On 12 September, within the framework of the Startup Day 2019 hosted by VEFRESH Innovation Quarter, the third Startup Ecosystem Forum organised by the Ministry of Economics will take place and serve as a platform for a dialogue between startups and public, private and academic sectors, as well as non-governmental organisations. Representatives of large companies and state-owned enterprises are also invited to participate in the forum.
Each year the Startup Ecosystem Forum attracts a growing number of members, as well as interest from educational institutions, private and public sectors. The purpose of the forum is to find ways of cooperation through joint discussions between the representatives of the startup ecosystem, large companies of the industry, the academic sector and public authorities, assessing the potential for cooperation and identifying current challenges.
“The Startup Ecosystem Forum is a way to encourage a dialogue between the various players in the startup community and stakeholders - startups, the academic sector, the public sector and corporations – in order to find the best ways of cooperation. I am pleased that the forum, which is being organised for the third time now, has become a tradition in explaining not only to the community members but also the public the role of startups in the innovation system and their contribution to the economy. It is a great pleasure that this year the focus of the forum is not only on local interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral cooperation but also on the opportunities and challenges of cooperation within the Baltic States,” emphasises Minister of Economics Ralfs Nemiro.
This year the forum is organised in 2 parts: starting with a discussion section, where the representatives of both the ecosystem and sectors will be invited to participate, followed by a hackathon of ideas, where various stakeholders will jointly seek solutions and recommendations to promote mutual cooperation, which will be summarised in recommendations and further used to strengthen the ecosystem and interdisciplinary cooperation.
“The Ministry of Economics is currently working on proposals to expand the range of state aid recipients, therefore in the coming months we will encourage the industry to actively engage in the development of necessary amendments to the Law on Aid for the Activities of startup companies,” the minister continues.
In the first part of the forum within the framework of the discussion “Promoting the Start-up Ecosystem and Interdisciplinary Cooperation: Challenges and Opportunities” participants from the academic sector, state-owned companies, private and public sectors will share their experiences and discuss industry challenges and potential solutions. Representatives of the public sector, educational sector, corporations and non-governmental organisations will be invited on the stage alongside the startup companies.
In the second part of the forum, representatives from different sectors will be invited to contribute to the brainstorming session “Opportunities and Models for Interdisciplinary Cooperation”, during which participants will come up with 4-6 practical solutions to promote interdisciplinary cooperation.
The Startup Ecosystem Forum will be held on 12 September 2019, from 10:00 to 17:00, in the VEFRESH Innovation Quarter, Gustava Zemgala gatve 78. The event is free, but registration is mandatory:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/startup-ecosystem-forum-3-tickets-71662732161
Startup Ecosystem Forum #3 Programme
The event is organised by the Ministry of Economics in cooperation with the Latvian Start-up Association Startin.LV and Digital Freedom Festival. More about the Start-up Day: https: //www.facebook.com/events/1159687014239495/.