High-level evening seminar and cocktail reception at the University of Vaasa (Wolffintie 32): European Energy Transition & Resilient Sovereignty – Towards Strategically Interconnected Ecosystems
Welcome to an exclusive event at the University of Vaasa, where we delve into the forefront of European Energy Transition & Resilient Sovereignty, with great food, drinks and a few surprises along the way!
- Date: 16th of March 2026
- Seminar: 17:00-18:45 (followed by a cocktail reception)
- Cocktail Reception 18:45-20:00
- Location for the seminar & cocktails: Restaurant Mathilda (Tervahovi building)
- Networking: 20:00-22:00 (University of Vaasa Arcade)
- Location for the Arcade: Fabriikki building, 3rd floor, Yliopistonranta 10
Strengthening Europe’s energy transition requires strategically interconnected ecosystems.
The University of Vaasa and its partners recently organized a high-level conference in Brussels on the theme of comprehensive resilience and preparedness and its close interactions with the Energy sector, within a context of global instability, systemic risks, hybrid threats, security challenges and unpredictable global markets.
This conference was driven by the leaders and experts of the University of Vaasa new multi-disciplinary Preparadeness & Resilience Research platform, and it covered many of the key-aspects of resilience: its geo-political interactions, its systemic nature, its public-private character, its place-based dimension, the role of research & innovation & its technological solutions, the role of industry and the economic impact, the importance of education and engagement of the civil society, the tech-entrepreneurial factor, and the need for multi-level & well-aligned policies.
Expanding from its Energy Transition Valley inititiative, the University of Vaasa has started to build a customized pan-European community/alliance of Energy Transition champions, from across leading regional energy-driven ecosystems & key-actors in the Nordics and the Baltics (Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) and further afield (Belgium, France, Italy, Greece, Portugal, Spain, Poland, etc), including non-European countries (USA, Canada, etc).
The purpose of this “Vaasa Energy Week 2026” side-event is to continue the discussion on these matters and to further enrich our understanding of resilience’s challenges and to learn from each others, from policies to technologies and to field actions ! By inviting European & regional key-players, to interact and confront their views with Vaasa region and Finland experts & key-actors in a triple-helix context (Public authorities, private sector & industry, research & academics)
The conversation will be ignited by a first session focussing on the European perspective in Energy, Research & Innovation, tech entrepreneurship policies & programmes. The programme will then zoom on various European regional energy transition ecosystems (Finland, Sweden, Italy, Belgium), highlighting the critical factors of RT&I infrastructure, of resilience & preparadness to crisis, of local governance, of collaboration between Large Corporates and Start-ups & scale-ups, and of the mission of Universities in catalyzing these industrial & societal changes. A specific attention will be given to the Finland/Belgium collaboration and to the inspiring case of the Silicon Valley ecosystem, and how to (re)boost Finland & EU collaboration with US and Canada.
The evening continues with a cocktail reception and snacks followed by an afterparty in the University of Vaasa Arcade, providing space for informal discussion and networking.
The event is free, but you have to register for it. Register from here.
Arrival & practical Information
Bus transport from the city hall to the University will be arranged at 16:40. Return buses will be arranged after each program step at 19:00, 20:00, and 22:00.
If you arrive by car please check the parking information from here. Note: No parking permit is needed on Monday, 16 March.
Campus entry (for the seminar & cocktails): Please enter through the main entrance of the Mathilda restaurant in the Tervahovi building next to the Ankkuri lobby, where you will find a guarded cloakroom. Signs and guides will be available on-side to help you find the right entrance.
Programme
Welcome & Introduction (17:00-17:10)
Minna Martikainen, Rector, University of Vaasa
Karel Tousseyn, Ambassador of Belgium to Finland & Estonia
Keynote: The global energy market perspective (17:10-17:25)
Kadri Simson, former EU Commissioner for Energy, Fellow of the Center on Global Energy Policy (CGEP) at Columbia University (New York, USA)
Challenge #1: Innovative and entrepreneurial Policies for energy transition (17:25-17:50)
Timo Hallantie, Head of the EIC Pathfinder Unit, European Innovation Council, EISMEA
Lowina Lundström, CEO EIT InnoEnergy Scandinavia (Sweden)
Jeff Wallace, Co-founder Silicon Valley in Your Pocket, MP of the Batchery Accelerator (US)
Challenge #2: Research, Technology, Resilience & Governance (17:50-18:10)
Florin Urseanu, AdvisorPreparadness & EU Integrated Political Crisis Response, SecGen (EC)
Eero Ailio, Advisor Energy Transition & Local Governance, DG Energy (EC)
Tomas Häyry, Mayor of the City of Vaasa
Challenge #3: Collaboration between Large Corporates and Start-ups/Scale-ups (18:10-18:30)
Eleonor Hedström, Director of Next Business Lab & WISE Ecosystem, Wärtsilä (Finland)
Jérôme Kervyn de Meerendre, Co-Founder Memoco, Board member Pole Mecatech (Belgium)
Jari Marjo, Vice-President Industrial Drives, Danfoss Drives (FI/DK)
Conclusive remarks (18:30-18:45)
Mika Grundström, Vice-Rector for Research, University of Vaasa
Cocktail Reception (18:50-20:00)
Networking at the University of Vaasa Arcade & Signature Drinks (20:00 – 22:00)
Contact persons:
Philipp Holtkamp (philipp.holtkamp@uwasa.fi) and Philippe Vanrie(philippe.vanrie@uwasa.fi)