Eu-SPRI Annual Conference 2027

In 2027 the TNO Vector Centre for Societal Innovation and Strategy celebrates its 5^th anniversary by hosting the Eu-SPRI Annual Conference. The conference will take place in the facilities of Leiden University at the Wijnhaven Campus in the Hague from 9 to 11 June 2027. It will be preceded by the 5^th Anniversary of the TNO Vector Symposium and the EU-SPRI Early Career Event on 8 June. The TNO Vector Symposium is oriented to host dialogues with policymakers on innovation-related issues. This offers an opportunity for conference participants to meet and discuss Dutch policymakers dealing with innovation policy and strategy during the afternoon of June 8^th.

The Eu-SPRI2027 conference theme is Stepping up innovation while balancing values, endogenous capabilities, and geopolitical risks. We are now welcoming researchers and practitioners to submit proposals for tracks and special (stand-alone) sessions.

The global order is changing before our eyes. Great powers are vying for influence, conflicts are straining international relations, and the struggle for resources, trade routes, territory and technology leadership is extending from land to sea—and even into space. European policy is steering hard to face the new reality of a world in flux where geopolitical power is strongly influenced by technology and innovation power.

During the last 15 years Europe focused largely on creating capabilities, industrial and innovation leadership and a regulatory framework to face the grand societal challenges. This was intended to create solutions that would be brought to the world creating new technologies and new value chains underpinned by global innovation networks. This vision, inspired by a long-term future of Europe, was called into question by recent influential policy reports that indicated that Europe has starkly fall behind in several key competitive fields. This has been compounded with the recent military conflicts at Europe’s eastern border and in the Middle East, the efforts to dominate supply chains and use them as levers for geopolitical power, and the contestation of well-established alliances, to just mention the most salient factors. That brings to the forefront critical European dependencies in areas such as energy, digital technologies and services, defence and security. This new reality calls for strengthening sovereignty, autonomy, competitiveness and resilience across several domains that support social life and economic activity in Europe. Such challenges require to balance the long-term vision of a democratic, inclusive and sustainable Europe with short terms actions that support security and competitiveness.

Why Attend?

• Present and discuss cutting-edge research
• Connect with the international EU-SPRI community
• Engage with policymakers and innovation practitioners
• Explore new perspectives on research and innovation governance
• Build collaborations across disciplines and sectors

Further details regarding the conference theme, venue, programme, and submission process will be announced soon.