AGRIBLUE: Foresight for Sustainable Rural Economies: challenges faced by
rural areas by the impact of structural change to agriculture (e.g. abandonment)
;the economic, social and environmental aspects of land use and the diversification
of rural economies ( - 554 KB)
Patrick Crehan, Managing Director, CKA, Belgium

EC promotion of a knowledge based economy in the regions: policy, Instruments, implications

Panel discussion followed by question answer session animated by Hugues
de Jouvenel, Managing Director, Futuribles International, France with:

Günter Clar ( - 206 KB), Director Regional Strategies, Steinbeis-Europa-
Zentrum, Germany,

Nikifiros Sivenas, DG Agriculture, David White, DG Enterprise

Nicola De Michelis, DG Regional Policy and Dimitri Corpakis ( - 427 KB),
DG Research.

Research and the regions - prospects of the 7th Framework programme

Closing remarks