European Forum Alpbach
International policy makers, industry representatives and researchers will convene from 19 August to 4 September at the European Forum Alpbach. The Forum, which has been held annually since 1945, has developed into a highly recognised platform to analyse and discuss global societal and economic challenges in a multidisciplinary way. The overarching theme of this year's Forum is "Construction and reality". Several of the tracks, in particular the Technology Forum and Economic Forum, address technology trends, innovation and policy responses.
The “European Forum Alpbach” has been held annually since 1945 in the Tyrolian mountain village of Alpbach. For almost three weeks, Alpbach becomes a platform for the exchange of ideas and opinions on a range of subjects, including technology and innovation. Speakers and participants from all parts of the world, from science, economics and politics, experts as well as students, come together in Alpbach to discuss current issues and challenges in an interdisciplinary way. The open character of the event stands for a climate of tolerance where a wide range of different perspectives and opinions is welcome. Since its inception, more than 3,000 people from over 50 countries have taken up the invitation to participate in the Forum. Events are carried out in German or English language; translation is available for the major tracks of the programme.
Alpbach Technology Forum 2010: "Construction and reality in research and technology"
The Technology Forum is a central part of the European Forum Alpbach and has long been a highly recognised annual key event in Austria's research and technology community. Due to its increasingly international focus, it has evolved into an indicator for trends in technology, innovation and RTD, and an ideal place for networking, due to the presence of policy and industry representatives and researchers.
The main theme of this year's Technology Forum is how to align "construction and reality" in a productive, future-oriented and sustainable way in innovation processes, research and technology. From energy systems to robotics, from digital (media) technologies to genomic research, the 2010 Alpbach Technology Forum will present state-of-the-art approaches and applications. Numerous plenary sessions and ten specific working groups will join top experts from Europe, Asia and the United States of America. An indicator for the success of the interdisciplinary approach in addressing these issues is the increase in the number of participants and sponsors in the event.
Economic Symposium 2010: "Did we waste the crisis? - Impact, learnings, challenges"
The Alpbach Economic Symposium 2010 (from 31st August to 2nd September) analyses the socio-economic consequences of the financial and economic crisis. Crisis management and the successful shaping of the future lie at the centre of the discussions.
The symposium will look back on the EU’s crisis management in comparison to other global players, and ask what can be learnt from the crisis. Who bears the costs, and how can we share the burden and restructure the indebted state budgets and social systems? One of the plenary sessions will focus on the ecological challenges the world is facing. How can we ensure sustainability and create a win-win situation for economy and ecology without stunting the performance of our market economy? In the concluding panel, high-ranking decision-makers from policy will discuss current challenges and possible solutions in consideration of the economic framework conditions.
Seminar: "Economic theory and economic policy in crisis?"
Some of the seminars during the Forum also touch upon economic and innovation policy, in particular Seminar 3 (from 20-25 August). It raises the question whether economic theory and economic policy are in crisis. It will be chaired by Heiner Flassbeck, Director of the Division on Globalisation and Development Strategies, UNCTAD - United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Geneva. Recognising that, for the most part, economists did not foresee or propose measures that would have lessened the damage from the 2008-09 financial crisis, the seminar intends to review this failure, consider explanations of the causes of the crisis, ways to improve economic analysis, and to avoid future crises. This includes the lessons to be drawn by economists of different schools of thought and by economic policy makers.
Registration and participation fees
Registration is still possible via the event website (see links below). The participation fee for a single day is € 250, for a Seminar Week or one Symposium € 500, for the Seminar Week and one or two Symposia: € 750, and for the entire European Forum 2010 it is € 1.000.
Links
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