Barcelona’s Innovation Ecosystem lands in Boston!
On May 31st, 2019 we held the first Barcelona Innovation Day in Boston, the largest display to date of Barcelona’s knowledge ecosystem abroad powered by SciTech DiploHub with the collaboration of Harvard Kennedy School, the Delegation of the Government of Catalonia to the US, ACCIÓ and Biocat.
A unique opportunity to join top research, higher education and innovation organizations; experts in science diplomacy, life sciences and AI and our Barcelona Alumni community on the East Coast!
This event brought together the most relevant stakeholders from academia, startups, industry, and public institutions from Barcelona and Boston to strengthen relationships between both ecosystems, promote the excellence of their research institutions and companies, and showcase best practices in science, technology and innovation, particularly in the fields of life sciences and AI.
Main Partners
Event Sponsors
BARCELONA INNOVATION DAY / MAY 31ST HARVARD KENNEDY SCHOOL
BARCELONA INNOVATION DAY / MAY 31ST HARVARD KENNEDY SCHOOL
OPENING SPEECH / 13:20
SciTech DiploHub: A Science and Technology Diplomacy for Barcelona
Find out about the pioneering nonprofit public-private partnership backed by Barcelona’s leading research centers, universities, nonprofits, startups, corporations and public institutions, with the mandate to deploy the city’s science diplomacy strategy and represent its knowledge and innovation ecosystem worldwide, thus making Barcelona a more influential player on the global stage.
Presented by:
Alexis Roig
Chief Executive Officer of SciTech DiploHub
Presented by:
Maria Ivanova
Director of the Center for Governance and Sustainability at the University of Massachusetts Boston
KEYNOTE TALK / 13:40
City-led Science Diplomacy for Sustainable Development
As multilateral organizations seek to implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), there is increasing acceptance of a distinct role for world‐class scientific knowledge and technological understanding in diplomacy and international relations. In this new scenario, global cities such as Boston and Barcelona must take the lead.
Presented by:
Maria Ivanova Director of the Center for Governance and Sustainability at the University of Massachusetts Boston
DIALOGUE / 14:00
Catalonia and Massachusetts: leveraging education, talent and investment to lead the future
Catalonia and Massachusetts are places of encounter between design and technology, between academic research and new start-ups, between higher education and industry, between talented graduates and experienced professionals. How have these regions become innovations powerhouses in biotechnology and IT? What best practices can they learn from each other? What is the role of government to accelerate research and innovation?
Travis McCready
President and CEO of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center
Victòria Alsina
Delegate of the Government of Catalonia to the US and Canada and Research Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School
PITCH / 15:00
The future of transportation: Autonomous Vehicles Policy Initiative at the Harvard Kennedy School
Delve into how autonomous vehicles will disrupt how policymakers need to think about urban planning, budgets, public transportation, and mobility in general in the coming years.
Presented by:
Mark Fagan
Lecturer in Public Policy and former Senior Fellow at the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government at Harvard Kennedy School
Presented by:
Marc Gràcia
Innovation Director USA East Coast at Catalonia Trade and Investment (ACCIÓ)
PITCH / 15:15
Catalonia exponential: Innovation Bridge with Boston
Find out about the new flagship program of Catalonia Trade & Investment (ACCIÓ) in the US, aimed at leveraging exponential innovations such as blockchain, 3D printing or IoT to create new markets opportunities.
Presented by:
Marc Gràcia Innovation Director USA East Coat at Catalonia Trade and Investment (ACCIÓ)
PANEL / 15:30
Connecting the dots between Boston and Barcelona: Success stories in Life Sciences
How do collaborations between both ecosystems contribute to academic research and business development in biomedicine? Join our speakers and discover their experience.
Ana Maiques
CEO of Neuroelectrics
Joan Camprodon
Chief of the Division of Neuropsychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital
Elisabet De Los Pinos
CEO of Aura Biosciences
John Collins
COO of the Consortia for Improving Medicine with Innovation & Technology (CIMIT)
Jordi Naval
CEO of Biocat- BioRegion of Catalonia
PANEL / 16:30
Artificial Intelligence: Impact and Future prospects
How are new advances in AI having an impact on innovation, the labor market, data management or public governance? Delve deeper into this new revolution with our guest panelists.
Àgata Lapedriza
Researcher at the Affective Computing Group at MIT Medialab
Albert Esplugas
Director of Business Planning & Strategy at AI Marketing, Microsoft
Merce Crosas
Chief Data Science and Technology Officer at IQSS, Harvard University
Cansu Canca
Founder and Director of the AI Ethics Lab
Simon Mueller
Co-Founder of The Future Society and Executive Director of the AI Initiative
PRESENTATION / 17:30
Barcelona Alumni: Empowering our Global Talent
Presentation of Barcelona Alumni: The global network of highly achieving scientists, researchers, technology experts and innovation leaders trained in Barcelona and based abroad.
Presented by:
Martí Jiménez
Global Programs Lead at SciTech DiploHub
CLOSING / 17:45
Networking
A unique opportunity to foster cooperation between professionals and institutions in science, technology and innovation from Barcelona and Boston, while enjoying some food delicacies.
SciTech DiploHub takes no institutional positions on policy issues. All statements of fact and expressions of opinion contained in any content on this site, related pages and social networks are the sole responsibility of the author or commentator. References to specific nonprofit, private, or government entities are not an endorsement.