Global Innovation Summit Successfully Hosted by WAITRO Member and Regional Focal Point TÜBİTAK

On June 13-14, 2024, at Haliç Congress Centre, Istanbul, the Eureka Global Innovation Summit (GIS) 2024 was successfully hosted under the Chairship of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK).

Focused on Green and Digital Transformation, GIS2024 included various sessions such as thematic panels, presentations and country promotions. The summit venue was designed to make it easy for participants to present and share ideas and conduct bilateral meetings with current and future partners. Over 2,000 participants from 47 Eureka member countries attended the summit, including leading companies, innovation leaders, industrial organizations, SMEs, and other stakeholders seeking partnership opportunities.

GIS2024 broadened and reinforced international partnerships in innovation. For example, Prof. Dr Hasan Mandal, TÜBİTAK (and WAITRO) President, referring to recent science and technology developments in Türkiye, emphasized the importance of finding solutions to global problems in the international arena through cooperation. On bridging innovation and industrial needs through multinational networks like Eureka, Prof. Mandal shared his insights: “Eureka can be effective in helping priorities because it can help companies determine strategic priorities by analyzing their goals, customer needs and market trends. In terms of development, Eureka can contribute to improving products and services with data analysis and artificial intelligence algorithms. Also, in terms of helping companies, it can help make data-driven decisions to optimize business processes, reduce costs, and increase revenue. The fact that it is an adaptable solution for businesses of all sizes, from large companies to SMEs, shows Eureka’s ability to appeal to a wide market segment.”

Brazil joined the Eureka network

Brazil is now officially included in the Eureka network, which is also a milestone for achieving Eureka’s goal of globalization. Prof. Dr. Ahmet Yozgatlıgil, Deputy Minister of Industry and Technology of Türkiye and Mr. Guilherme Coutinho Calheiros, Secretary for Technological Development and Innovation of the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, Brazil, signed a Statement of Intent to become a member of Eureka. At the ceremony, a project call opened with Brazil, showing Eureka’s willingness to cooperate with Brazil.

KIAT Cooperation through EUREKA

Given the opening remarks, Mr. Min-Woo Lee, Eureka Korean HLR, expressed satisfaction with the full support of TÜBİTAK to carry out Korea-EUREKA events. He touched upon the current activities carried out under EUREKA after the partnership agreement was signed in 2010. Mr. Lee also appreciated the technological developments in Türkiye, talking about the success of the network meeting and the visits it made in Türkiye, especially steel and motor production. A cooperation agreement was signed between TÜBİTAK and the Korean Institute of Advanced Technology (KIAT).

Eureka Innovation Awards

These were given to projects from four countries: NonActivPans from Lithuania, AI4Green-Celtic with a joint team from Sweden and Türkiye, and SensiScreen– and innovation in Health Tech from Denmark. The awards were issued by Mr. Zekeriya Coştu, Deputy Minister of Industry and Technology, Türkiye, Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal, TÜBİTAK President and Mr. İsmail Doğan who is Eureka Chair.

WAITRO Representation and Outreach

Invited by TÜBİTAK and WAITRO President Prof. Dr Hasan Mandal, Dr. Paul E. Burrows, Secretary General of WAITRO and Vice President of JITRI, and Ms Yiwen Jiang from the Secretariat China Office at JITRI. WAITRO represented itself at GIS 2024 with a booth showcasing its 54-year history and progress.

Dr Burrows also had a closed-door meeting with Mr. Deodat Maharaj, Managing Director of The United Nations Technology Bank for the Least Developed Countries (UNTB). Both parties exchanged their views and insights on the importance of market connections for innovation to produce impact. Dr. Burrows introduced WAITRO’s recent reforms of its structure, like introducing commercial entities (e.g. incubators, accelerators and businesses) as associate members and the establishment of a non-profit entity in Germany to support WAITRO operations. Dr. Burrows also introduced the theme of the WAITRO Summit 2024 that will be held in Nanjing, and invited Director Maharaja to join the biennial gathering of WAITRO members. Director Maharaj was very interested in the work of WAITRO and accepted the invitation to the Summit. Both parties agreed to have further discussions and coordination on a partnership at the WAITRO Summit, in particular examining how to catalyze partnerships between WAITRO members to fill technology opportunities identified by UNTB.

On the second day of the summit, the WAITRO Secretary General participated in the panel discussion on Smart Cities and Urban Innovation: Enhancing Quality of Life. Dr. Burrows shared his insights on how connected technology might contribute to making cities carbon neutral, emphasizing that it is important to start from a systems-level understanding of carbon flows in a city in order to avoid just moving the problem elsewhere or even making things worse. In response to a question on the role of government, Dr. Burrows drew on his experiences in China and highlighted the Beijing government’s success in investing to create a market for electric vehicles, while allowing free competition in that market to determine commercial success. This, he said, should be a model for the world, with government creating the arena and market competition picking the winners.

A WAITRO booth at the exhibition welcomed curious visitors with an introduction to the WAITRO ecosystem and some informational handouts. The most asked questions predictably focused on the availability of funding and, although WAITRO cannot currently fund projects directly, there was interest in the demonstrated potential of the Global Innovation Family to form and develop partnerships that then lead to third party funding. To that end, twenty one visitors, some from as far afield as Germany and Canada, left contact information for follow-up communications.

Conclusion

As the curtains closed on the Eureka Global Innovation Summit 2024, the air was charged with a renewed sense of purpose and collaboration. The summit not only showcased the latest advancements in green and digital transformation but also set the stage for future innovations through international cooperation. The successful hosting by TÜBİTAK, with the leadership of the WAITRO President and the support of the Secretariat, underscored Türkiye’s growing influence in the global scientific community. With the WAITRO Summit 2024 on the horizon, the spirit of innovation is poised to continue its forward march, fostering partnerships that transcend borders and drive the collective quest for a sustainable and technologically advanced future.

More information

• WAITRO Summit 2024 official website will be opened in mid-July; event page: https://waitro.org/event/waitro-summit-2024-nanjing-p-r-china/
• Global Innovation Summit 2024: a summary: https://eurekanetwork.org/news/global-innovation-summit-2024-summary/
• Eureka funding opportunities: https://eurekanetwork.org/opencalls/