INSME President Sergio Arzeni participated in the 20th Edition of the International Entrepreneurship Forum (IEF), hosted in Porto, Portugal, from September 9 to 11, 2024. This year’s conference, titled “Connecting Technology, Innovation, and Society: An Entrepreneurial Citizen-focused Approach”, was chaired by Professor Jay Mitra, a key board member of INSME. The IEF represents an extensive global network of academic researchers, policy makers, practitioners, and community-based organisation representatives, all giving their time and lending their expertise voluntarily as part of a quadruple helix platform for entrepreneurship, innovation, economic and social development
During the conference, President Arzeni spoke during Panel Session 1 on Innovation Policy, which focused on pivotal themes such as Sustainability, ESG, and the Digital Framework Conditions for innovation. The panel discussed the future of innovation policy and strategies to foster sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems.
In his contribution, President Arzeni highlighted a critical economic disparity between the U.S. and Europe. “Fifteen years ago, the U.S. and Eurozone economies were nearly equivalent,” Arzeni remarked. “Today, the American economy is almost twice the size of Europe’s.” He cited Mario Draghi’s report on The Future of European Competitiveness, which urges Europe to invest hundreds of billions of euros in industrial policy and competitiveness to close the gap. Arzeni further emphasized with notes from The Economist, the U.S.’s success in attracting and retaining global talent—professors, students, and skilled workers—via mechanisms like the H1B visa, which has fostered innovation and entrepreneurship, echoing Nobel laureate Edmund Phelps’s notion of “mass flourishing.” With these solutions, innovation can be given a jumpstart.
The conference continued to showcase cutting-edge insights on the intersection of technology, society, and policy. With high level speakers at the helm of discussions, IEF 2024 underscored the critical role that innovation and entrepreneurship play in shaping a more sustainable and prosperous future for Europe and the world.
Source: INSME Secretariat
