International S3 Conference

The second day of the International Smart Specialisation Conference was completed with high participation on 28 May 2025 in Ankara!

The panel session titled “Smart Specialisation and Transformative Growth: Navigating Innovation Ecosystems” was successfully held. Moderated by Mr. Krzysztof Roman SIWEK, Team Leader of CEDIS3, the session featured valuable contributions from Mr. Andrea CONTE, Portfolio Leader at the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission; Dr Elisabetta MAINI, Head of Research, Innovation and European Networks at the Emilia Romagna Regional Government; Ms. Mehlika DİCLE, Secretary General of the Middle Black Sea Development Agency; and Prof Dr Neşe KUMRAL, Faculty Member at Ege University.

In the panel session titled “Partnership Dynamics and Innovation Financing,” we brought together distinguished figures from public institutions and international organizations. The panel was moderated by Ms. Beyza TURAN, Head of the Programming Department at the Directorate for EU Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In this session, Mr. Dr Alp Eren YURTSEVEN, Vice President of TÜBİTAK TEYDEB; Mr. Mehmet ÜVEZ, Deputy Director of the Turkey Office at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD); Ms. Çiğdem AKIN, Director of the Public Sector Management and Governance Sector Group at the Asian Development Bank (ADB); and Mr. Ali H.O. ABUKUMAIL, Senior Private Sector Specialist at the World Bank, shared their views.

On the second day of our program, we had the opportunity to listen to two distinguished keynote speakers who are leading figures in their fields. Mr. Prof Dr Muzaffer ŞEKER, President of the Turkish Academy of Sciences, and Mr. Prof Dr Muhammed Zeki DURAK, President of the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office, thoroughly addressed the direction of science and technology policies, academic priorities, and the role of intellectual property in innovation.

On the second day of the SMART Türkiye International Smart Specialisation Conference, parallel sessions were held. One of these sessions focused on “Smart Specialisation and Its Role in Regional Innovation Ecosystems”, moderated by Ms. Roberta DALL’OLIO, Senior Expert and Former Director of the European Association of Development Agencies. In the session, Mr. Prof Dr Dominique FORAY, Faculty Member at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Mr. Dr Mathieu DOUSSINEAU, Policy Analyst at the EFIS Centre, Ms. Işıl Nadire YENER, Regional Expert for the TRB2 Region at CEDIS3 and Mr. Lucian SANDU, Head of RIS3 at the North-East Regional Development Agency of Romania, shared their insights and experiences with the participants.

At the second parallel session of the SMART Turkey International Smart Specialization Conference, the topic “Entrepreneurial Discovery and Smart Specialisation: The Road Ahead” was discussed under the moderation of Mr. Dr Murat Ali DULUPÇU, Regional Expert of TR61. In the session, Ms. Prof Dr Marina RANGA, Innovation Center Manager at Ulysseus Innovation Center for Energy, Transportation, and Mobility for Smart Cities; Mr. Dr Manuel GONZALEZ, Policy Officer at the European Commission Joint Research Centre; Mr. Michele COLAVITO, Senior Project Manager at Clust-ER Tourism; and Ms. Sofia CARDOSO, Senior Expert at the Alentejo Regional Development Agency, contributed.

On the second day of the SMART Turkey International Smart Specialization Conference, in the parallel session titled “Data-Driven Design and Implementation in Smart Specialization Processes,” moderated by Mr. Dr Nida Kamil ÖZBOLAT, Key Expert at CEDIS3, Mr. Dr Jan-Philipp KRAMER, Head of EU Services at Prognos AG; Mr. Prof. Dr Kemal Mert ÇUBUKÇU, Faculty Member at Dokuz Eylül University; Ms. Dr Katerina CIAMPI STANCOVA, Policy Analyst at the OECD Trento Local Development Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities; and Dr. Andrea CONTE, Portfolio Leader at the European Commission Joint Research Centre, shared their insights.

Ahmet ŞİMŞEK, Director General of Development Agencies at the Ministry of Industry and Technology of the Republic of Türkiye, delivered the closing speech of the International Smart Specialisation Conference.