Yesterday, I-Com Brussels hosted the Techno Polis Forum-Lab’s launch event: “AI4GROWTH – How to Boost Sectoral Competitiveness across Europe”.
This event was the occasion for Stefano da Empoli, Andrea Stazi and Alex Marchesini – the three founders – to present to the Brussels audience their objectives and commitments for this new project. Besides, it was an opportunity to convene institutional representatives and relevant stakeholders to discuss the recently issued AI Apply Strategy aiming at highlighting opportunities and criticalities in the AI uptake plan launched by the Commission for the European industries.
On the institution side, the event featured a keynote speech by Malgorzata Nikowska, Head of Unit AI Innovation and Policy Coordination, DG CONNECT, who closely followed the drafting of the file and a contribution by MEP Diego Solier, Member ITRE Committee.
The conversation was then structured around two panels joined respectively by tech company and trade association representatives in an attempt to connect the AI developers and providers to some of the 10 key industries identified by the Commission in the AI Apply Strategy while being heard by EU institutions.
The first panel saw the participation of Tomas Jakimavicius, Director, EU Government Affairs at Microsoft, Karen Massin, Head Government Affairs and Public Policy at Google, Marco Pancini, Head of EU Affairs at Meta and Amal Taleb, EU Public Affairs Director at SAP.
The final table was joined by Vlad Olteanu, Healthcare Public Affairs Director at EuropaBio, Aneta Tyszkiewicz, Director Digital and Data at EFPIA and Melanie Wahl, Head of Public Affairs at MedTech.
ABOUT TECHNO POLIS FORUM-LAB
Techno Polis is a new interdisciplinary platform drawing together international experts committed to research, training and innovation that leverage AI to transform policy, law, and business environments and help stakeholders navigating technological opportunities and challenges through innovative approaches.
Under the leadership of the three executives Stefano da Empoli, Andrea Stazi and Alex Marchesini, Techno Polis team comprises international academics, experts and a network of partnerships with think tanks, research centres and publishers.
The objectives are fourfold:
- provide AI-powered Tech Advocacy to support institutions and help stakeholders navigating regulatory landscapes and positioning themselves in the global debate;
- design and implement forward-looking Tech Strategies by combining managerial and academic expertise with AI-driven tools;
- organise Tech Forum to create innovative spaces for dialogue;
- promote R&D Hub and Tech laboratory to deliver AI-powered tools in RegTech, EduTech, and BizTech.
The idea of delivering its own AI-powered tools is also reflected in the official Techno Polis application, which will soon be launched. The app will feature the publication of curated content (expert articles and op-eds) as well as a 1-on-1 chat, enabling users to connect with each other through private messaging — all within a fully secure environment ensured by message encryption, text-only chats and automated proactive moderation.
