“Aim for radical innovation”, says TomTom co-founder

The INNOVEIT 2015 conference of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology has opened in the Hungarian capital of Budapest.

In a press briefing attended by Horizon 2020 Projects, the chairman of the EIT, Peter Olesen, said the organisation was bringing together business, education and research “to effectively innovate”.

One of the founders of TomTom and now consumer business managing director, Corinne Vigreux, drew attention to the “extremely worrying” situation facing Europe in light of the competition from Asia and the United States. She said the continent was facing a “wake-up call” and it was important “to aim for radical innovation”.

Speaking to delegates in the first plenary session, Vigreux added that: “Europe had lost some of entrepreneurial spirit”.

Also discussed was Horizon 2020, described by Richard Pelly, director of RFP Advisory Services and former chief executive of the European Investment Fund, as a “breakthrough” and “something that looks and feels different”. He said that the “EIT plays a significant role in addressing fragmentation” and that a partnership between the public and private sectors was also important.

The conference takes place over three days.