Inclusive Digitalisation: Tech StartUps and Digital Transformation in rural areas

Time:        14th June, 10.45 – 12.15
Venue:      Willy-Brandt-Saal

Moderator:

• Maria Olofsson, Project Manager, Growth Incubator and Infotech Umeå, Business Coach

Speakers / panellists:

• Policy perspective - Lena Carlsson, Chief Digitalisation Officer, Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth (SE)
• Entrepreneurial perspective – Sylvia Brune, Ahoy Travel Ltd
• Markus Schranner, Foudner of StartUp Germany
• Martin Andersson, Professor at Blekinge Institute of Technology and Lund University (SE)

Experts:

• Karoli Hindriks, Founder of Jobbatical
• Alexandra Horn, Head of Projects, BVMW, German Association for Small and Medium-sized Businesses
• Johnny Högberg, CEO Skellefteå Science City

Organiser(s) & contact details:

• Policy Area Innovation & Policy Area Bioeconomy (The Nordic Council of Ministers)
  Fanny Rehula, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.Project Officer and Liv la Cour Belling, Project Officer,                              This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +4560394204   
• Baltic Development Forum (BDF)
• Nordregio

Elaboration:

Digitalisation has been viewed as a solution that can turn around the trend of outmigration from smaller cities, towns and communities into larger city areas. However, globalisation, urbanisation and digitalisation affect different places, rural and urban, in different ways, and today the impact of digitalisation is often experienced by smaller towns and remote areas as the absence of banks and shops and with healthcare provision as a distant e-service. Recognizing both the opportunities and challenges of digitalization this session will initiate a discussion of how to ensure an inclusive digitalization, as a solution to connect the BSR societies, including industries and consumers.

We will introduce a discussion of this issue through two inter-connected seminars (following each other):

1. Tech StartUps and Digital Transformation in rural areas
2. Digital disruption in the bioeconomy - experiences and potentials in the food and forest industry

A key opportunity arising from digitalization is the possibility to act local while ensuring a global outreach - building on local advantages, competences and social networks – connecting the “Local buzz and global pipelines” (State of the Digital Region 2016, by Top of Digital Europe, www.topofdigital.eu)

Secondly, the bioeconomy in the BSR could benefit from a digital ‘revolution’ as digital technologies can help the development of new, local and sustainable products and services, improving both the ecological footprint and creating new jobs. An essential part of this development is the disruptive nature of digitalization with regard to traditional value chains and the opportunities for remote regions to connect directly to end consumers.

It is in this context of recognizing both the opportunities and challenges of digitalization that the session will initiate a discussion of how to ensure an inclusive digitalization, as a solution to connect the BSR societies.
Both sessions will explore the following overarching questions:

• Is it possible to achieve a “successful” digital transformation in rural areas and smaller towns? How would such a transformation look?
• How can digitalisation push for sustainable solutions in tech StartUps, respectively in the food- and forest sector in the Baltic Sea Region?
• What initiatives / policies are needed to ensure an inclusive digitalisation outside metropolitan areas?