Steering Group

The INNO-Learning Steering Group (ILSG) served to the INNO-Learning Platform as a European focal point to promote policy learning and trans-national policy co-operation in the field of innovation. It assisted in initiating and strengthening dialogue among innovation peers and in enhancing practical cooperation among innovation agencies.

The ILSG also played a key role in spurring, testing and transferring new ideas towards innovation support policy actions.

In practical terms, the ILSG:

• Helped in paving the way for improved innovation support practices:
  • Functioning as a catalyzer for innovation support ideas and partnerships, exploring the scope for transnational cooperation and transfer in the field of innovation
  • Acting as a test-bed to pilot promising innovation support mechanisms towards the market (SMEs) and for modalities to enhance the organizational effectiveness of innovation intermediaries (agencies) themselves
  • Operating as a sounding board to measure the interest of stakeholders to participate in joint European transnational innovation cooperation activities and to mobilize interested parties for them
• Served as a sparring partner for innovation policy-making:
  • Acting as a pre-consultation body for the European Commission on future ideas for innovation policy and joint European transnational innovation cooperation activities.
  • Providing ideas on how the European Commission can consult in the most effective way with a broad base of stakeholders in the European innovation debate
  • Driving innovation policy learning processes under the INNO-Learning Platform

The INNO-Learning Steering Group was composed of representatives of prominent innovation support agencies throughout Europe, some working on a regional scale, some working on a national scale.

As main achievements of the INNO-Leaning Steering Group, the following realizations can be highlighted:

• In 2007, the ILSG members have actively contributed to support the analytical work, which was conducted to explore the scope for future transnational cooperation projects. In particular they have:
  • expressed their views on the potential innovation policy themes and contributed to the selection of themes to explore further,
  • actively participated in the working teams and in the task forces together with external experts and members of the ILP consortium,
  • validated the reports that were produced by the ILP consortium (exploratory reports & feasibility studies),
  • expressed their interest on taking part in the identified projects,
  • helped to identify organisations and members which should be part of the projects.
• In 2008, the ILSG members have:
  • worked on the mini-studies that were commissioned in relation to effectiveness in innovation policies, giving valuable insights and comments to the team members in the preparation of the reports,
  • provided feedback, comments and suggestions to the European Commission about the preparation of new calls for transnational innovation policy cooperation projects.
• In 2009, the ILSG members have:
  • issued suggestions in view of the launch of the pilot exercises on peer review and good practice exchange of innovation support measures,
  • supplied ideas prior to the launch of a public consultation on behalf of the EC on effectiveness in innovation support in Europe,
  • gave feedback on the theme of "Streamlining and creating synergies between EU instruments supporting innovation",
  • participated in pilot exercises on peer review and good practice exchange of innovation support measures,
  • provided inputs to a Staff Working Document of the EC on how to raise the effectiveness of innovation support in Europe.

INNO-Learning Steering Group meetings

• 6th Steering Group meeting, 13 May 2009, Rotterdam
• Agenda of the meeting
• Minutes of the meeting
• Presentations delivered in the meeting

• 5th Steering Group meeting, 28 November 2008, Leuven
• Agenda of the meeting
• Minutes of the meeting
• Presentations delivered in the meeting

• 4th Steering Group meeting, 24 April 2008, Warsaw
• Agenda of the meeting
• Minutes of the meeting

• 3rd Steering Group meeting, 16 November, Brussels
• Agenda of the meeting
• Minutes of the meeting

• 2nd Steering Group meeting, 10 May, Brussels
• Agenda of the meeting
• Minutes of the meeting
• Photos

• 1st Steering Group meeting, 15 December, Copenhagen
• Agenda of the meeting
• Minutes of the meeting

Members of the INNO-Learning Steering Group (mid 2008 - end 2009)

Austria	Mr Werner Pamminger, Managing Director, Clusterland Upper Austria	Details
Belgium	Mr Maarten Sileghem, Director of Strategic and European Research, IWT-Vlaanderen
Denmark	Mr Thomas Alslev Christensen, Head of department Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, Center for Innovation Policy (DASTI)	Details
Estonia	Mr Ilmar Pralla, Director Innovation Division, Enterprise Estonia	Details
Finland	Mr Jari Romanainen, Executive Director of Strategy, Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation (Tekes)	Details
France	Mr Michel Ganoote, European Delegate, Strategy & Development, OSEO Innovation
Germany	Mr Josef Nassauer, Managing Director, Bayern Innovativ	Details
Greece	Ms Aliki Pappa, General Secretariat for Research & Technology, Ministry of Development	Details
Hungary	Mr Tivadar Lippenyi, Vice President, National Office of Research and Technology	Details
Italy	Mr Mauro Mallone, Manager of Technology Transfer policies and programmes department, Institute for industrial promotion (IPI)	Details
Netherlands	Mr Koen de Pater, Manager Innovation International & Human Capital, SenterNovem	Details
Norway	Mr Knut Senneseth, Senior Adviser, Innovation Norway	Details
Poland	Ms Irma Peçiak, Director Innovation and Technology unit, Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (PAED)	Details
Spain	Mr Antonio González Terol, General Director for European affairs, Madrid Region	Details
Sweden	Mr Sven Gunnar Edlund, Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems (VINNOVA)
United Kingdom	Mr David Golding, Head of strategy, Technology Strategy Board	Details

Associate members

The Associate Members formed part of the ILSG from end 2006 to mid 2008 and continue to be associated to the discussions of the group after a renewal of the ILSG membership took place at the mid term of the INNO-Learning Platform contract.

United Kingdom	Former chairman of the ILSG representing Scottish Enterprise and currently in the Scottish Government Mr David Robson, Director, Policy and Practice, Industries Directorate, Scottish Enterprise
Czech Republic	Mr Roman Cermak, Director General/CEO, Investment and Business Development Agency Czechinvest
Germany	Mr Klaus P Schulze, Managing Director, Brandenburg Economic Development Board GmbH
Ireland	Mr Martin Lyes, Divisional Manager, Research & Innovation, Enterprise Ireland
Latvia	Mr Valdis Avotins, Director of the Innovation Department, Latvian Investment and Development Agency (LIDA)
Portugal	Mr Fernando Bello, Board Member, Portuguese Innovation Agency (ADI)
Slovenia	Mr Peter Jesovnik, Director, Foreign Agency for Entrepreneurship and foreign investment (JAPTI)
Spain	Mr Rodolfo Piedra, Representative of the Director-General in Brussels, Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI)
United Kingdom	Ms Alison Munro, Manager Strategy & Policy Industries, Research & Policy, Scottish Enterprise
Turkey	Mr Ugor Yuce, Managing Director, Technlogy Development foundation of Turkey (TTGV)
European Institutions	Mr Gérard Giroud, Director, European and International Affairs, European Patent Office (EPO) Mr Leopold Summer, ESA advanced Concepts team, European Space Agency (ESA)