How can we develop innovative answers to the most challenging questions in the fields of mobility, energy, healthcare, manufacturing and the regenerative economy? "Together as a team, interdisciplinary, cross-regional and Europe-wide" - that is Start for Future's (SFF) answer to this question. SFF is a fast-growing international alliance of regional innovation ecosystems that brings together innovation actors such as universities, incubators, startups and talents, companies and public organizations. As a supra-regional network, SFF connects ecosystems such as Athens, Barcelona, Edinburgh, Ghent, Munich, Toronto and Vienna with European networks such as EIT Urban Mobility, EIT Manufacturing, the EIT HEI Initiative and other partners.With the shared vision of realizing the "New European Innovation Agenda", which former EU Innovation Commissioner Mariya Gabriel presented at the first Start for Future Summit in 2022, the SFF Alliance gave itself its new organizational form as a European Cooperative Society / Societas Cooperativa Europaea at its second summit in summer 2023.
The third summit now took place in Munich for the first time in the innovative moonshot format. Moonshots are outstanding projects that set themselves seemingly unattainable goals, are characterized by particular innovative strength and focus on long-term success. The aim of the summit was to initiate such pilot projects.
Maria Tsavachidis, CEO EIT Urban Mobility , also emphasized how important this is in the key European mobility sector, for example : "We are currently at an important turning point in urban mobility. We need to think about the world from the future and we need to become even more sustainable in order to be fit for the future. Networking for joint action plays a decisive role here, as does the involvement and addressing of future generations, for example in the form of students and talents."
In order to drive forward transformative systemic innovation in Europe, the networking of all relevant innovation stakeholders is of crucial importance.
"Co-creation is an essential key to future sustainable growth through innovation and change and thus to securing our prosperity. We have to break new ground and that is exactly what we are doing. As a university together with a shared regional and European ecosystem," explains Prof. Dr. Thomas Stumpp, Vice President of Business at the host university, Munich University of Applied Sciences.
"We are particularly pleased with how well the cooperation within the SFF network is working," says Prof. Dr. Klaus Sailer, CEO of the Strascheg Center for Entrepreneurship at Munich University of Applied Sciences as co-initiator of the alliance. "The Moonshot Summit has generated new partnerships that can now prove in the further development of the pilot projects that they have the potential to help shape the future of European industry."
Companies, start-ups, universities, innovators and organizations are invited to join the Start for Future Alliance to drive sustainable innovation through co-creation. Further information can be found at www.startforfuture.eu
More information about the summit on the event website of the SFF Moonshot Summit Munich 2023.
Here you can find the wrap up video of day 1 (to follow) and the video of day 2(to follow here) of the SFF Moonshot Summit Munich 2023.
Start For Future (SFF) is a European cooperative and fast-growing European innovation alliance of entrepreneurial universities, university-affiliated incubators, international companies, start-ups and public organizations. SFF acts as an open cross-location entrepreneurship hub, driving systemic innovation within and across ecosystems by connecting early-stage talent and start-ups with resources and a broad network of industry partners. With impact-oriented, profitable and scalable business models, the partners work together to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and promote systemic innovation in order to contribute to economic growth and social prosperity. www.startforfuture.eu
