1ST JOINT FORUM MEETING, JUNE 24TH AND 25TH 2013

At the end of June 2013 TRANSFORuM will hold the first “Joint Forum Meeting”. Around 50 stakeholders covering the whole spectrum of actors related to our four White Paper goals (ca. 12 per goal / selected thematic area) will convene in Gdansk for a structured discussion about “Policies, funds, actors and trends” (day 1) and “Challenges and barriers” (day 2). The topics on the first day will correspond with the focus of TRANSFORuM’s work package 3 (led by ATE), while those on the second day will correspond with work package 4 (led by VTI).

TRANSFORuM will prepare a comprehensive briefing document with a summary of our initial background research about existing initiatives, studies, roadmaps and consultations in order to ensure that the debate in Gdansk can start from and build on top of the existing discourse. This preparatory “screening activity” will allow us to identify gaps in the discussion and add extra value to the existing landscape of consultations. We will identify the key points for each thematic group and discuss them in four parallel theme-specific workshops during the event.

Guiding questions for work package 3 (day 1) across all four Thematic Groups include:

• Which are the main policies at various levels relevant for White Paper implementation?
• Which relevant funding opportunities/ mechanisms exist? Which are missing?
• Which ones are important incumbent players and which ones are emerging but important, potentially even game-changing?
• What are the trends which will influence future developments taking a 2030/ 2050 perspective?

A robust, holistic and “stakeholder-refined and -verified” view on these issues is crucial as a stepping stone towards the development of roadmaps and recommendations to be found in later work packages.

On the second day, the leader of work package 4 (VTI) will present the preliminary findings of their background research on challenges and barriers; again, a comprehensive but easy-to-read briefing document will make these results available to all invited stakeholders before the event. In a second step, the four thematic group leaders (DTU, KTH, CNRS and ATE) will moderate four separate but parallel theme specific discussions among stakeholders ‘at eye-level’ and assist VTI in summarising the forum results in a written way. The ultimate aim of this second day will be to formulate a tentative action plan for overcoming and managing the challenges and barriers in question.

Finally, the results will be presented to all attendees and the event will closes with a keynote speech from a prominent figure in the field (t.b.a.).

For any question related to the logistical aspects of this event please contact the TRANSFORuM helpdesk at helpdesk@transforum-project.eu or on +46 13 204318. You will reach our friendly Ulla Kaisa Knutsson from our Swedish project partner VTI.