EEA and Norway Grants: Business Cooperation and the European Green Deal

Mr. Magnar Ødelien, Programme Director EEA and Norway Grants, Innovation Norway

Ms. Iliana Ivanova, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth

Ms. Elisabeth Svanholm Meyer, Senior Vice President Innovation Norway

Ms. Zornitsa Roussinova, President of the Economic and Social Council of the Republic of Bulgaria

Ms. Turi Bundlie Bakke, Senior Adviser Section for Business Promotion and Green Transition, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Moderator: Mr. Magnar Ødelien, Programme Director EEA and Norway Grants, Innovation Norway

Panellists:

Ms. Milena Stoycheva, Chairperson of the Board of Innovation, Ministry of Innovation and Growth, Bulgaria

Mr. Kaspars Grinbergs, CEO of LTD SPlus. and Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering, Latvia

Mr. Kalin Marinov, Head of International Affairs and Strategic Development, Glavbolgarstroy Holding, Bulgaria

Mr. Magnar Ødelien, Programme Director EEA and Norway Grants, Innovation Norway

Session one: Hydrogen for Greening Transportation

Session two: Raw Materials for Zero-Emission Targets

Hydrogen stands as a key clean fuel in transportation, particularly within fuel cells, emitting solely water vapor. It has been highlighted as a crucial energy carrier in achieving the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030. The EU aims to produce 10 million tonnes of hydrogen by 2030, underlining its significance as a clean energy source. There's a pressing need to accelerate the hydrogen value chain's development, swiftly transitioning from pilot initiatives to establishing market driven value chains and a cohesive industry capable of meeting the required volume. Can we rise to the challenge and fulfil these ambitions? This session will contain presentations and a panel discussion from the following:

Moderator: Mr. Thomas Bjørdal, Cluster Manager, Renergy Norway

Speakers:

Mr. Paul Benson, CTO, PowerUP Energy Technologies, Estonia

Mr. Vasco Amorim, General Assembly President, Portuguese Hydrogen Association, Portugal

Mr. Imants Martinsons, Board Member, Green Tech Cluster Latvia, Latvia

Ms. Danica Maljković, Head of Energy R&D, DOK-ING, DOK-ING and Indeloop, Croatia

Raw materials and rare earths are crucial for achieving the EU's zero-emission targets. The EU is currently heavily dependent on imports for several raw materials, with these imports highly concentrated in a few countries. The European Union's Critical Raw Materials Act emphasizes the link between raw material availability and zero-emission technologies. What are the most demanded materials in the European industry, and how does the current global geopolitical situation affect the industry? What role can the European Union play to ensure safe and sustainable access to raw materials? This session will contain presentations and a panel discussion from the following:

Moderator: Ms. Teresė Škutaitė, Head of GreenTech Hub, Innovation Agency Lithuania

Speakers:

Mr. Kalin Marinov, Head of International Affairs and Strategic Development, Glavbolgarstroy Holding, Bulgaria

Ms. Mirjam-Kim Rääbis, Product Developer, UP Catalyst OÜ, Estonia

Mr. Espen Lea, CEO, Cemonite (Saferock), Norway

Session one: The Role of Carbon Capture and Storage

Session two: Digitalisation of the Sustainable Blue Economy

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) mitigates climate change by capturing and storing CO2 emissions from industrial processes and power plants underground. The EU has highlighted CCS as a key technology to reach its climate neutrality goal by 2050. CCS offers a promising avenue for sustainable growth, encompassing business opportunities from technology development to storage solutions.  What role will CCS play in the green transition, and how can CCS enable us to reach our decarbonization commitment on time? What are the possibilities for regional and international cooperation?

Moderator: Ms. Iva Petrova, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Energy, Bulgaria 

Speakers:

Ms. Luciana Miu, Head of Clean Economy, Energy Policy Group and Co-Chair of the European Commission’s Working Group on Public Perception of CCS

Ms. Laura Štrovalde, Deputy Director for investment and energy, Investment and Development Agency of Latvia, Latvia

Mr. Rossen Papazov, CEO and member of the Management Board, Holcim Bulgaria, Bulgaria

Digital Ocean Twins support a sustainable blue economy by providing powerful tools for ecosystem-based management, marine spatial planning, and marine protected areas. This session will contain presentations and a panel discussion from the following:

Moderator: Mr. Sigurður Bjartmar Magnússon, Chief Technical Officer, Greenfish, Iceland

Speakers:

Mr. Andrei Covatariu, Co-Chair of the 'Digitalization in Energy' Task Force at UNECE based in Bucharest, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

Mr. Pavol Dvoriak, Development manager, BAMIDA s.r.o., Slovakia

Mr. Bartosz Langowski, Safety & Drone Services Project Manager, Port of Gdynia Authority S.A., Poland

Mr. Carlos Pinho, Manager of the Portugal Blue Digital Innovation Hub project at Fórum Oceano, Portugal