Innovating Nation Conference
Innovation in Scotland faced its challenges head on from 21 to 23 February 2007 when all who share an interest in innovation (and could attend) came together to hear about the key issues and the challenges faced in Innovating in Scotland with practical examples from projects supported by the Scottish Innovative Actions Programme.
For those that attended and those that could not, here is some information about the day:
Day 1 - 21 February - Innovating Nation
The focus of this day was "What big leaps are required to continue to ensure Scotland is the Innovating Nation?"
Inspiring Thoughts
We heard from three different speakers - one who has successfully faced the challenges of innovation in a rural SME, Scotland's most persistent supporter of early stage firms and one of Britain's most influential design leaders on creating innovation culture.
Professor Irene McAra-McWilliam, Head of the School of Design at Glasgow School of Art. Irene illustrated the stark differences between the mundane and creative imagination and points on how to achieve the latter.
Maggie Symonds, Managing Director of Nextarc spoke about the challenges facing rural businesses to innovate. She outlined her own experiences of developing innovative micro business and taking big leaps.
Ian Ritchie, Scottish Entrepreneurial Supporter of the Year, spoke about Transforming Innovation to Business Success. He illustrated the pitfalls and of high-tech business start-ups.
Meeting of like Minds
An exhibition of projects supported by the Programme and other agencies with a focus on innovation in Scotland provided the perfect gathering point for delegates to meet to share their own experiences and ideas.
Anne Houston spoke about the achievements of the Programme partnership and observed that the projects have collectively demonstrated that just a little public investment is able to stir the collective imagination.
Facing the Challenges
In the afternoon, four workshops offered the delegates a more formal setting to share the experiences and challenges faced by projects supported by the Programme. Workshops allowed delegates to learn from the radical pilot projects that have been testing new approaches to stimulating Innovation in Scotland over the last two years. Workshops focussed on four themes. Click on the themes to view the presentations:
Future Innovation Agenda
Veronica Gaffey from DG Regional Policy at the European Commission highlighted the fact that the 2007-13 European Structural Funds Programmes should still be an opportunity for managing authorities to ringfence funds for high risk innovative projects.
The Day 1 - Edinburgh Conference Programme (PDF 101kB) is available here.
