 Good morning everyone and welcome to this press conference from the 47th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum here in Davos Welcome here in the room. Welcome on the live stream. Thanks for watching and welcome to everyone here on the panel this press conference is dedicated to the launch of the high-level group of advisors of the European Innovation Council and Joining me here today to talk about this exciting launch is Commissioner Moedas. He's the European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation Right at the heart of our wonderful panel today. We're joined by Maijolijn Helder She's the chief executive officer of plant E from the Netherlands and last but not least We're joined by Jim Hagemann-Snaabe who's a member of the Board of Trustees of the World Economic Forum Thank you for being here today commissioner Tell us about the high-level group of advisors you're launching today. Thank you very much. Thank you for being here It's really a pleasure. I'm delighted to be here in Davos to announce something that is very special And very important for us in Europe We call it the European Innovation Council and we have two members of that Group that will help us create this idea in the future the European Innovation Council One is Marilyn Helder Founder of plant E and the second one Jim Schnabe that everybody knows a really a technology pioneer And a member of the WEF the European Innovation Council Is I would say my most ambitious project during my tenure of five years as European Commissioner of Science and Innovation Europe spends 10 billion euros a year on cutting-edge innovation Creates new vaccines. We were here announcing last Yesterday the SAPI the Coalition for Epidemics and Vaccines Greener aircrafts renewable energy Technologies and much more, but we miss something in Europe We miss the ideas that do not fit on existing categories And that's something that we have to change and the idea of the European Innovation Council is exactly that How do you change that how you do grasp that kind of innovation? Clayton Christensen at the Harvard Business School calls it the market Creating innovation innovation that creates markets and that creates jobs and these are the highest risk innovations innovations that most of them fail But when they actually succeed they change the world So this is the challenge. How do we identify these kind of Innovations how do you scale them up? And finally, how do you champion them? I do create in Europe a culture of champion people that create these kind of innovations So it's a huge challenge is a long-term challenge, but I believe that this new group can do it The group has 15 members They are not the usual people That normally get at the European Commission as advisors, but I do not want to have the usual people I want people that are different. I want a different type of advice and they reflect what I believe are the essential characteristics of these new wave of innovation of this market creating innovation first the combination of the physical and the digital people like Jim Understands the digital world inside out, but people like Marshall and Is pushing the boundaries of biology and physical technologies at the same time Then the second is diversity the women and the man of the group come from very very different backgrounds Countries levels of experience. So people like Tavette and Rico's and Ingmar her Have built billion-year companies Curvac Transfer-wise others are just starting their journey and finally Ecosystems the group includes people like Hermann Hauser who built the high-tech cluster of Cambridge Or Roxanne Varza that he's building station half Hub at a campus of more than 1,000 startups in Paris So finally 10 years ago one of my predecessors created the European Research Council that Transformed the way Europe funds basic research and fundamental science made Europe a beacon for excellent science Today what we launching is this idea of creating in Europe a beacon for excellence in innovation for market creating innovation So thank you very much for the opportunity to do it here in Davos Thank You Commissioner my online we heard you're not one of the usual suspects So before I invite you to tell us why you're joining this group Maybe you can give us like a 30-second a pitch for especially for online audience as well to understand what what you're doing in with your company sure, so We're a technology pioneer for the Weltingen forum and what we do is we produce electricity with living plants as a new Sustainable energy source so while the plants are growing we can directly harvest electricity without harvesting the plant that opens up a whole new area of Opportunities for for example natural wetlands where we could combine Electricity production with nature conservation on the other hand we could use rice petty fields as well So you could combine both food production and electricity production at the same land So we're talking multiple land use. It's a very multidisciplinary. It's biology. It's chemistry. It's physics So it's actually well a very complex new and as a what I'm hoping a very disruptive technology to several sectors, thank you, so Share with us. Why are you joining this group and what makes you so excited about it? Well, I I'm first of all, I'm really happy that I get this opportunity to participate in something That's as innovative as this council is and the main reason for me to To apply for the council was actually that we run into problems when we try to get subsidies So people are always very enthusiastic about what we're doing But when we get to the bottom of it either they did the jury that Assesses the proposals doesn't really understand how the technology works, which is logical because it's new and it's unique We've got a different business model than usual. So that that makes it really difficult as well And then what for me probably is the most difficult part of getting any type of grant or subsidy is that We don't fit in a box. So all these programs are structured For people to to make them understandable. So we've got calls with a certain theme And that's so far so far specified that the really cross-sectional multidisciplinary Disrupting technologies really just don't fit into the programs. So and we ran into that for a few times Like yeah, well, it's sort of solar power via the plant, but it's not PV It's biomass, but you don't harvest so so that makes it really difficult So I'm really happy that we're gonna work on that and I'm hoping that I can add a lot of well What used to be my frustrations into and make them work into a new program that actually fits disruptors like us Thank you, my online and Jim. Let's do then the same exercise with you while it's very exciting to work at the forum when we share that I my I Think this is not the reason why you've been selected but rather your previous life So share with our online audience just in a nutshell What are your experiences? What are you bringing to this group before we then would like to hear from you while you're joining? Well, thank you very much So so I've spent most of my career actually 25 years in the IT industry I was lucky to join SAP one of the few global leaders In an in technology software company that is actually headquartered out of Europe and it shows that Europe can take on Massive opportunities around innovation around the digital world and create a global leaders I've recently joined boards of companies like Siemens or AP Miller mask These are asset heavy companies. So the real physical world, but they're all seeking the same opportunity How can we add a digital dimension to what we do and with that a reinvent our company and our business models? So that is basically the background I come with there into this project So this is what you're bringing to the group, but why are you joining? Please? Well, let me first say that I'm really honored to be Joining this group when when I saw the list of people I give a great credit to the commissioner for the selection This is not just a very diverse group, but very unique people that have Incredible experiences in various different areas, and I'm sure that when you bring those skills together Some level of magic can happen I'm very excited because I I fundamentally believe and I've seen that in my own career that we live in a time where We have unprecedented opportunities to not just make incremental improvements, but really reinvent the way we live the way we work And potentially reinvent society to be significantly more sustainable the technology Revolution has only just started now to capture those opportunities. We do need Innovation we need big ideas and it is my experience working with large companies that the biggest ideas actually come from the small companies and Innovation is about the marriage of the greatness of an idea a unique new way of thinking of a problem like for instance Creating energy out of plants Combined with the ability to scale that idea into the market and with that create value and opportunity So I think that Europe needs to take a very strong stand We need to create an entrepreneurship Culture in Europe and we come with a very good starting point I mean don't forget the industrialization which is basically been propelling Productivity and and improvements of lives etc over 200 years. It all started in Europe We have the diversity in Europe. We have a good combination of large and small companies We need to foster an entrepreneurship culture that can propel Europe My hope is that this initiative will enable Europe to create innovation through innovation We create growth, which I think is essential and through growth We create the jobs of the future not trying to protect the current But we propel ourselves into the future jobs that is going to be critical for us to ensure that as we develop The opportunities for the future. These are opportunities for everyone in particular and I will end there I am excited that we can together create job opportunities for the young people Because not only do the big ideas come from small companies They also typically come from young people who don't have the same assumptions in their brains as we older people So I hope we can create that opportunity and I'm very excited for the level of ambition that the Commission has set to this project Thank you very much Commissioner, I'm sure you will put the group hard to work Share a little bit with us kind of what are the concrete involvements that this group will have in in promoting these ideas and promoting a culture of entrepreneurship and and reach these these market Creating innovations. I think that these group will be basically our ambassadors Ambassadors of these new way of thinking of innovation I think that they have a track record that allows them to be Representing also what Europe needs and I take two sentences one from marzlin on She said we don't fit in a box. I mean, I think that these defines Totally what we're looking for the problem today is that if you don't fit in a box, you don't have a place and so She said it all then I think that Jim with his amazing experience in so many companies Said something that for me is key which is he said, how can we prepare ourselves for the jobs of the future? How can we actually look for the future and not not try to protect? What we cannot protect what we can protect is the future how we prepare people for those jobs And that is through this kind of innovation So their role will be really to advise us in the European Commission First now in this first part, which is basically the midterm review of the program that we are doing as we speak But then on 2018 We're launching a proposal that will go to the Parliament that will be the future of Europe will be the next cycle After 2020 and so their responsibility is is huge for that matter But he's a shared responsibility with an ambition of changing things which is tough But it's needed today in Europe. So I'm very proud that Of all of them, but I really wanted to to thank Jim and Mars Line for being here today with me because you know It's much better when they speak then when a politician speaks Because they speak from the experience from the day today. And so that's that's really Today very important for Europe we need people that know how to tell the real stories and they are those story tellers of Their own stories and those stories is what can get us closer to the people in Europe. Thank you very much Well, it looks like Brussels that always is called out as a bit geeky or full of policy wonks has become more tech geeky now So I think that's a good thing I know there's there's colleagues from the Commission here as well Have they tried already to steal your secret weapon away from you or no? I have fantastic support from my colleagues and absolutely All of them from the vice president Katainen We has been crucial in this project From vice president Mara Sephovich that he's here today My colleague Gunther Ottinger that used to be on the on the digital side and vice president Andrews Ansip They all have been very supportive But more than that my support comes from the Parliament a lot of people in the Parliament a lot of having me peace I've been asking for for these From the the chair of the of the committee that I report to in the Parliament Professor Buzek to the Christian Eller to so many of them that have been Telling me look this is what we have to do and you have our support So I count on that support of the Parliament and then we have the countries and the countries have been very supportive too So we are on the right track to create something new to change things in an orderly way We the participation of the countries of the Parliament and the Commission. Thank you very much last question to you my Ellen and Jim so Many business leaders come to Davos or to other places and have either wish list or demands Or maybe even complaints about the public sector, right? So if you talk to your peers in your communities how and they ask why are you doing this with a commission? What's what's your answer? For me it would be that if you don't participate in a dialogue You will always keep on complaining So if you're not happy with what's happening you have to help changing this the system and change the structure and the Programs so and if you're happy with them don't change them But I'm really looking forward to within the the council having strong discussions on What should change how we could do that because we've such a diverse group that I think that what we're gonna have strong discussions We should have and hopefully that leads to a better Program that fits what we're looking for so people around me and companies in my in the face of my face of development are Generally unhappy about several several things so Getting funding in whatever ways always a difficult thing and then getting Grants is maybe even more difficult because there's a lot of bureaucracy involved a lot of paperwork so That's what they're unhappy about the thing is I don't know whether we can change that But if there's some if you don't try and if you don't engage in the in the dialogue there's nothing gonna happen So I'm really happy that we're getting this opportunity and that's exactly what I'm gonna tell my peers Thank you very much. Jim you want to add to that? Yeah, I would just say that you know It's not an easy situation in being in policy today And unfortunately somehow we have come to a conclusion that globalization is to blame For the issues it's not true, and I think the Davos conversation show that it is progress It's technology that is changing environments Changing jobs as well, and I believe that in a time where there is let's say question marks around What what is the role of Europe to strengthen that role not with the bureaucratic process But with inspiring young people creating new opportunities for innovation and growth The ability to create your own jobs and and with that propelled Europe into the future Rather than sit and complain about policy. I think this is what this project is. This is not about Handing in a report and that's what I like about this project. This is about changing our minds And it's a process of creating innovation and growth in Europe It's about embracing the future and if that can be the role of Europe and and the EU then I am super excited About that future. Thank you very much commissioner. It looks like you chosen the right people for for for the group Thank you very much for being here today, and thank you very much for watching. Thank you