Around 1,300 representatives from business, science, research and politics came together at Messe Congress Graz for Future Day 2024 under the motto #bettertogether. The focus was on existing collaborations in the south of Austria - in business, science, between the two sectors or across provincial borders and the question of how and in which areas cooperation can be further strengthened in the future. For the first time, this event was organised jointly by the Styrian Business Promotion Agency (SFG) and JOANNEUM RESEARCH.
„Wir wollen Wissenschaft und Wirtschaft noch enger verbinden, Synergien heben und alle wesentlichen Player aus Wirtschaft und Industrie sowie der Scientific Community ins Boot holen. Der Zukunftstag bietet die ideale Plattform für agiles Netzwerken, neue Ideen, Austausch und innovative Lösungsfindungen. This is best and most efficiently achieved in a joint event organised by research and industry for research and industry,’ says Heinz Mayer CEO of JOANNEUM RESEARCH.
‘Styria has had an outstanding climate of cooperation between science, business and politics for many years. In addition, we also cooperate very intensively across state borders. The southern economic and innovation region in particular will have huge opportunities in the coming years and decades as a result of the completion of the Koralm railway, which we want to make the most of,’ said Barbara Eibinger-Miedl, Styrian Minister of Economic Affairs and Research, at the opening ceremony. ‘However, this will only be possible if we continue to work together in a spirit of trust. Only if we join forces will we be able to hold our own in the international competition between locations. We are already one of the most research-intensive regions in Europe and want to further consolidate this position together for the future.’
In the morning, Dutch nanoelectronics researcher Jo De Boeck, Carinthian Deputy Governor Gaby Schaunig, the President of the Styrian Industrial Association (IV) Kurt Maier and the Chairman of the Foreign Trade Committee of the Styrian Chamber of Commerce (WKO Steiermark) Manfred Kainz shed light on the topic of cooperation from different perspectives. In the afternoon, Isabell Welpe, Scientific Director of the Bavarian State Institute for Higher Education Research and Planning, provided insights into the changing conditions for cooperation through the use of artificial intelligence. Isabell M. Welpe spoke about the cooperation between humans and artificial intelligence, whose significance she equated with the invention of steam power and the discovery of electricity. Based on relevant studies, Welpe expects enormous productivity boosts and cost reductions through AI - wherever information is processed.
The Future Day was organised jointly by the Styrian Business Promotion Agency (SFG) and JOANNEUM RESEARCH for the first time this year. The previous SFG Future Day and the JOANNEUM RESEARCH Future Conference were thus merged into one event.
