Welcome back to Lappeenranta for the 3rd EU-Russia Innovation Forum and EBN Congress on June 2012!

Lappeenranta will host the EBN Congress on June 13-15, 2012. EBN Congress will be combined with the 3rd EU-Russia Innovation Forum.

The main focus on the congress on 2012 will be on internationalisation of innovative businesses where special attention will be given to cooperation between innovation supporters and innovative SME’s from Europe and Russia. The 3rd EU-Russia Innovation Forum will be arranged just before the EBN Congress and the program of these two events will be partly common.  Combining the EBN Congress and the 3rd EU-Russia Innovation Forum will make the event truly European at an interesting meeting point of the EU and Russia.

The participants will further benefit about the EU-Russia cooperation program and Matchmaking sessions with Russian companies. Participants of the EBN Congress will be offered also with a possibility to get a concrete touch with the Russian culture with a post tour to St. Petersburg.

2nd EU-Russia Innovation Forum was a Success. Around 720 participants joined us at the2nd EU-Russia Innovation Forum, held in Lappeenranta on 25-26 May 2011. The 2nd EU-Russia Innovation Forum focused on promoting tangible business partnerships between the European and Russian companies and on concrete challenges that companies face in their day-to-day business. Brought together with 70 partners, Forum focused primarily on Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, Information & Communication Technologies and Health & Pharma.

Business Matchmaking Event, jointly organised with the European Enterprise Network (EEN), interested local and international companies alike with more than 125 companies participating.  The Forum provided a good platform for companies to meet potential business partners and obtain valuable information on starting new businesses with foreign partners. Lappeenranta’s location near the Russian border and a mutual positive attitude have been crucial in promoting co-operation. 

The 1st Forum delivered the Nine Key Initiatives on innovation and modernization, since which several concrete projects have been implemented. This Forum has continued the work started in the 1st Forum, aiming to bring the policies into practice producing Concrete Cooperation Proposals.

Link to the 1^st EU-Russia Innovation Forum’s Key Initiatives