IH Policy Conference

Overview

POLICY CONFERENCE - BOOSTING INVESTMENT READINESS IN EUROPE

23 April 2015 - Brussels



In brief
InvestHorizon invites stakeholders to a one-day-conference on new insights into investment readiness with dedicated workshops on new strategies, tools and needs in fields such as access to finance and investor sensitization, fruitful matchmaking and preparing entrepreneurs to access finance.

Plenary session & Round-Table
The conference will consist of a plenary session in which policy makers will present the latest political developments aiming to boost the investments in Europe so as to be on the path of economic recovery, together with high level experts that will enlighten the audience with the latest insights in the field of investment readiness. In a round-table session the InvestHorizon stakeholders will elaborate on the state-of-play and challenges to support R&I driven SMEs.

Workshops
The conference will also arrange parallel sessions in the form of workshops, where stakeholders will be able to exchange best practices, and networking. The workshops aim at identifying the main characteristics of ecosystems and policy support measures that can stimulate more investments in Europe for founders, start-ups and SMEs. In the workshops participants will revise and discuss best practices as well as new trends in three main fields so that recommendations and refined key performance indicators can be derived for the programme:

  • Investment Readiness
  • Investor Sensitisation
  • (Cross-border) Matching

Objectives & Recommendations
The results of the workshop are expected to feed into the long-term strategy of the InvestHorizon programme and into developing disruptive schemes and strategies to improve the investment readiness of European entrepreneurs joining the programme and beyond. The workshop will be conducted as a participatory event with rich and well-structured conversations that will provide opportunities to all participants to contribute and exchange knowledge.

The final part of the conference is meant to wrap-up recommendations, key issues and conclusions of each workshop. The closure of Event will introduce the Investment Readiness Better Practices Contest which includes a prize of EUR 15,000 for the best programme focusing on increase the investment potential of SMEs. 

This conference is taking place in the context of the InvestHorizon Programme a DG Research & Innovation policy action under the Work Programme 2014-2015 on Access to Risk Finance- “Industrial Leadership” pillar II of Horizon 2020, with the particular objective of boosting the investment readiness of SMEs and small mid-caps in Europe.