Regional Innovation Policies Conference

Cardiff University hosts key conference on the topic of regional innovation, regional development and innovation policy.

The Regional Innovation Policies Conference featured discussion on the role of cities and regions in innovation debates; the role of innovation in promoting the growth of innovation; the spatial distribution of innovation, and the role of regional policies in both stimulating and harnessing innovation.

Speaking about the event Professor Kevin Morgan, School of Geography and Planning said: “For more than a decade the Regional Innovation Policies Conference has been an essential date in the diaries of researchers, policy-makers and practitioners with an interest in the field of regional innovation, regional development and innovation policy.  I’m delighted that we have been able to continue this tradition and welcomed so many delegates to Cardiff, the capital of Wales, and also one of the two new city-regions in Wales.”

Delegates included eighty international and twenty from the UK, who heard keynote addresses and parallel sessions on themes arranged around the central topic of regional innovation, regional development and innovation policy.  Keynote address were provided by: Associate Professor Michaela Trippl from the University of Vienna, Professor Philip Cooke from Bergen University College, Associate Professor Jiri Blazek from Charles University in the Czech Republic, and Professor David Wolfe from the University of Toronto.

Participants were encouraged to submit papers for consideration, more than seventy were presented during the conference on topics in a range of fields including: new approaches to knowledge and technology transfer, Cross-border and transnational innovation, Governance and regional innovation and the role of Universities in regional innovation.

Students were invited to attend  preconference doctoral day which allowed PhD doctoral students the opportunity to present their thesis to students and leading academics for discussion and guidance.

The Conference dinner was held at the National Museum Cardiff on the evening of the 3 November with an after dinner speech from Adam Price, Plaid Cymru Assembly Member for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr.

Keynote addresses from Associate Professor Michaela Trippl, Professor Philip Cooke  and Professor David Wolfe can be found on the Innovation and Engagement Public Lecture Series YouTube channel here. The Storify with the tweets, photos and thoughts from the Conference can be found here.

The 11th Regional Innovation Policies Conference 2016 was held at Cardiff University on 3rd and 4th November 2016.