Having the opportunity to test and develop new products together with relevant user groups is becoming increasingly important for companies and entrepreneurs within the digital economy. Public and private testbeds are already applied in some sectors, but mostly with a national or regional focus and often only on an ad-hoc basis. There is a lack of access to testbeds, where companies can systematically test new and innovative digital products and services and a need for policy actions to facilitate this in certain areas. In particular, the growth and innovation potential of a more coordinated approach in the Baltic Sea Region as well as increased collaboration across borders has not yet been explored.
Danish Business Authority and Baltic Development Forum invites policy makers, experts, industry representatives and stakeholders to a seminar that will identify the need for joint action and discuss possible initiatives that can help further the development of testbeds in the Baltic Sea Region to the benefit of entrepreneurs, SME’s and global players in the digital economy, and explore whether the Baltic Sea Region could become a macro-regional testmarket, making the region more attractive to global players. The conclusions of the seminar will provide inputs to the forthcoming project “Innovative Nordic digital solutions” under the Nordic Co-operation Programme for Innovation and Business Policy 2014-2017.
Programme:
| 09.30 – 10.00 | Registration and coffee |
| 10.00 – 10.20 | Welcome addresses Anders Hoffmann, Deputy director general, Danish Business Authority Baltic Sea Region as the frontrunner in digital economy Flemming Stender, Director, Baltic Development Forum |
| 10.20 – 11.30 | Key note speeches Testbeds – state of affairs and future potentials in the BSR Nikolaj Langkilde Madsen, Director Test and Quality Assurance, Capgemini |
| What are the needs? Industry perspective Martin Bo Sjøberg, Project Manager, Siemens |
|
| What are the needs? Entrepreneurship perspective Vinay Venkatraman, CEO, Leapcraft Innovation |
|
| 11.30 – 12.15 | Brain picking needs and challenges – inputs from the audience Jeanne Caffrey, Director, FUSION Lena Rooth, Senior Adviser, Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth, Tillväxtverket |
| 12.15 – 13.00 | Lunch |
| 13.00 – 14.00 | Cases from the region Frederik Ström, Head of Business Development Nordics, Testbirds GmbH (Germany) Anders Berntson, Department Manager, Acreo Swedish ICT (Sweden) Per Simonsson, Executive Director, Sustainable Business Hub (Sweden) |
| 14.00 – 14.15 | Coffee |
| 14.15 – 15.15 | What are the needs and how do we improve access to digital testbeds? Introductory statements: Jørgen Bardenfleth, Chairman, Symbion Signe Bāliņa, President, Latvian Information and Communication Technology Association Panel discussion with Case-speakers: Frederik Ström, Anders Berntson, Per Simonsson |
| 15.15 – 15.30 | Conclusions and next steps Torsten Andersen, Chief of Division, Danish Business Authority |
Background paper
The background paper has been prepared by Danish Business Authority and will serve as background for the conference, providing food for thought to the seminar’s participants on the role of testbeds. It raises some of the central questions to be discussed during the seminar in order to give inspiration for the discussions throughout the day. Read it here.
Practical Information:
When? 09.30 – 15.30, 9 December 2014
Where? Danish Business Authority,
Langelinie Allé 17, 2100 København Ø, Denmark.
For who? Enterprises, policy makers, experts,
business organisations and industry stakeholders.
Registration is required via email
to Gintare Skorupskaite, gs@bdforum.org,
tel. +45 31 66 46 62
Organisers are Danish Business Authority
and Baltic Development Forum.
