Panel: Best Practices for Academic/Industry Collaboration in Smart Cities

Trans-Atlantic Symposium on ICT Technology and Policy

On 5G Networks, Big Data, Internet of Things and Cyber-Physical Systems for a Smart Society

Goals of the Symposium

The Trans-Atlantic Symposium on ICT Technology and Policy - 5G Networks, Big Data, Internet of Things and Cyber-Physical Systems for a Smart Society will cover the full spectrum of EU-US cooperation in ICT, ranging from research assessments via commercialization opportunities to policy issues in information and communication technologies (ICT) such as 5G networks, Big Data, and the Internet of Things (IoT) / cyber-physical systems (CPS).

The Wilson Center's Science and Technology Innovation Program will be hosting a panel at the symposium:

Panel: Best Practices for Academic/Industry Collaboration in Smart Cities

The goal of this session is to bring together academic and industry actors from the US and EU to discuss effective practices for supporting academia-industry cooperation in smart cities. Each panelist will be invited to give a short talk to set the scene, followed by a moderated discussion from members of the audience. Key outcomes of this panel will be enhanced knowledge of academia-industry cooperation in the US and the EU, and information on opportunities for future exploration.

Chair: Anne Bowser, Senior Program Associate, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, USA. Bowser will present research on Academia-Industry cooperation support schemes conducted by the BILAT 4.0 project, and moderate the panel discussion. 

Panelist: Haydn Thompson, Managing Director, THHINK Wireless Technologies Ltd and Chair, CPSoS Working Group, UK, EU. This presentation will be based on Thompson's 30 years experience of running joint research projects around the world. The presentation will consider the business opportunity in Smart Cities, cultural differences between Industry and Academia and the respective drivers for collaboration. The talk will then consider the need to match expectations highlighting what is required and approaches to successful collaboration.

Panelist: Laura Morgagni, Director, Turin Wireless Foundation; Secretary General, Italian Technology Cluster ’Smart Communities Tech’, Italy, EU. Focusing on public administrations in cities, this presentation will discuss the impact of innovation-based development and collaboration between private companies, cities, and academia. Collaboration, which promotes the continuous exchange of ideas, projects, and resources with private companies, is mandatory for cities to achieve long-term goals of becoming a smart city. Focusing on the case example of Torino City  from SMILE Master Plan to EU projects and Living Labs, Morgagni will elaborate on the impact of innovation-based development, from how it can develop new processes and services within the organization to promoting 'innovation ecosystems' where different players cooperate along the innovation value chain. Panelist: Jason Vargo, Director, University of Wisconsin-Madison UniverCity Alliance, USA. In 2015 the UniverCity Alliance was formed to make the University of Wisconsin-Madison a recognized leader, innovator, and contributor in improving the sustainability, resilience, livability, and general well-being of the places we live. The Alliance oversees multiple initiatives focused on education, technical assistance, and new research. The work aims to partner with municipal and industry partners to cultivate new disciplinary intersections on campus while producing positive utility for communities well beyond its walls. Vargo will also cover some of the ingredients to the Alliance's early successes. 

How to attend

Online registration is mandatory and can be completed here or by visiting the symposium website.

Contact

For information on this panel or related programming, please contact Anne Bowser, anne.bowser@wilsoncenter.org.