Ready for innovation
Microsoft's European Growth and Innovation Day brought together policymakers and software developers in Brussels to see how the IT industry can help drive innovation in Europe.
“The Internet offers great opportunities to consumers,” said European Commissioner for Consumer Affairs Meglena Kuneva in a half-hour keynote speech and question-and-answer session at the European Growth and Innovation Day in March, hosted by Microsoft. “It has the potential to be one of the most empowering tools consumers have ever had.” Consumers, she said, are rapidly adopting Web 2.0 behaviours – and in so doing driving forward innovation themselves.
But Kuneva warned that deficiencies in the internal market, resulting from a “maze of different rights”, might slow down innovation. “Innovation and competitiveness require a regulatory market that is predictable and accommodates and encourages new developments in goods and services,” she said, adding that consumer confidence in Internet commerce depends on a robust system of consumer protection. That requires harmonised legislation, but also, she said, the adoption of voluntary codes by industry.
Consumer Affairs Commissioner Meglena Kuneva (left) examines a display at European Growth and Innovation Day.
Information Society and Media Commissioner Viviane Reding showed a passion for technology rarely seen outside the IT industry in her keynote address. She also showed a keen interest in the exhibits, in particular those about e-health.
The day boasted an impressive line up of speakers and panellists, as well as Microsoft teams together with 40 partnering SMEs showcasing their latest technologies.
There were three lively keynote speeches – those by European Commissioner for Information Society and Media Viviane Reding, Meglena Kuneva, the Commissioner for Consumer Protection Affairs, and one by Alexandr Vondra, deputy prime minister for European Affairs of the Czech Republic.
But most of the day involved interactive discussions in four break-out sessions focusing on innovation in e-health, building trust online, the role of intellectual property in innovation, and the future of online gaming.
The debates touched on a wide range of issues. What are the concerns of tomorrow's software developers? How will the next EU presidency help in driving innovation? The roles and responsibilities of government and industry. Will tomorrow's spin-off company be armed to compete internationally?
Clearly, ICT is about much more than technology.