IASP International Board of Directors gathers in Malaga for annual meeting

The IASP International Board of Directors gathered from the 12th to the 14th of February at our World Headquarters in Málaga, Spain.

Chaired by International President Lena Miranda (CEO of Linköping Science Park, Sweden), the meeting drew together top executives from 13 countries spanning the globe and served as a forum for strategic discussions about the association and plans and activities for the coming year.

Knowledge leadership as a core mission

Central to IASP’s mission is its commitment to fostering knowledge exchange and research within the industry of Science Parks (STP) and Areas of Innovation. In line with this objective, the association will soon see the launch of the 2024 Global Survey, aimed at identifying emerging trends and exploring data pertinent to science parks, innovation districts, and other innovation ecosystems worldwide. Additionally, IASP will lead a number of training initiatives tailored for innovation hubs in development, alongside efforts to highlight best practices in Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) reporting and Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) endeavours within the industry.

A great lineup of international events

Looking ahead to our plans for face-to-face activities, IASP will bring members, partners and other global stakeholders in the STP/AOI industry together with an ambitious lineup of international events scheduled for 2024. These include the 41st IASP World Conference, hosted by IASP member Konza Technopolis in Nairobi, Kenya from the 24th to the 27th of September. Under the theme "Demographics, entrepreneurship, and technology: defining the frontiers of future economics" the conference aims to explore the role of science parks and areas of innovation in leveraging demographic shifts, entrepreneurship, and technological advancements for sustainable economic growth.

Furthermore, in 2024 IASP will host regional division events in key locations such as Porto Alegre, Brazil (18-20 March: Alliances for Innovation - Connecting Latin America for Impact); Glasgow, UK (24-26 April: Developing collaborative innovation ecosystems); Hamilton, Canada (29-31 May: The power & pain of clustering) and Sharjah, UAE (November 2024). These events will provide additional platforms for members and stakeholders to delve into region-specific challenges and opportunities within their innovation ecosystems.

Looking further into the future, Beijing, China will be hosting the 2025 IASP World Conference, while the shortlisted destinations for the 2026 World Conference will be announced soon and put forward for members voting at the upcoming IASP General Assembly in Nairobi.

International Board of Directors

With global cooperation as a key pillar, IASP’s internal procedures help to maintain the association’s international identity, always ensuring that different parts of the world are represented on the International Board of Directors. This is also reflected through the IASP regional divisions, who also form part of the governing body. You can see an overview of the IASP International Board of Directors at www.iasp.ws/about-us/board-of-directors.  

"I am very proud of being part of this global community" remarked President Lena Miranda "and it is a privilege for me to be sharing thoughts and opinions with international colleagues to help guide the strategy of the network. Meetings like this are truly enriching and we look forward to consolidating plans and activities to bring new knowledge and learning opportunities for colleagues throughout the coming year."