AI & Big Data for Innovation Summit 2023

The event theme, AI for Sustainability, marks the first event under the new focus of the K4I Forum on Innovation for Purpose – Innovations for Good announced during the New Year Reception in the European Parliament on 24 January.

This year’s AI Summit is taking place at a decisive moment when Europe is drafting the AI Act with tremendous effects for all areas of life. No doubt AI can play a key role in reaching European Green Deal objectives and UN SD Goals. How AI can be used to address climate challenges will be presented and discussed throughout the event.

More generally AI has the potential to accelerate innovation and is nowadays used not only by AI startups but by almost any startup. Small and young businesses have limited administrative capacity and financial resources. They need a framework allowing them to test without too many burdens as this can be done when applying so-called Regulatory Sandboxes for example.

AI will also play a major role in science and research and as such become an indispensable tool for European programs in research and innovation such as Horizon Europe.

A lunch debate organized in cooperation with TU Delft will discuss how we can adapt to global warming which will become ever more important as we struggle to keep the earth’s average temperature rise below 1.5 Celsius.

Finally, the participants will have ample opportunity to network from breakfast to dinner and during a Cocktail Reception.

• 6 March – 16:30 – 18:00 – AI Act/Innovation/Startups
• 6 March – 18:00 – 20:00 – Networking Reception
• 7 March – 08:00 – 09:30 – AI Working Breakfast
• 7 March – 09:30 – 12:30 – AI for Purpose
• 7 March – 12:30 – 14:30 – Lunch session on Climate Action/Geo-engineering

AI ACT / INNOVATION / STARTUPS

16:30 – 18:00

AI Act/Innovation/Startups

16:30 – 16:50
Presentation AI Act Impact Survey: Exploring the impact of the AI Act on Startups in Europe Introduction MEP Policy Brief ‘AI and Innovation’
Andreas Liebl, CEO appliedAI Initiative for Europe

16:50 – 17:20 Startup presentations
· Franz Pfister, CEO & Co-Founder, deepc
· Jonas Andrulis, CEO, Aleph AlphaAI 
· Benedikt Wiechers, CEO and Co-Founder, Ocumeda

17:20-17:45 Q&A/discussion

NETWORKING RECEPTION

18:00 – 20:00

Host: Maria da Graça Carvalho, Chair, K4I Forum in the European Parliament

WORKING BREAKFAST

08:00 – 09:30

How the AI Act will power a global leadership for Europe
Lucilla Sioli, Director, DG Connect (tbc)

AI for R&I
Liviu Stirbat, Head of Unit, DG R&I

AI as an enabler for Europe to remain the machine builder of the world
Carlo van de Weijer, General Manager TU Eindhoven Artificial Intelligence Systems Institute

AI FOR PUROPOSE

09:30 – 12:30

Presentation of Whitepaper: How to leverage AI to support the European Green Deal
Introduction of MEP Policy Brief: AI Act and EGD
Andreas Liebl, CEO appliedAI Initiative for Europe

AI addressing UN SD Goals 
Eunika Mercier-Laurent, Chair Technical Committee AI, IFIP

AI-based solutions for water resource management
Abel Henriot, Hydrogeologist, datascientist, BRGM

AI for environment and sustainable agriculture, 
Dino Ienco, Research Director, INRAE

LUNCH SESSION ON CLIMATE ACTION / GEO-ENGINEERING

12:30 – 14:30

Climate Science Priorities in the light of accelerating Climate Change and European Post-War Reconstruction and Resilience

12.45 – Welcome of event participants by Michiel van Haersma Buma

13.00 – Introduction of hosting MEP Mohammed Chahim by Michiel van Haersma Buma, strategic advisor to the Faculty of Civil Engineering & Geoscience TU Delft

13.05 – Keynote address by MEP Mohammed Chahim, ENVI/ITRE, S&D, Netherlands

13.15 – Keynote address by Dusan Chrenek, Principal Advisor DG CLIMA, European Commission 

13.30 – Opening lecture by Prof. Herman Russchenberg, Pro Vice Rector Climate Action on TU Delft Climate Action programme

 13.45 Pitch by Prof. Behnam Taebi on climate security

 13.55 – Pitch on Climate Geo-engineering by Prof. Herman Russchenberg

 14.10 – Q&A between participants and speakers, moderated by Michiel van Haersma Buma

 14.25 – Concluding remarks by Commission representative and closure by MEP Mohammed Chahim

 14.30 – End of the meeting