The innovation track at the WSIS Forum is supported by European Coordination within the framework of the Regional Initiative for Europe on Entrepreneurship , Innnovation and Youth adopted by the World Telecommunication Development Conference 2014, Dubai. Innovation track consists of four sessions as follows:
Session 1. From Policy to Start-ups: Guiding Innovation Dynamics
The development of strong innovation ecosystems is a key component of national development, as innovation, especially in ICTs, is a driver of economic competitiveness and growth in modern economies. ICT centric innovation ecosystems need to be established in order to accelerate sustainable development, composed of three pillars - social, economic and environmental. Creation of innovation ecosystem plays a critical role in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals.
A dynamic business environment requires a coherent regulatory setting that guides, facilitates and promotes innovation activities. This includes creation of digital transformation roadmap with clear vision and strategy aimed at fundamental transformation of processes, and establishment of innovation agencies and funds.
Achieving "innovation readiness" often requires a change in organizations, leaders and networks. Building up the capacities of individual stakeholders in the innovation ecosystem helps to create that change.
The right ecosystem can provide both an inspiration for innovation and source of competitive advantage. The dynamics of start-ups in an economy's technology sectors is an important indicator of technological performance. The challenging process of formation of new firms that focus on the development and introduction of new technology is a major source of innovation and technological advance. Many of these technology-based start-ups transfer new knowledge or new ideas for products and processes into commercial applications. Start-ups create new jobs through direct employment, creation of platforms that reduce or eliminate barriers to market access, and disruption of traditional sectors.
To catalyse the entrepreneurial ecosystem that consists of large firms, start-ups, universities and governments, the key is not just the roles that these organizations play, but also the interactions between them. Networks and knowledge sharing play a key role in the successful creation and growth of start-ups.
This session will discuss:
- National innovation approaches and digital transformation roadmaps
- Building digital innovation agencies and the role of digital innovation agents
- Building up the stakeholders' capacity for digital innovation
- Knowledge sharing through innovation networks and collaborative environments
- Inspiring success stories of start-up companies offering innovative solutions for sustainable development.
Session 2. Building Digital Innovation Frameworks: A Toolkit and a Country Report Launch
Competiveness, in an increasing open global economy, requires new approaches to development enabling digital to be ubiquitous in all sectors of an economy. Digital Innovation ecosystems are flourishing in most countries, yet struggling to reach critical mass that unlock jobs, economic growth and inclusion. To address these challenges, ITU has developed a multi-stakeholder and multi-sectoral Digital Innovation Framework, with aim to help countries, cities and ecosystems to be empowered for accelerating digital transformation.
The validated framework, tools and methodology, provide a structured approach to gathering and analyzing issues about the ways in which digital innovation and entrepreneurship in the region of interest is supported or hindered by financial capital, human talent, infrastructure, market access, policies and overarching vision. It also enables the stakeholders to co-create specific policy conditions and develop specific projects to jump start digital transformation in a country.
ITU has packaged this knowledge into a toolkit that will enable stakeholders to analyse their ecosystems and take specific actions to start changing the trajectory of their digital economy. ITU has worked together with other international organizations, global experts and key stakeholders to develop this toolkit, with the ultimate goal to close the innovation divide that separates those developing and using emerging technologies from those who, at best, are reliant on others to develop solutions, and at worst, do not benefit from access to innovation in ICTs.
The first part of the session will advise participants about what the ITU toolkit for strengthening ICT centric ecosystem is, and how to use it to scale up and empower economies.
This will be followed by the soft launching of Rwanda Country Review Report, that examines the dynamics of the ICT centric innovation ecosystem in Rwanda, and makes recommendations to strengthen ICT innovation in the Rwanda national development agenda and leverage the economic and social opportunities provided by innovative technologies.
Finally, a partnership agreement for developing Digital Innovation Frameworks will be signed with Bangladesh.
Session 3. Building ICT innovation capacity
The rapid technological progress calls on us to learn faster by working together and to pull out of ourselves more of our true potential, both individually and collectively. We need to reinvent education, think creatively, ask the right questions, have interpersonal skills, and work in teams.
Exposure to environments that encourage innovation is important as they can provide both an inspiration and needed support. Spaces where people are encouraged to work together to solve problems and to share their knowledge, thereby fostering a collegial and progressive work environment help talent to get noticed. Innovation programs (e.g. accelerators, prizes, entrepreneurship education programs) on innovation-driven entrepreneurship are beneficial support mechanisms.
Universities play the key in the ICT centric innovation ecosystem. Universities need to adapt to provide practical skills for a predominately digital economy. Education programs should be tailored to provide access to knowledge, boost original thinking, bold experimentation and interdisciplinary creativity.
An important facet of public-private collaboration is the exchange between universities and industry as innovative ventures are often driven by technologies that come from basic research and pass through technology transfer channel and commercialisation.
This session will discuss:
- Supporting networks of entrepreneurs through ICT infrastructure such as special purpose incubators and accelerators, that provide elements of co-working spaces, maker spaces, living labs, fablabs, urban labs, innovation hubs/labs, and technological sandboxes for experimentation
- The anchoring role of universities in providing entrepreneurial skills and nurturing the culture of innovation
- Fostering an active collaboration between universities, entrepreneurs and private sector and allowing innovation practitioners to work across boundaries
Session 4. Expanding ICT SMEs and ecosystem collaboration for digital competitiveness and economic inclusion
Innovative entrepreneurial ventures can realize their full potential only if they scale well beyond being viable, local businesses and serving a small customer base. Start-ups can scale organically, through acquisitions or through collaboration. In public sector, innovators need access to demand that government services can offer. On the one hand, this demand helps the innovator get test reference, validate product, establish credibility and grow. On the other hand, government needs accelerated public service transformation to meet citizens' needs. In private sector, collaborative strategies are most interesting as they allow start-up partner to profit from the resources and backbone of the large corporate partner. Corporate partners benefit from start-up's ideas/concepts, possibilities to test ideas quickly and outside complex structures, access to technology, rapid prototyping as well as its entrepreneurial spirit and culture. These collaborations enable the scaling of innovative ventures to the benefit of all parties concerned.
Supporting the innovation in isolated sectors is not enough. There is a need for a digital innovation ecosystem that will support innovations emerging in unconventional ways across government and business. Major changes in what is regarded as innovation within governments and corporations are needed: a change of internal approaches to innovation, a change of external relationships between traditional and non-traditional stakeholders and the environment.
This session will discuss:
- Mechanisms of co-creation with small innovative firms, and integrating the digital ecosystems to various segments of the economy such as agriculture, manufacturing, services, etc.
- Building programs fostering open innovation ecosystem, embracing open innovation and networked approaches to sourcing ideas and capturing value in both the public and private sector.
