On 6 November 2020, the Bank of Lithuania will hold a virtual economics conference Harnessing Investment and Innovation: Getting on the Fast Track. The conference will gather policy advisors, academics and business representatives to discuss the best practices and solutions to the challenges in the area of investment and innovation. The conference will be broadcast online. Registration is not required.
Within the last 30 years since regaining its independence, Lithuania has demonstrated one of the highest rates of economic convergence, both in the European and broader contexts. Despite this achievement, there is no guarantee that the convergence momentum will be maintained going forward. Economic research suggests that countries with higher investment ratios tend to grow faster, and that the capacity to innovate becomes critically important at more advanced levels of development, as economies get closer to the technological frontier. Successful transition at this stage, also taking into account the nature and speed of global structural changes and trends, may crucially depend on timely and proper adjustments in the country’s economic institutions and a whole range of policies: from industrial and investment ones to measures aimed at business incubation and acceleration as well as R&D and innovation growth. In addition, challenges related to climate change multiply the necessity to step up relevant policy levers and innovation to make economic development more sustainable.
AGENDA
SPEAKERS (231.6 KB download icon)
| 10:00–10:10 |
Vitas Vasiliauskas, Chairman of the Board, Bank of Lithuania |
| 10:10–10:40 |
Keynote speech: Long term challenges from the corona pandemic for fiscal and structural policies Marcel Fratzscher, President, German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) |
| SESSION 1 (English) |
THE FUTURE OF INVESTMENT AND INNOVATION: HOW TO REACH THE TECHNOLOGY FRONTIER? |
|
10:40–12:25 |
The role of FDI and governmental policies to boost technology diffusion, innovation and productivity of domestic firms (2.5 MB download icon) Alexander Plekhanov, Director for Transition Impact and Global Economics, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
The co-evolution of global value chains and innovation systems: implications for catching up (4.3 MB download icon) Roberta Rabellotti, Professor, University of Pavia
Innovation for the environment: urgency, key challenges and new opportunities (3.2 MB download icon) Shardul Agrawala, Head of the Environment and Economy Integration Division, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Investment at times of COVID-19, digitalisation and climate change (1.1 MB download icon) Debora Revoltella, Director of the Economics Department, European Investment Bank |
| 12:25–13:10 |
Panel discussion and Q&A Moderator: Aurelija Proškutė, Head of the Applied Macroeconomic Research Division, Bank of Lithuania |
| SESSION 2 (Lithuanian) |
INVESTMENT AND INNOVATION IN LITHUANIA: BIGGEST CHALLENGES AND WAYS TO OVERCOME THEM |
| 13:10–14:30 |
Picture of investment in Lithuania (1.1 MB download icon) Eglė Coppa, Senior Economist, Macroeconomics and Forecasting Division, Bank of Lithuania
Innovation policy in Lithuania and necessary changes (3.1 MB download icon) Mantas Katinas, Managing Director, Invest Lithuania
Innovation and regulation (608.1 KB download icon) Ilja Laurs, Chairman, “Nextury Ventures” Venture Capital Fund
Perspectives of technology in Lithuania (981 KB download icon) Algimantas Markauskas, General Manager, Thermo Fisher Scientific Baltics |
| 14:30–15:15 |
Panel discussion and Q&A Moderator: Kotryna Tamoševičienė, Head of the Macroeconomics and Forecasting Division, Bank of Lithuania |
| 15:15–15:25 | End of conference, closing remarks |