EUROPEAN SPECIAL, JAN 2023
Tell us your big
ideas
The road to net
zero
Europe’s
guide to a
better future
JANUARY 2023 / 01
Welcome
Inside
“Great minds discuss ideas,”
Eleanor Roosevelt said.
And in this Innovators Magazine
special, produced in partnership
with the Knowledge4Innovation
(K4I) Forum in the European
Parliament, we bring you some
of the great ideas European
innovators are discussing on an
open access platform that has
been created by the K4I Forum.
These big ideas should give us a
real sense of optimism when we
think about the future, reminding
us that it is ours to create, through
our innovation and creativity.
And the online resource, aside
from posting brilliant ideas, is
asking everyone - from individuals
to corporations, to put forward
their own.
I hope you enjoy reading about
a few of them on these pages –
and that they inspire you to share
some of yours.
IAIN ROBERTSON
EDITOR
Thinking
differently
Marceline du Prie, talks
innovation priorities
05
A new age of
enlightenment?
Maria da Graça Carvalho,
MEP, on an ecosystem
bursting with ideas
03
Europe looks
to the future
Roland Strauss, K4I Founder,
on a continent ready to lead
07
50 Big ideas
Innovators share their
ideas for creating a better
world
08
Ideas
Showcase
WELCOME & CONTENTS
editorial@innovatorsmag.com
innovatorsmag.com
@innovatorsmag.com
@inside_ideas1.5
@insideideas
Innovators Magazine is a
onepoint5media publication
02 / JANUARY 2023
“The best way to have a good idea is to
have lots of ideas,” the double Nobel prize
winning scientist Linus Pauling once said.
Thankfully this is something Europe has
always being good at: generating great
ideas. They have shaped our amazing
continent and transformed the wider world.
And now, as we seek solutions to some
of the biggest challenges this planet has
ever faced, Europe is once again ready
to lead, with our ideas, our vision, and our
commitment to delivering the first climate-
neutral continent.
So, I am obviously delighted and truly
inspired by the number of game changing,
actionable ideas being added daily to the
European Innovation Area portal, created
by our Knowledge4Innovation (K4I) Forum in
the European Parliament to provide a home
for transformative and sustainable ideas -
some of which you can read about in this
magazine.
As Chair of the Forum, it gives me a huge
amount of pride to see groundbreaking
initiatives like this, brought to the fore by an
organisation that has been at the forefront
of Europe’s innovation landscape since
2008.
The influence of the K4I Forum is something
Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for
Innovation, recognised in her speech at the
Forum’s inaugural European Innovation Area
Summit last summer, when she said: “The
Knowledge4Innovation platform has served
the objective of providing the European
Parliament, the European Commission, and
Maria da Graça Carvalho, MEP
Chair of the Knowledge4Innovation Forum in the European Parliament
JANUARY 2023 / 03
the stakeholders group with the forum
for discussing innovation.”
These words, warmly welcomed
by everyone involved with the K4I
Forum, were delivered at what was
an historic moment for the EU, when
the Commission was unveiling its New
European Innovation Agenda.
The Agenda, a dynamic action plan
designed to realise the continent’s
twin digital and green transitions, has
got the potential to be the engine
room of the European Green Deal.
It sets out how it will make it easier
for startups to access funding, has a
target to train one million deep tech
pioneers - to help turn Europe into
the deep tech capital of the world –
and is prioritising support for women
innovators.
A great contribution to this agenda,
I am proud to say, comes from the
European Innovation Area (EIA)
Manifesto, which I had the pleasure of
helping develop with the Forum, other
K4I Forum political members, EIT KICs,
European Partnerships, universities,
and innovation support organisations.
Commissioner Gabriel acknowledged
this at the time of the Agenda’s
launch, when she said the EIA
Manifesto and its eight Focus areas
“had a major impact on the creation
of this new European Innovation
Agenda - and all eight are covered by
the new Agenda”.
One of the Manifesto Focus Areas the
Agenda is taking forward is the deep
tech opportunity, and I have been
extremely excited by what leaders in
this field have been sharing through
the Forum’s new online portal of open
access ideas.
Likewise, women innovators and
female-led startups - another of
the EIA Manifesto focus areas,
and integral to the Agenda, are
providing some of the most important
solutions. This is a space that is very
close to Commissioner Gabriel’s
heart, who says women innovators
are “responsible for some of the
most groundbreaking innovations
contributing to a more sustainable
future”.
The Commissioner has made it very
clear that she is on a mission to give
women innovators more of the tools
they need to succeed, so they can
“close the gender gap” which sees
“three quarters [of startups] still
founded by men” – an outcome she
says will be “good for growth and
good for our planet” – and she’s right.
Again, the Forum’s new online
ideas resource should be a source
of inspiration - not just for the
Commissioner, but for women
across the continent, as it shows
them spearheading a new era for
innovation in Europe.
I would like to add that the Forum has
long advocated for the establishment
of a European Innovation Area that
can better coordinate all these
ambitions. This approach is working
well now, as we see from the successes
enjoyed by the European Research
Area, and the European Education
Area: two streamlined ecosystems
generating real impact. We firmly
believe a pan-European innovation
ecosystem can do the same for
innovation. Because as you can see,
we have lots of good ideas that we
must jointly implement now.
EuroSpaceHub is the first European
digital platform to connect the Space
Academic, Researchers, Industry experts
and Startups to leverage Innovation.
If you are interested to be part
of the space and aviation innovation
ecosystem in Europe, please contact us
for a call to discuss your contribution.
WE ARE LOOKING
FOR PARTNERSHIPS!
WE ARE
YOUR LAUNCH PAD
TO THE AEROSPACE
ECOSYSTEM.
JANUARY 2023 / 05
I am honored to contribute to this
special edition of Innovators Magazine
and the many great ideas we have
been collecting as part of the European
Innovation Area Manifesto.
Innovation is a critical driver of economic
growth and social progress. At TU Delft,
we believe that innovation should be
guided by a set of principles that ensure
that it is inclusive, sustainable, and
benefits society as a whole. That is why
we support the K4I Manifesto, which
lays out our vision for responsible and
impactful innovation.
The K4I Manifesto is built on four pillars:
innovation for society, innovation for
sustainability, innovation for inclusivity,
and innovation for collaboration. These
pillars reflect our belief that innovation
should be guided by the needs of
society, and that it should be inclusive
and sustainable in order to benefit all
stakeholders.
We believe that innovation is not
just about creating new technology,
but also about creating new ways of
thinking and working. That is why we are
committed to fostering collaboration
between different sectors, disciplines,
and stakeholders. We believe that by
working together, we can achieve more
impactful and responsible innovation.
In this special edition of Innovators
magazine, we are excited to share
some of the innovative projects and
initiatives that are being developed at
TU Delft in line with the K4I Manifesto.
From synthetic cell research, sustainable
transportation solutions to inclusive
healthcare technologies, these projects
demonstrate the potential of responsible
and impactful innovation to make a
positive difference in the world.
We hope that this magazine will inspire
others to join us in our mission to create
a more inclusive, sustainable, and
collaborative innovation ecosystem.
Together, we can create a future that is
better for all.
Marceline du Prie
President, Knowledge4Innovation (K4I)
Director, European Affairs, TU Delft
EuroSpaceHub is the first European
digital platform to connect the Space
Academic, Researchers, Industry experts
and Startups to leverage Innovation.
If you are interested to be part
of the space and aviation innovation
ecosystem in Europe, please contact us
for a call to discuss your contribution.
IDEAS SHOWCASE
06 / JANUARY 2023
50
JANUARY 2023 / 07
IDEAS SHOWCASE
Ideas
Showcase
“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity,”
is a quote often attributed to Albert
Einstein.
It could also quite easily be the slogan of
our times. The climate crisis, pandemic, and
political instability can sometimes appear
like all-consuming, intractable problems that
are pushing humanity to the brink. But in
the midst of all this chaos lies opportunity -
and in Europe we are grasping it with both
hands.
We can see this most vividly in the
innovative ideas we are producing, a
veritable conveyor belt of ingenuity that
views the future as something, not to fear,
but to be inspired by.
And I am very lucky to have a front row
seat to a lot of this activity, through the
impressive work being carried out by the
Knowledge4Innovation (K4I) Forum in the
European Parliament to catalyse some of
these big ideas.
One great example of this can be seen in
the amazing response we are getting to
our open call for actionable ideas that can
help give form to the eight focus areas,
of the European Innovation Areas (EIA)
Manifesto, developed by the Forum and
its extensive network of policymakers,
businesses, startups and academics.
The Manifesto, which European
Commissioner for Innovation, Mariya
Gabriel, said last year had been fully
integrated into the New European
Innovation Agenda, includes pillars
for capitalising on Europe’s deep tech
opportunities, regulating the more
questionable aspects of disruptive
technologies, financing new technologies,
moving from education to entrepreneurship,
and promoting women innovators.
It is a vision for the future of Europe that
is now coming to life through the limitless
ideas filtering through our open access
online EIA resource – some of which you
can learn more about in this magazine.
But you can do more than read about these
ideas, you can bring forward your own -
and take an active role in leading Europe
towards a climate-neutral future.
I trust the ideas on these pages - and the
many more online – will inspire you in the
same way they inspire me. Because what
they show is a Europe which understands
that “we can’t solve problems by using the
same kind of thinking we used when we
created them”, as Einstein opined.
Roland Strauss
Founder, Knowledge4Innovation (K4I)
See our website
for more
Current climate policy efforts are insufficient to keep the earth’s average temperature rise below 2 Celsius, let alone 1.5.
Resilient adaptation to global warming may well be insufficient and we need to consider cooling the earth by way of climate
engineering. The technologies for this are not ready for deployment and deeper scientific insights are required. Moreover, a
governance structure is needed taking into account ethical aspects of climate engineering. Deployment of climate engineering
technologies will bring about impacts that go across national borders so an international approach is required. The United
States has taken an initiative via DARPA. The European Union has not done so as yet. This may result in lagging behind in
understanding, despite the high probability that climate engineering may be of geo-political strategic interest to the European
Union.
In synthetic cell research scientists seek to understand how cells, and more broadly life, work by trying to replicate the cell
molecular mechanisms. Thanks to ERC funding and national initiatives, European scientists are world leaders in this field.
Building synthetic cells also promises revolutionary new technologies that will boost the green economy and strengthen Europe’s
sovereignty in Deep Tech. Technological applications will cover areas such as producing sustainable chemicals, making
materials that are 100% reusable or capable of self-repair, and harnessing CO2 as plants do. Research is progressing rapidly
worldwide; the United States and China, in particular, are investing heavily in this field. If Europe were to rely on synthetic
biology technologies from beyond its borders, this could lead to both potential dependence and economic loss. European
scientists working on synthetic cells need to join forces to upscale research, in collaboration with companies, in one coordinated
European Innovation Ecosystem and boost technology development in Europe. Financial support from the European Commission
is essential to realize this ecosystem, and to ensure Europe’s leadership in world-class, socially responsible and environmentally
sustainable technologies.
More impact is needed from the EU research programs in the real economy. From “Invented in Europe” we must turn the
excellent research results into “Made in Europe”. Commissioner Mariya Gabriel gives this boost to initiatives from networks
of Universities, Knowledge institutions and entrepreneurs all over Europe. The regions and cities must take a stronger enabling
position than ever before. Since 2008 K4I advocated for a better coordination among the EU instruments. From fragmentation
to integration. We supported the Smart Specialization Strategies, an obligation for all member states to make combined EU
investments a reality. Now we can create more impact from synergies between Horizon Europe and Cohesion Funds.
We see a growing interest all over the world in our results. The Organisation of American States (OAS), where I am in function
now, shows direct interest in our governance and Smart Specialization and we should strengthen cooperation with third
countries. The green and digital transitions show the need for more transatlantic cooperation. Let’s join forces!
01
Green Transition
HERMAN RUSSCHENBERG / TU DELFT
UNIVERSITY
02
Europe’s Deep
Tech Opportunity
STEFANIA USAI /TU DELFT
UNIVERSITY
03
Green Transition
LAMBERT NISTELROOIJ / FORMER MEP / K4I HONORARY PRESIDENT
INNOVATION (FUNDING) AGENCY
08 / JANUARY 2023
IDEAS SHOWCASE