WSIS Forum 2017 will be held from 12–16 June 2017 in Geneva, Switzerland. More info.

New Partners and Networks Supporting Innovation in ICT4D

International Telecommunication Union (ITU)

ICT entrepreneurs, startups, and SMEs driving innovation ecosystems are facing challenges and opportunities in today’s fast changing environment. Problems of access to market opportunities, support networks, and research and knowledge institutions require that key activities be taken by innovation stakeholders to foster the growth and development of innovation ecosystems.


Some of these activities are policies and roles which have been part of supporting innovation ecosystems for decades and which remain critical to the development of innovative economies. Others are new activities and new roles requiring the involvement of new stakeholders. This evolution in the support of innovation ecosystems must be understood in order to ensure that they develop and support both economies and ICT4D solutions.

Because so many of these activities are new in nature and in the stakeholders they engage, it is critical that collaboration be fostered in order to set the new stakeholders firmly in their roles in the ecosystems, and to ensure that best practices and knowledge are shared widely, both within ecosystems and internationally.

This session will discuss the following points:
• Mechanisms to nurture new collaborative networks and access to markets
• New initiatives to support scaling and competitiveness of innovation ecosystems
• Changing roles of stakeholders in supporting this.

Format: presentation followed by panel discussion

Moderator

Joseph Gaylord, BDT, INV, ITU

Speakers / panellists
  • Sophie Huber – Director, UNIGE Centre for Continuing and Distance Education
  • Endri Mataj – Regional Director, Eastern Europe, Startup Grind
  • Drasko Draskovic – Research Scientist, CERN, WEF Global Shaper
Session 137
  • Thursday, 16:45 – 18:15
  • Room A, ITU Tower
  • Thematic Workshop

WSIS Forum 2016 | WSIS Action Lines: Supporting the Implementation of SDGs
2–6 May 2016, International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Place des Nations, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland