IASP CEO Ebba Lund attends events in Belgium and United Arab Emirates

This month, our CEO Ebba Lund attended two high-level events related to key matters of our industry: talent, skills & education, as well as funding and investment policies. 

EIT Education & Skills Days, a flagship European event dedicated to shaping the future of learning and work took place in Brussels and was opened by EU Commissioner startups, research and innovation (European Commission), Ekaterina Zaharieva, who highlighted the importance of talent and skilled profiles meeting the needs of future industries. The gathering brought together educators, innovators, policymakers, industry leaders, and learners from across the continent to discuss how Europe can build a united lifelong learning ecosystem. The event highlighted the urgent need for future-ready STEM skills and celebrated the EIT Community’s efforts to empower people at every stage of life.  

Also opening the event was Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy in Cyprus Nicodemos Damianou, and Governing Board Chairperson of the EIT Higher Education Initiative Stefan Dobrev. The Head of the Initiative Dolores Volkert, also shared insights on EIT Higher Education.

During the event, Ebba joined the panel “The Power of University-Industry Collaboration”, which explored how partnerships between academia and industry can go beyond commercial outcomes to create real opportunities for learning, innovation, and upskilling. She shared insights on success factors for building trusted, inclusive collaboration spaces, as well as debating with fellow panelists how partnerships provide opportunities for learning and upskilling as well as exploring what makes university–industry partnerships work from the people’s perspective. 

The World Investment Conference & Sharjah Investment Forum was her second stop, taking place in Sharjah UAE. With focus on the future of investment policy and practice that gathered representatives from government, business, academia, and international organizations to discuss how investment flows can adapt to an increasingly complex global context, the event also featured IASP member Sharjah Research Technology and Innovation Park, who hosted attendees at the park premises as well as impact stories and panels, including the highly exciting “Seal the Deal” session, with startups pitching to investors to achieve funding or mentorship for their innovations. Organised by the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA), the UAE Ministry of Investment and Invest in Sharjah, the event underscored the importance of innovation, cooperation, and long-term vision in building resilient and inclusive economies.  

During the conference, Ebba contributed to a High-Level Consortium of Think Tanks, moderated by the Chairman of the EIC Executive Board James Zhan, designed to set the future agenda for investment policymaking, where she joined leading global experts to explore how to bridge the gap between research and real-world policy. The discussion centered on developing a forward-looking, evidence-based approach to investment policymaking and strengthening collaboration between think tanks and decision-makers. She also took part in a Panel on Visionary Investment in Cities, e-Commerce, and Human Potential’, where she shared perspectives on innovation partnerships, talent and how to leverage technologies in urban settings.