On 12 September, the third Start-up Community Forum organised by the Ministry of Economics will take place within the framework of the Start-up Day in the VEFRESH innovation district, which is like a platform for establishing a dialogue between start-ups and representatives of the public, private and academic sectors, as well as non-governmental organisations. Representatives of large companies and state enterprises are also invited to participate in the Forum.
“The Start-up Community Forum is a way of encouraging dialogue between different actors in the start-up ecosystem and stakeholders – start-ups, the academic sector, the public sector and corporations – looking for the best forms of cooperation. I am pleased that the forum, which is organised for the third time, has become a tradition, where we explain not only the members of communities, but also to the public the role of start-ups in the development of the innovation system and their contribution to the economy. It is particularly delightful that this year the focus of the Forum is not only on the cross-sectoral sector, but also on the opportunities and challenges in cooperation between the Baltic States,” emphasises Ralfs Nemiro, the Minister of Economics.
With each passing year the Start-up Community Forum brings together more and more participants, as well as interest from educational institutions, private and public administration sector is growing. The purpose of the Forum is to find cooperation opportunities in joint discussions between the start-up ecosystem representatives, large industry companies, the academic sector and public authorities, having assessed the potential for cooperation and identified current challenges.
“The Ministry of Economics is currently working on proposals to extend the range of state aid beneficiaries, so in the next half-year we will urge the industry to actively engage in the development of amendments to the Law On Aid for the Activities of Start-up Companies,” says the Minister.
In the first part of the Forum, during the discussion “Promoting the start-up ecosystem and cross-sectoral cooperation: challenges and opportunities” participants will share experiences and discuss the challenges of the industry and potential solutions.
In the second part of the Forum, representatives from different sectors will be invited to work together in the hackathon of ideas “Intersectoral cooperation opportunities and cooperation models”, where participants working in interdisciplinary groups will have to present 4-6 practical solutions to promote cross-sectoral cooperation.
The event is organised by the Ministry of Economics in cooperation with the Latvian Start-up Association Startin.LV and the Digital Freedom Festival. More information on Start-up Day is published here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1159687014239495/