- Time: 13 November 2026
- Place: Cyber City Event Space (Švitrigailos g. 34, Building B, Vilnius)
- Registration: available soon
Why do some countries succeed in creating globally competitive companies and advanced industries while others do not? What enables innovation to translate into productivity gains, international competitiveness and higher living standards?
These questions have become increasingly urgent for Europe. Geopolitical fragmentation, rapid technological change and intensifying global competition are reshaping the foundations of economic growth, forcing policymakers and businesses alike to rethink what drives long-term prosperity and how Europe can strengthen its competitiveness and strategic autonomy.
For Lithuania, these challenges carry particular significance. Over the past two decades, the country has made remarkable progress in closing the income gap with the most advanced European economies. Yet the next stage of development will depend not on catching up, but on moving ahead – building advanced industries, fostering globally competitive firms and sustaining productivity growth in an increasingly knowledge-based economy.
This conference brings together internationally renowned economists, policymakers and business leaders to examine the conditions that enable breakthrough sectors to emerge and thrive. Drawing on cutting-edge economic research, European policy experience and the perspectives of successful entrepreneurs, participants will explore how innovation can be transformed into investment, how firms can scale internationally, and how institutions and public policy can foster an environment in which breakthrough ideas evolve into globally competitive businesses.
The conference seeks not only to deepen our understanding of the drivers of long-term economic growth, but also to contribute to a broader discussion on the choices that will shape Lithuania's next stage of development – one in which competitiveness is driven not by lower costs, but on knowledge, technology, innovation and the ability to create world-class companies.
Agenda
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08:30–09:00 |
Registration and welcome coffee |
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09:00–09:10 |
Welcome address Gediminas Šimkus, Chair of the Board of Lietuvos bankas |
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09:10–09:40 |
Keynote address Made in Europe: Strengthening Europe’s Innovation, Competitiveness and Strategic Autonomy Isabel Schnabel, Member of the Executive Board of the European Central Bank |
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SESSION I |
Scaling European Innovation: What Really Drives a Breakthrough in Advanced Sectors? |
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09:40–10:10 |
Academic perspective Letting Large European Firms Grow Ricardo Reis, A. W. Phillips Professor of Economics at London School of Economics |
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10:10–11:30 |
Discussion Growth Without Illusions: What Really Drives a Breakthrough in Advanced Sectors? Moderator: Gediminas Šimkus, Chair of the Board of Lietuvos bankas Panellists:
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11:30–11:50 |
Coffee break |
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SESSION II |
How Can Lithuania Achieve a Breakthrough? |
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11:50–12:10 |
Academic perspective What Makes Innovation Scale? Lessons for Europe and Small Open Economies Reinhilde Veugelers, Senior Fellow at Bruegel |
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12:10–12:30 |
Introductory presentation by Lietuvos bankas Kotryna Tamoševičienė, Director of the Economics Department at Lietuvos bankas |
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12:30–13:40 |
Discussion Innovation, Investment and Impact – the three I’s that should drive Lithuanian economy? Moderator: Marius Skuodis, Member of the Board of Lietuvos bankas Panellists:
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13:40–13:50 |
Closing remarks |