Programme

Innovation at NASA
Lesa B Roe, Director, NASA's Langley Research Center

Lesa is the first woman Director of NASA's Langley Research Centre - the place where NASA researches solutions to problems from global climate change and access to space, to air travel, and faster swimsuits for Speedo.
Lesa will talk about how the Research Center innovates to address some of the world's biggest technical challenges.

10.35

The time to Innovate - what Ideas People do in recessions
Downturns provide an opportunity for innovation. Panelists discuss how start-ups and established companies respond to this opportunity.

• How should the current economic outlook be changing entrepreneurs' approach to building new companies?
• What should business leaders learn from companies that came out strong from the last economic downturn, and what's new this time?
• Securing funding - what are the venture capitalists looking for at the moment?
• Understanding the new risk environment - the imperative for change means an increased appetite to try new things, but how can opportunistic types know when to take advantage of this, and discern which new ideas would pose unacceptable risk to the business?

Julie Meyer, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Ariadne Capital
Syl Saller, Global Head of Innovation, Diageo
Mark Langley, Executive Vice-president and Chief Operating Officer, Project Management Institute
Sergio Kapusta, Chief Scientist-Materials, Shell

11.55

Supporting global innovation to build the post-crisis world
Fifty per cent of Silicon Valley start-ups are founded by immigrants, and some of the world's greatest innovations have resulted from ideas-sharing across global borders. Free movement of talent and ideas is essential if the post-crisis world is to feel the full benefits of innovation. Panelists have each been reponsible for great innovations which were made possible by globalisation. They will discuss how governments and companies can support people like them, and ideas like theirs.

• How should governments support innovation at a national level? How should they encourage
the exchange of people and ideas between countries?
• What role do multinational companies play in supporting global innovation? How should they attract and nurture innovative talent from across the globe?

Bright Simons, Coordinator, mPedigree
Sourabh Jain, Founder and CEO, ngpay
Sachin Duggal, President and Chief Executive Officer, Nivio
Joseph Adelegan, President, Green Globe Trust and Founder, Cows to Kilowatts Partnership