6th NTNU European Conference: Shaping Our Digital Future: From Vision to Implementation
Shaping Our Digital Future: From Vision to Implementation
6th NTNU European Conference
Tuesday, 7 December 2021 | Renaissance Brussels Hotel | Hybrid event
The current health and economic crisis has contributed to accelerating the digital transformation process. On the one hand this is good news as it led to a quantum leap in effectiveness and efficiency as well, when developing “smart solutions”. On the other hand, is there a price we pay for these benefits?
The NTNU European Conference will explore this double edge of digitalization around various issues:
- Which future are we creating according to the designed strategies and priorities?
- How will enhanced digitalisation impact people's daily lives, products, and services?
- What will be the role and contribution that Education and Research can provide to develop the needed amount of Innovation to fulfil the targeted objectives?
These and other questions will be addressed during the conference starting with a peek into the future and covering specific case studies. A final panel will discuss the role of the involved stakeholders and the tools that will contribute to achieving the digital transformation objectives. More about the conference
Isidro Laso Ballesteros
Cabinet Expert, EC Commissioner Gabriel Cabinet for Innovation, Research, Education, Culture, and Youth
Sokrates Katsikas
Professor Director, Norwegian Center for Cybersecurity in Critical Sectors (NORCICS), NTNU
Martin Gaedke
Dean and Director of University Computer Center, Chemnitz University of Technology (TUC)
Fernando Martinez
Professor, Technical University of Valencia
Emilio Fortunato Campana
Head - Dept. Engineering, ICT and Technologies for Energy and Transport, National Research Council (CNR)
Craig Donlon
Head, Earth Surfaces and Interior Section (EOP-SME)
Earth and Mission Science Division/ESTEC
Fabienne Jacq
Programme Officer, Copernicus Expert, Earth Observation Unit, EC DG DEFIS
Ger Janssen,
Principal Scientist and ad interim, Department Head of the AI, Data Science and Digital Twin, Philips
Kate Crosman
Hoffman Fellow, Big Ocean Data, Institute of Marine Technology and World Economic Forum Ocean Action Agenda, NTNU
09:00 – 09:45 Opening session
From Strategies to implementation: which digital future for Europe?
In the State of the Union Address in September 2020, President Ursula Von der Leyen, announced that Europe should secure digital sovereignty with a common vision of the EU in 2030, based on clear goals and principles. This called the Commission to set our Europe’s Digital ambitions for 2030 and beyond in the context of Europe’s digital transformation.
- What is the state of implementation of the EU strategies?
- Where do we expect them to lead us?
- Which digital future should we expect and under which conditions?
- How will technologies impact the different societal levels?
These and other questions will be debated in the opening session of the conference.
Moderator: Maryline Fiaschi, CEO ScienceBusiness
09:00 – 09:10: Opening Remarks
Tor Grande, Pro-Rector for Research and Dissemination, NTNU
09:10 – 09:25: Shaping Europe's Digital Future: Vision and implementation status
Roberto Viola, Director General, EC DG CNECT
09:25 – 09:45: A peek into the digital future
Daria Krivonos, CEO, Copenhagen Institute of Future Studies
Room: Ballroom (main room)
09:45 – 10:45 Panel Debate
Roberto Viola
Director General, EC DG CNECT
Torbjørn Karl Svendsen
Professor, NTNU
Ingrid Schjølberg
Dean IV Faculty, NTNU
Ana Garcia Robles
Secretary General, BDVA/DAIRO
Odej Kao
Chairman, Einstein Center Digital Future
Room: Ballroom (main room)
10:45 – 11:15 Coffee break-network possibilities
10:45 – 12:15 Parallel Sessions
Parallel Session 1 - Fueling the green shipping transition: Can we reduce emissions while ensuring a secure energy supply?
Chair: Olav Bolland, NTNU
Nearly 3% of global final energy demand is consumed by ships – mainly in international cargo shipping – and the fuel consumption similarly accounts for roughly 3% of global CO2 emissions, in addition to a significant share of global SOX and NOX emissions.
Presently the potential for electrification remains limited, and a massive fuel switch to energy carriers such as ammonia, bioenergy and natural gas is needed in the short to medium term to reduce harmful emissions. Both for this switch, and for the future switch to fully sustainable fuel systems, Europe needs strong political leadership, increased investments in new infrastructure, and rapid development of new technologies.
This parallel session will address questions such as
• What is the current status of sustainable shipping?
• How quickly can we move?
• How will future fuel systems affect energy security?
• What does the R&I and education community need from Europe’s political leaders, and vice versa?
Speakers and Keynote Titles:
Annika Kroon, Head of Unit Maritime Transport and Logistics, European Commission
"EU ambitions in decarbonizing shipping and recent policy developments"
Anders Strømman, Professor & Member of IPCC WG3, NTNU
"Mitigation of Climate Change: Shipping"
Chris Waddington, Technical Director International Chamber of Shipping
“Decarbonisation of shipping, key challenges, opportunities and actions”
Jaap Gebraad, Secretary General of Waterborne Technology Platform
Sverre Steen, Head of Departement Marine Technology, NTNU
10:45 - 11:30 : Keynote Presentations
11:30 - 12:15 : Panel Debate
Room: Passage
Parallel Session 2 - Meeting the increasing demand for raw materials needed in the Green Transition: Is Europe up to the task?
Chair: Knut Marthinsen - NTNU
Wind turbines, solar panels, batteries for electric cars, technologies for digitalisation, drones for defence – all require critical raw materials (CRM). The demand for raw materials increases drastically in Europe and it has a high importance for the EU economy.
The war in Ukraine has intensified the raw material market around the globe and a possible supply shortage in Europe is likely.
In addition, there is an increasing need of skilled people in areas related to the energy transition and digitalization in Europe. How should we address these challenges to achieve a climate neutral Europe by 2050?
Speakers and Keynote Titles:
Peter Handley, Head of Unit, Energy Intensive Industries - Raw Materials, European Commission
"Raw Materials – time for the EU to Act"
Kurt Aasly, Associate Professor NTNU
“NTNU and European Universities role in Critical Raw Materials”
Thomas Garabetian, Research and Innovation Manager, SolarPower Europe
“Solar PV innovation to solve the materials challenge of the energy transition”
Markus A. Reuter, Chief Expert and Professor at SMS groups in Düsseldorf
“The criticality of a robust metallurgical infrastructure in the EU to enable the circular economy”
10:45 - 11:30 : Keynote Presentations
11:30 - 12:15 : Panel Debate
Room: Maelbeek
Parallel Session 3 - Wellbeing Economy: Co-creating a Fair and Inclusive Europe
Chair: Jesper Aa. Petersen - NTNU
We are living in turbulent times. Widening inequalities in wealth, health and wellbeing, a cost-of-living crisis, despair and loneliness; pandemics, war, political polarization, reduced trust in politicians and a heated planet with prospects of breakdown are just some of the problems we are facing.
There is a need for radical socio-economic transformation and making a shift towards pursuing missions where economies and societies serve the wellbeing of people and planet rather than causing social fractures and ecological breakdown. Champion cities and countries are currently paving the way forward for building a wellbeing economy.
Such a rearranging of the economy is an approach where public and private investment and resources contributes to co-creation and joint action to improve human, societal, environmental, and economic wellbeing that can be enjoyed by all, for current and future generations.
A panel of distinguished policymakers, practitioners and researchers will meet to discuss promising practices, policy responses and research initiatives across Europe: The road towards co-creating fair and inclusive well-being economies in Europe where no one is left behind.
Speakers and Keynote Titles:
Katja Iversen, Sentral Policy Advisor to the WEF, WHO and World Leaders
“Thriving, not just surviving – why the wellbeing economy needs to take center stage.”
Caroline Costongs, Director, EuroHealthNet
"A wellbeing economy for healthy people and a healthy planet"
Terje Andreas Eikemo, NTNU
“Why reduced inequalities will create more sustainable societies”
Frank Siebern-Thomas, Head of Unit, Fair Green and Digital Transitions, DG EMPL, European Commission
"EU policies and R&I actions for fair transitions”
Sophie Howe, Future Generations Commissioner for Wales
“Protecting the interests of Future Generations - The Welsh approach”
10:45 - 11:30 : Keynote Presentations
11:30 - 12:15 : Panel Debate
Room: Polak (main room)
Parallel Session 4 - Changing Habits for Sustainable Food Systems
Chair: Eva Falch, NTNU
The whole food system needs changes in order to secure food for the future. The willingness to change among actors in society is increasing, but does this entail a real change of habits? What are the roles of the different actors in this transformation?
In the meantime, world population has reached 8 billion in 2022. We continue to waste, overconsume, eat food from scarce resources and food that gives a negative climate budget.
The Farm to Fork Strategy and its action plan deal with these issues. It sets out 27 different policy initiatives affecting the whole system and its actors. More than two years after the implementation of the strategy, some action points are implemented, while others are in the pipeline.
Some are more challenging than others. In this session we will approach:
- Are we in line with the goals for sustainable food?
- Can resources from the Ocean alleviate the food crisis?
- What are the complicated tasks?
- Can we expect an agreement on sustainability labelling?
- What is the approach for succeeding in consumer acceptance of reformulated and processed food?
- Will we accept resources from side streams or original resources in our future food?
- How can the R&I and Education communities take part in this necessary change of habits? How are the food actors involved?
- What is the speed of change concerning consumers and other actors in the food system, and what is the needed speed?
And finally: Will we succeed in changing our habits?
Speakers and Keynote Titles:
Irène Tolleret, MEP
Marleen Onwezen, Scientific Expertise Leader, Consumer Behaviour at Wageningen University & Research
“Consumers' willingness to change?”
Tom Gilbert, Professor of Palaeogenomics, Director, Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics
“The holofood project – science as a driver for change in the animal production industry”
Laurent Bontoux, Senior Foresight for Policy Expert at European Commission Joint Research Centre
“Key challenges for the transition towards a sustainable food system”
Paolo Patruno, Deputy Secretary General CLITRAVI - European Meat Processing Association
“Perspective of the EU meat processors on food system transformation”
Hélène-Diane Dage, Deputy Head of Unit DG GROW Food, Retail, Health, European Commission
"THE EU CODE OF CONDUCT ON RESPONSIBLE FOOD BUSINESS AND MARKETING PRACTICES: A common aspirational path towards sustainable food systems"
10:45 - 11:55 : Keynote Presentations
11:55 - 12:15 : Panel Debate
Room: Salon
12:15 – 13:45 Lunch Break
13:45 – 15:15 Closing Plenary
Session Moderator: Massimo Busuoli, Director of NTNU Brussels Office
The closing plenary will allow us to peek into the future: Where do we go from here?
A plethora of European policies is being released this spring: The critical raw materials act, the electricity market rules revision, the social economy package and the defense of democracy package, to name a few. Further, the Commission’s strategic planning is being developed as we speak.
None of these represent an end point; rather, the iterative policy process requires continuous input from the R&I and education community. What does Europe need, and how can we provide it?
13:45 - 14:05: Inspiration from the chairs of the parallel sessions
14:05 - 14:20: Dimitri Lorenzani, Member of Cabinet of Maroš Šefčovič, European Commission Vice-President for Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight
“Strategic foresight as a policymaking compass amidst the transitions and the new geopolitics”
14:20 - 14:30: Tor Grande, Pro-Rector for Research and Dissemination NTNU
"Prepearing for the future in times of transition & transformation"
14:30 - 15:10: Panel discussion
Panel Participants:
Tor Grande, Pro-Rector for Research and Dissemination, NTNU
Dimitri Lorenzani, Member of Cabinet of Maroš Šefčovič, European Commission Vice-President for Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight
Matteo Vespa, President, European Students' Union
Muriel Attané, Secretary General, EARTO
15:10 - 15:15: Closing remarks
Room: Polak room (main room)
Venue
Venue contact: Maïcky Mohr, maicky.mohr@Residencepalace.be
To enter the venue:
From Chaussée d'Etterbeek you will find the access to the venue entrance by walking up the stairs found to the left of the eatery Cherry Delicateseen (66 Chaussée d'Etterbeek).
Once you have walked up the stairs, keep an eye open for the NTNU roll-up indicating the point of entrance for the conference.
- Phone: +32 2 235 21 11 (reception)
- Map
- Address: Av. de la Toison d'Or 40, 1050 Brussels
- Phone: +32 2 514 22 00 (reception)
- Room Reservations
- Map
Contact
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us via kaja.b.w.istad@ntnu.no or call us:
- +47 995 00 769
Practical information NTNU Brussels office
COVID information
For the updated information about the covid situation in Brussels:
About the conference
The NTNU European Conference is an event introduced in the Brussels Arena in 2016. It aims to facilitate discussions on R&I and Education policies and strategies between stakeholders.
The conference has grown in siginificance and popularity with increasing registrations and attendance over the years, becoming an arena of interaction between policymakers and representatives of higher education, industry, research, innovation as well as the civil society.
Organizing Committee
Vilija Balionyte-Merle
Digital Coordinator, NTNU
Torbjørn Karl Svendsen
Professor, Department of electronic systems, NTNU
Camilla Knudsen Tveiten
Senior Advisor, IE Faculty, NTNU
Medya Temelli Fenerci
MA in European Studies,
Trainee NTNU Brussels office
Martine Vogt
BA in Political Science,
Trainee, NTNU Brussels office
Bjørg Danielsen
Senior Adviser Communication Division, NTNU
