15-16 November, 2013 – Budapest (Hungary).
Singularity University (SU), a university that is famous all over the world, which is located in Silicon Valley and deals exclusively with opportunities and problems related to rapidly developing technologies, has published some detailed information about a EUROPEAN SUMMIT – the first pan-European conference held by Singularity University, and the first major program of its kind, the aim of which is to train managers in how to make sense of and use exponential technologies.
The EUROPEAN SUMMIT will take place on November 15 and 16, 2013 at the Franz Liszt Musical Academy in Budapest (Hungary). The SU's decision to hold the conference in Budapest was brought about by the fact that this is the city that organizes events held by the EU's European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIIT). The EUROPEAN SUMMIT will be followed by other regional SU summits, which, under current plans, are going to be held in major cities all over the world, in partnership with local partners.
"Technology affects every aspect of our lives, and the concept of Silicon Valley has become a metaphor for an innovative world-view and for the power of ideas," says the technology expert and futurologist Ray Kurzweil, a co-founder of SU and Google's technical director. "We are learning how to think exponentially, rather than in the normal lateral way, and that is changing our world-view and our approach to business. We need to realize that breakthrough technologies have been democratized, and recognise the value of thinking outside the box - that is the main idea."
In the space of five years, Singularity University has provided training to both specialists and organizations, with a view to solving problems related to rapidly growing technologies and key ideas which will help to change the market and society. The training took the form of a series of events, lectures and educational programs. The experience helped people to alter their thinking in radical ways, and this led to full recognition and awareness of the major consequences of technological changes and, above all, an understanding of how the sum total of these transition processes will fundamentally alter everything around us. The SU EUROPEAN SUMMIT will contribute in this field and demonstrate to all the delegates how to determine the most serious problems of the 21st century and transform them into magnificent opportunities.
"Holding the first open summit in Budapest - the city in which the EU set up the EIT - was definitely the right thing to do," noted Piter Diamandis, the co-founder of Singularity University and the author of the bestseller 'Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think'. "The EUROPEAN SUMMIT is going to be a forum for exciting and topical discussions of the role of "breakthrough technologies" and their impact on the country's development, and of the market sectors in which new investment is required. The topics that will be discussed will be artificial intelligence, robot technology, digital manufacturing and radical breakthroughs in the field of biotechnology and bio-IT as factors which strengthen the impact on the environment and radically transform it."
Singularity University's programs are designed to equip you with the knowledge, tools and way of thinking that are required in order to expand your business and create new markets, and offer unique educational material and innovative channels, thanks to which those taking part will be able to broaden their global networks so as to conquer new markets and areas of activity.
The Skolkovo Foundation and Skolkovo Open University are partners of the SU European Summit, and are pursuing the goal of promoting it in Russia and attracting leading Russian start-ups, business leaders and all those who want to see the technologies of the future in use today. Skolkovo has now been collaborating with Singularity University for 3 years: in 2011, 2012 and 2013 the Skolkovo Foundation organized the competition "My idea for Russia" (part of a worldwide competition), the winners of which were able to take part in the Graduate Studies Program. Moreover, representatives of SU visited Skolkovo in 2012 with a program entitled "A revolution in rapidly-growing technologies. A forecast for the future". The forthcoming summit will make it possible to describe the changes being made to the way technologies are being developed, and shine a spotlight on a lot of interesting people from various countries in Europe. The number of places available for Russian delegates at the event is limited.
To register on-line, please click here: www.SingularityU.org/eu-summit.
Singularity University
Singularity University's mission is to unite, train and make active a new generation of leaders in scientific, financial, state and business spheres, who are striving to make sense of and apply rapidly growing technologies in order to solve the global challenges facing mankind. Since 2009 SU has hosted, at its main campus in Silicon Valley, California, key players and sector leaders from more than 70 countries around the world. Singularity University also runs Graduate Studies Programs for students, graduates and young leaders, and Executive Programs for business directors throughout the world. Among SU's partners are companies such as Autodesk, Cisco, Coca Cola, ePlanet Ventures, GE, Genentech, Google, Intelius, Kauffman Foundation, Nokia, Steelcase, and Triple Ring Technologies.
The Skolkovo Foundation
The Skolkovo foundation for the development and commercial use of new technologies is a non-commercial organization set up at the initiative of the head of state in September 2010. The foundation's aim is to mobilize Russia's resources in the field of modern applied research, and create a favourable environment for scientific research in the five key areas of technological development: energy and energy efficiency, aerospace, biomedicine, nuclear technologies and computer technologies. The project involves the creation of the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech), research institutes, a business hub, a centre for the transfer of technologies and commercialization, representative offices of foreign companies and R&D centres, residential premises and social infrastructure, and subsequent spreading of an effective operational regime to other innovative regions of Russia. The activity of the Skolkovo innovation centre is regulated by a special law which sets out financial conditions for its residents.
The Open University of Skolkovo (OUS)
The Open University of Skolkovo is a program run by the Skolkovo Foundation, the aim of which is to form and develop a community of talented young people with competencies in the field of science and technology and entrepreneurialism, thanks to which the Skolkovo IC and Russia's innovative ecosystem will be provided with a flow of human resources and technological start-ups. The OUS is part of the ecosystem of the Skolkovo Innovation Centre. It is a source of students (graduates and post-graduate students) for the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech), a source of trainees for Skolkovo partner companies, and a source of projects for Skolkovo. OUS is not an educational institution and does not award degree certificates. Those taking part in the program go through every stage, from having an idea to setting up a company, and are able to test their work in business games and real competitions, take part in events involving world leaders in the field of business and technology, and receive mentoring from successful entrepreneurs.
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Further details about the EUROPEAN SUMMIT, its speakers, programs and accommodation, can be found on the website: http://www.singularityu.org/eu-summit
Andrei Yegorov, ambassador of Singularity University to Russia (aegorov@sk.ru)