The World Future Forum 2024, held in Lisbon, was a remarkable gathering of policymakers, academics, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders dedicated to shaping a sustainable and innovative future. The event served as a platform to discuss pressing global challenges and launch initiatives that aim to redefine collaboration, sustainability, and technology.
A Warm Welcome in Lisbon
The Forum opened with a warm welcome from Maria da Graça Carvalho, Minister for Environment and Energy, who emphasized her commitment to innovation as a cornerstone of her role.
“Innovation remains a cornerstone of my portfolio, encompassing critical areas such as water, air quality, climate change, energy, biodiversity, and nature restoration,” she stated.
Reflecting on her experience as an MEP and Chair of the Knowledge4Innovation Forum, she added, “Our actions must drive positive outcomes—not only advancing climate goals but also fostering economic prosperity, attracting investments, and enhancing the quality of life for our citizens.”
Welcome by Minister for Environment and Energy Maria da Graça Carvalho
Next up Mayor Carlos Moedas shared Lisbon’s success story with the Unicorn Factory, which he first envisioned as a Commissioner for Innovation. “What started as a movement three years ago has now attracted 14 unicorn companies to Lisbon,” Moedas remarked, celebrating the city’s position as a thriving global hub for startups and innovation.
Keynote Highlights
Ursula von der Leyen – President of the European Commission
The Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, emphasized the role of startups, technological progress, and purpose-driven investment, stressing that innovation must align with our values, contribute meaningfully to society, and promote the responsible and ethical use of breakthrough technologies.
She highlighted the important role of initiatives like the Allied4Future Sustainable Finance Goals (SFGs) and Global Technology Collaboration Labs, which align investment with sustainability to scale impactful technologies and solutions.
Ursula Von der Leyen
Tim van der Hagen – President of TU Delft
Dr. van der Hagen discussed the importance of collaboration across disciplines, sectors, and borders to achieve meaningful impact. At TU Delft, initiatives like the Quantum Delta Delft and Green Village showcase how thematic ecosystems can unite researchers, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and end-users. By integrating diverse perspectives, these ecosystems foster innovation that is not only technologically advanced but also socially responsible and effective in addressing real-world issues.
Tim van der Hagen
Manuel Heitor – Former Portuguese Minister of Science, Technology, and Higher Education
Manuel Heitor, who chaired a group of experts, highlighted key insights from their report, ‘Align, Act, Accelerate’, which focuses on addressing Europe’s declining competitiveness in science and technology.
Among the main recommendations are to strengthen the European Framework Program, to increase investment in research and innovation and to simplify bureaucratic processes. Shortcomings identified include a lack in scaling startups, and a need for better investment strategies. A major problem is that important innovations developed in Europe often benefit non-European entities.
Manuel Heitor
Markku Markkula – President of the Helsinki Region
Markku Markkula, President of the Helsinki Region informed on his CoR Report ‘The Future of EU Climate Policy’, emphasizing the need for societal transformation through innovation ecosystems, integrating cities, industries, and research. Key actions proposed include investing in technologies, de-risking innovations, and enhancing public-private partnerships. With climate policy at the forefront, cities are pivotal in driving adaptation and mitigation while promoting collaboration, R&D investment, and sustainable development.
Markku Markkula
Shiva Dustdar – Director of the EIB Institute
Shiva Dustdar, Director and Head of the EIB Institute, underlined the need to innovate finance to support innovation. Key points included addressing information asymmetries, providing patient capital, leveraging public procurement, and fostering gender equity in entrepreneurship and investment. She also highlighted the importance of embedding impact-driven finance within the financial system to drive sustainable and inclusive progress.
Shiva Dustdar
Launch of Sustainable Finance Goals
A remarkable panel of 12 finance experts, each bringing a unique perspective, enriched our discussions on mainstreaming sustainable finance and impact investing. The exercise was highly valued not only by the conference participants but also by the experts themselves.
A main take-away was that there is a great potential to innovate the financial system by bringing together various actors of the finance ecosystem ultimately leading to an increased pool of funding and investment from both the public and private side.
In addition, our experts offered highly positive feedback on the 10 Sustainable Finance Goals, along with valuable input to guide our future work.
Launch of Global Technology Collaboration Labs
The final session of the conference focused on the scope and the activities of the Technology Collaboration Labs. Moderators from the AI (Lidia Aviles), Quantum (Kees Eijkel), Space (Jara Pascual), and Climate Geo-engineering (Hermann Russchenberg) panels consolidated insights and contributions from the discussions with 20 tech experts for input to the future scope of the Technology Collaboration Labs.
These ideas will help guiding their work, ensuring that game-changing technologies are leveraged for the greater good while addressing and mitigating the risks associated with potential misuse.
