Achieving the Commission's target of investing 3% of EU GDP on R&D by 2020 could create 3.7 million jobs and increase annual GDP by €795 billion by 2025!

On 5-6 December 2011, the European Commission is holding its first Innovation Convention following the adoption of the Innovation Union Flagship initiative in October 2010.

This major event will gather more than 1200 participants involved in the innovation chain, including high-level policy makers, leading CEOs, deans of universities and research centres, bankers, venture capitalists, top researchers and innovators.

The programme of the Innovation Convention will include master classes and round tables on innovation, an interactive panel debate with global innovation players and the award of the Women Innovators Prize. A detailed programme as well as the registration page for the event will be put on line in September.

The exhibition of the Innovation Convention will showcase exciting research and innovation results being developed in Europe.

During the event the EU Prize for Women Innovators 2011 will be awarded to three women entrepreneurs, who were at some point during their careers beneficiaries of funding for projects under the RTD Framework Programme (FP) or the Competitive and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP):

Europe is spending 0.8% of GDP less than the US and 1.5% less than Japan every year on Research & Development (R&D). Thousand of our best researchers and innovators have moved to countries where conditions are more favourable. Although the EU market is the largest in the world, it remains fragmented and not enough innovation-friendly.

For more information: European Innovation Convention