In such time of uncertainty brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic, the innovation of investment tools is crucial for an enduring recovery especially for SMEs and startup entrepreneurs. Hence, AGORADA+ 2021, a high-level international conference following the previous edition of AGORADA+ 2020, is aiming to be a forum where regional development practitioners and finance experts can exchange good practices, discuss innovative measures and financial instruments that can help revitalize the regional economy heavily damaged by the undesirable effects of the pandemic.
This event, structured as an elaborately planned two-day conference, was held on site in the city of Valencia. In collaboration with IVACE and Foro ADR, EURADA has successfully organized the activity, which is combined with the finMED Conference, a key activity in the capitalization plan of the project.
The first day targets at discussions for identifying potential sources of funding for impact investment. The keynote speech was delivered by Roberta Dall’Olio, EURADA president. She pointed out the importance of regional development agencies in economic recovery while calling on citizens to be more ambitious in terms of exploitation of more flexible financial instruments and investment on sustainability and social innovation. A panel of experts with years of experience in their respective business sectors as well as regional development agencies discussed a favorable financial framework for a European economic recovery after Covid-19. They also exchanged views on multiple financial situations faced by Europe after Covid-19 and the possible financial instruments that can contribute to a better and more sustainable recovery. In the afternoon, AGORADA+ 2021 is honored to have two online overseas speakers Naoki Mori and Ed Gilliland, who shared their insights on financial instruments for green economy and innovation technology sectors in Japan and the United States.
On the next day, a session dedicated to analyzing the demand of impact finance and review examples of financing for green transition is held. The session was organized within the framework of finMED, an Interreg Mediterranean project co-financed by the EU Regional Development Fund. The project is targeted at boosting the financing of SMEs for innovation in green growth sectors through policies, strategies, and the introduction of innovative cluster services in the MED area. Speakers in this session come from different organizations and they discussed the practice of their respective territories by presenting the specific mechanism of their financial instruments, summary of their development, and challenges they are faced with.
In order to enrich participants’ experience and provoke wider discussions, AGORADA+ 2021 has organized three parallel workshops per day that took place simultaneously. The purpose of these sessions is to help people learn from real practices in topics such as city renovation, social innovation, and funding for green economy.
