From Triple Helix (the coalition of entrepreneurs, academics, and politics) towards actions for transition

From Triple Helix towards actions for transition

Goal of the day is to mix academic and company contributions in search of answering the question how academics, politics and companies (triple helix) can collaborate to give each other deeper insights in a company related problem (here concentrated on transition and ESG) and give solutions to the stated problems in a systemic approach.  The different contributions should lead at the end of the day to a debate between the different contributors that day, high level entrepreneurs and governmentals and build towards a conclusion leading to a concrete  best practice answer.

In general, we see immediately related systemic questions with the whole of the ESG approach. The theme will be introduced by highlighting two concrete cases (the case ‘food and retail’ that will define and tackle the investment problems the sector has and the case ‘J&J’ that will tackle the question towards involving stakeholders). We will explore following questions.

• How to persuade companies to leave the path of modern financial leverage where all investments seek for maximum efficiency on a short-term notice.

• How to offer governments the best working leverage points to support transition do so from a fiscal point of view with a minimum of losses and a maximum of results? This also means answering the question how governments can reach a maximum of leverage (here we seek best leverage-instruments for the government to influence the system) with a minimum of efforts, e.g. not giving subsidies but instead a moderated fiscal advantage to stimulate proper adding of capital in the company with a long-term goal.

• How to convince consumers to change habits about (food – medicines) consumption behavior

General theme will be: ‘how to create a coalition of the willing and even a coalition of the doing instead of creating an obligation using a ‘rule based’ or ‘directive’ have-to-situation?’ ‘How to motivate companies to adopt a ‘systemic collaboration’ scheme instead of a classical competitor’s scheme? ‘Different approaches will be debated: more technical ones (financial, technology, rule based elements, …) but also including e.g. storytelling (‘creating a mythology’), identity and identification with the transition-project, a basic ethical concept related to the identity and mythology question.

 

9.00 – 9.10

Announcement of the day program by co-chairs: Rudy Aernoudt and Eric Van den Broele

 

9.10 – 10.00

Memorial of Loet Leydesdorff and his insight on the Helix

Loet Leydesdorff died in March 2023. He may be considered as the pioneer of the Triple Helix concept that includes an active research into the question how entrepreneurs governmentals and academics can collaborate in the aim of developing a long-term future oriented project. The Memorial is also putted in function of the day where the Helix idea will be putted into practice.

The day a debate will be organized between entrepreneurs, politicians and academics with Mark Johnson (University of Manchester), Margaretha Hendrickx (independent), Gerard de Zeeuw (University of Amsterdam, Emiratus), Inga Ivanova (Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge, Moscow)

 

10.00 – 10.20

COFFEE BREAK

 

10.20 – 11.00

Keynote Speech 4

Foresight as a tool for complex European policy

Nicole Dewandre, Cabinet Ursula Von der Leyen, President European Commission. 

 

11.00 – 11.45

The Complexity of Sustainability, Cooperation & Networks (*)

Chair: Lucio Biggiero L’Aquila University and Jerome Warren, Royal Belgian Academy of Sciences

Partipants: Robert Ulanowicz, Professor Emeritus of Ecology, University of Baltimore

Vangelis Papadimitropoulos, Post Doc Researcher, School of Political Sciences, Department of Political Science and History, Panteion University, Athens, Greece

Cristina Vicini, European Innovation Council, Jury Member and Ambassador

 

11.45- 12.30

“The Food-and-retail sector and their needs to go into ESG Transition”

Chair: Rudy Aernoudt, University of Ghent, and Eric Van Den Broele, Graydon

Collaboration between and presentation by the Graydoncreditsafe R&D team and prof. Pierre-Alexandre Billiet (Solvay) who is a specialist in the retail and who will highlight the complexity linked to the transition needs in the sector of the Foodretail. 

This case is meant as a concrete working case which approach will be leading during the day. With this research we will show a data driven construction of the nowadays situation (an insight in the ‘nowmoment’ of the case) stating the problem of a lack of redundant reserves within the sector with its (negative) reenforcing feedback loops and thus the questions to be resolved.

E.g. The foodretail sector who has to find an answer on the logistic foodchain developing it toward a helix containing a combination of ‘Healthy’ ‘sustainability’ and ‘Affordable’. Indeed we know that if two elements of this ‘helix’ are combined, answers do exist but the combination of the 3 is a problem (healthy and sustainable is offered by the bioshops, but bioshops are only used by the happy (rich) few)

• Graydoncreditsafe team will be defining the sector possibilities (in practice: shortage) of obtaining for transition necessary investing funds without
• being dependent of the social tissue (meaning without counting on subsidies)
• see their solvability leverage going down and become more dependent of banks and loans
• On the long term: evoking the question how resilience (investmentcapacity and shockresilience of such companies can be/must be augmented.

Sociological Overview on the Food sector sustainability

This section will imply a discussion on the following items:

• requisites for Sustainable Agriculture (SA) according to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations;
• SA impacts on the
• consumption habits
• food companies organization
• re-assessment of policy makers (region, states, EU)
• Opennes to innovation of food sector stakeholders, in the framework of cultural analysis.

As a conclusion, ideas on sustainable food production are based on two opposite models:

– degrowth models: organic food, limited coonsumption, community-based social life

– innovation models: vertical farming, OGMs, 4.0 industry.

 

12.30 – 13.30

LUNCH BREAK

13.30 – 14.45

Implications of Extended Corporate Governance and Economic Democracy on Sustainability

Chair: Lucio Biggiero, L’Aquila University and Jerome Warren Royal Belgian Academy of Science

Participants: Marcelo Vieta, PhD Associate Professor Program in Adult Education and Community Development, Department of Leadership, Higher and Adult Education, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, – Director – Centre for Learning, Social Economy & Work (CLSEW) – Director – Collaborative Specialization in Workplace Learning and Social Change Graeme Nuttall, OBE Partner Fieldfisher, Author of the “Nuttall Report” Marco Lomuscio, PhD. Researcher at EuRicse Institute in Trento, Italy, Ermanno Tortia, Professor of Economics at Trento University, Italy.

 

14.45 – 16.30

AI, Ethics and Humanity (*)

 

14.45 – 15.30

Piero Dominici, Scientific Director of CHAOS, WAAS Fellow, WCSA Vice President and official Delegate to UNESCO: For a renewed awareness. Emergency as an intrinsic feature of Society.

 

15.30 – 16.30

Keynote Speech 5

The ethics of AI

Jo Lernout, founder Lernout & Hauspie

 

16.30 – 17.30

Data inspired scenario. ‘From “how data can help humanity’ to ‘How Humanity can help data’

The Sky Walker Limited Staff will discuss about big data, tracking system and possible ethical and sustainable scenarios: the aim is to find the right balance between the potential expressed by technology and the centrality of human brains

Silvia Bernardini, Ruben Lino Villa, Federico Ramponi, Debora Paolini

 

17.30 – 17.45

COFFEE BREAK

 

17.45 – 18.45

Chair: Rudy Aernoudt, University of Ghent

Debate: ‘ how can governments, entrepreneurs and academics create a coalition of the willing and the acting? ’  to support transition to become real instead of creating an obligation using a ‘rule-based’ or ‘directive’ have-to-situation’? How can such a coalition actively and positively involve stakeholders including general public, consumers?

Debate between some speakers of the day adding some ‘thinking heads’ and high-level politicians and entrepreneurs (who of course will be invited for the whole day).

10.00 – 11.00

Keynote Speech 6

The Big Picture: Complexity, Connectivity and Sustainability Synthesis of Geopolitics and Geography (Geofuture)

Norbert Csizmadia, John Von Neumann University, PADME Foundation and Budapest Center for Long Term Sustainability

 

11. 00 – 11. 30

COFFEE BREAK

 

11.30 – 12.30

Medal Ceremony

Jo Lernout, founder Lernout & Hauspie

 

12.30 – 13.40

LUNCH BREAK

 

14.00 – 15.15

Book to understand a changing world

Chair: Laura Leonardi, University of Firenze

Participants: Norbert Csizmadia, John Von Neumann University, PADME Foundation and Budapest Center for Long Term Sustainability, Victor Neumann, University of Timisoara, Igor Pellicciari, University of Urbino, Francisco Del Canto Viterale, University of North Dakota

 

15.15 – 16.30

World Order, Space Studies and Beyond

Chair: Melissa Sessa, CNR – IRPI

Participants: Adele Bianco, University G. D’annunzio, Daniela Caruso, UN University of Peace, Francisco del Canto Viterale, University of North Dakota , Michael Selis, University of Genova

 

16.30 – 17.00

COFFEE BREAK

 

17.00 – 18.00

Medal ceremony

Chair: Piero Dominici, Scientific Director of CHAOS, WAAS Fellow, WCSA Vice President and official Delegate to UNESCO

Preamble Edgar Morin, 6^th WCSA Medalist

Speech of the 7^th Medallist Alfredo Spilzinger, PhD Lord of Brownsel

10.30 – 12.30

Coping with complex times: rediscovering Historical Sociology

Chair: Massimiliano Ruzzeddu, Unicusano Rome

Participants: Massimiliano Ruzzeddu Unicusano Rome, Jiri Subrt, Charles University of Prague Vincenzo Romania University of Padova, Markéta Minářová, Charles University of Prague, Dana Percec, West University of Timisoara, Emerson Palmieri, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), Brazil, Edit Fabo, Institute of Hungarian Research, Budapest 

 

13.00 – 14.00

LUNCH BREAK

 

14.00 – 14.30

SFAI & WCSA jointly are delighted to present WCSA LATAM

 

14.30 – 15.30

The Heterogeneous multidimensionality of complexity

Chair: Piero Dominici, Scientific Director of CHAOS, WAAS Fellow, WCSA Vice President and official Delegate to UNESCO

Participants: Maria Rita Bartolomei, University of Messina Marina Ciampi, University La Sapienza and Silvia Lucciarini, University La Sapienza, Monica Elivier Sanchez, UGTO, Guanajuato

 

15.30 – 16.30

Keynote Speech 7

Alexander Laszlo, Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science

 

16.30 – 17.00

COFFEE BREAK

 

17.00 – 18.00

WCSA General Assembly (blended on site and via Zoom)

Chair: Andrea Pitasi, WCSA President