On Thursday 7 and Friday 8 November, the Foundation organized a workshop addressed to the community of its alumni from all over the globe combining high-level lectures by reputable keynote speakers, interactive Q&A sessions, and, just as important, networking opportunities.
A moment to work. A moment to reflect collectively and tighten bonds between economies.
Day 1
Much focused on strategy and management tools, the first day offered time slots for Policy Updates, Peer reviews and concluded with a Competitiveness Strategy Revisited Workshop facilitated by the Foundation's instructors and tutors.
The workday was followed by informal get-togethers later in the evening to make sure everyone would be given the possibility to get to know new colleagues and maintain strong bonds with old friends from overseas.
Day 2 – Morning
A significant part of the morning was dedicated to the topic of “Competitiveness Policy from a Different Viewpoint”. Four prominent specialists came onstage and confronted their views :
1. Emiliano Duch from the World Bank spoke on Multilateral Organisations.
2. Christian Ketels from the Boston Consulting Group Henderson Institute evoked the Trends at National level.
3. Emily Wise from Lund University gave the audience a panorama of the Cluster & Collaborative Innovation Policies in Europe.
4. Maria Luisa Blazquez from IESE Business School presented the main conclusions from the Spanish Business Competitiveness Report.
Day 2 – Afternoon
During the afternoon session the audience was given an exclusive preview of a new case study titled “Continuous Policy Development and Learning : Clusters in the Basque Country”. The case study, facilitated by James Wilson from Orkestra, the Basque Institute of Competitiveness and Madeline Smith, Head of Strategy at the Glasgow School of Art, allowed an immersion into the secrets of the Basque Country’s contemporary sharp positioning on innovation and vanguard. The intervention of Jon Azua, the mastermind behind the anchorage of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao back in 1991, closed the workshop on an very inspiring highlight. To quote Jon’s own words: “Dream, and make it possible”.
Moderator Madeline Smith with Jon Azua sharing his experience on bringing home the Guggenheim Museum.
