The activities of the Expert Panel are organised around four intense, closed workshops. The first workshop will be held in March 2010 and the last workshop will take place in December 2010. The Expert panel’s works will conclude with a public event at the end of January 2011. Each of the four workshops will last 1,5 days and take place at locations across Europe.
The first workshop is planned for 25-26 March 2010 and will take place in Brussels. The second workshop will be in June 2010 in Copenhagen, (DK), the third workshop in September 2010 and the fourth workshop in December 2010 (venues to be determined)
Each of the workshops will be organised around a theme and will involve a mini-study produced by the consortium.
Currently the following themes have been identified, subject to adjustments over time:
- Theme 1 - Addressing Societal Challenges
Assess how services innovation contributes to solving challenges such as climate change, sustainability, productivity, quality of life, growth and employment. - Theme 2 – An Overview of Innovation Policy In Relation to Services
Establish an overview of innovation policy schemes and instruments, and reflect on and assess their relevance and validity for improving innovation in services. The workshop should assess the extent to which current public policy in Europe is focused on manufacturing innovation at the expense of the service sectors. - Theme 3 – Programmes to Support Services Innovation
Focus specifically on programmes to support services innovation and establish the particular services and enterprises that are targeted at local, regional and national levels. - Theme 4 - The European Dimension
Identify national support mechanisms and activities that have a potential for being implemented with a European dimension and how a European dimension could be built into these, such as access to vouchers and to European peers and experts. Investigate whether there is a need for launching new services innovation schemes and instruments
