Following the presentation of Luxinnovation’s 2023 Annual Report, the Board Chair and the CEO discuss the agency’s evolving role in supporting innovation.
Lena Mårtensson
On 4 July 2024, Luxinnovation presented its 2023 Annual Report at a press conference held in the presence of Minister of the Economy, SMEs, Energy and Tourism Lex Delles. We asked the agency’s Board Chair Mario Grotz, Director General for Industry, New Technologies and Research at the Ministry of the Economy, and CEO Sasha Baillie to tell us more about Luxinnovation’s development in 2023.
Mario Grotz: Right now, it is more important than ever to ensure that our companies remain competitive through innovation and the deployment of new technology. The work of Luxinnovation is based on three pillars that are at the very heart of the government’s efforts to ensure long-term competitiveness: innovation, digitalisation and sustainability. The agency plays a key role in ensuring that Luxembourg succeeds with the digital and green twin transitions.
Sasha Baillie: Our mission is to address the many challenges posing threats and opportunities to our companies, economy and country. As the needs of our target groups evolve and our board entrusts us with new missions and projects, we constantly adapt and expand our support.
Our mission is to address the many challenges posing threats and opportunities to our companies, economy and country.
Sasha Baillie, Luxinnovation
Concretely, this means for instance that Luxinnovation supports the digital transformation of the manufacturing sector and helps small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) assess their needs for and implement new digital solutions. In 2023, we were also appointed National Contact Point for the EU’s Digital Europe Programme to help Luxembourg players access funding for large-scale deployment projects focusing on supercomputing, data and artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, advanced digital skills and the wide use of digital technologies.
In the context of the government’s sustainability initiative “Klimapakt fir Betriber”, we are coordinating pilot projects helping companies reduce their energy consumption and find innovative decarbonisation solutions. A first group of companies has also successfully gone through the Fit 4 Sustainability programme.
Mario Grotz: In 2023, Luxinnovation engaged in a three-year partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Viticulture to support the agri-food value chain. The aim is to boost its competitiveness and sustainability through innovation, digitalisation and collaboration with research players.
In collaboration with the Directory of Defence of the of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Luxinnovation also supports the development of security and defence capacities in Europe through innovation. The agency helps Luxembourg organisations develop security and defence technologies and integrate European defence value chains through awareness-raising, innovation and funding support and by fostering collaborative projects with European partners.
I would also like to underline the valuable contribution that Luxinnovation makes to enhancing Luxembourg’s capacity to foster the emergence of successful innovative companies.
Mario Grotz, Luxinnovation
I would also like to underline the valuable contribution that Luxinnovation makes to enhancing Luxembourg’s capacity to foster the emergence of successful innovative companies. The Ministry of the Economy has given the agency the mandate to develop a support programme for high-potential scaleups in accordance with the government’s “From Seed to Scale Roadmap”. We also welcome the agency’s focus on gender equality through the 2023 “Women and Tech” campaign. Capturing the full potential of our national ecosystem is essential for our economy to remain sustainably competitive in the long run.
Sasha Baillie: We need to be agile, adapt to rapidly changing environments and constantly optimise, innovate and transform ourselves. This is why we launched a transformation process in 2023 with the objective of ensuring that as an agency, we are responsive and efficient in providing support in both the short and the long term.
Our first focus is on enhancing our ability to capture and detect the needs of each company and research organisation with which we work and to propose the support that best fits every individual case. We are also streamlining our delivery of relevant services and expertise to maximise the impact of our support to companies of all sizes in their innovation efforts.
Our first focus is on enhancing our ability to capture and detect the needs of each company and research organisation with which we work and to propose the support that best fits every individual case.
Sasha Baillie, Luxinnovation
In addition, we are developing a more mission-driven approach inside our organisation to allow us to better manage complex, innovative ecosystem projects aligned with specific missions entrusted to us by the government. These projects address common issues that groups of companies are facing and aim to define innovative solutions that enhance the competitiveness and long-term sustainability of our increasingly digital and data-driven economy.
This process is made possible through a diverse and interdisciplinary team that provides comprehensive, tailor-made support to any organisation in Luxembourg engaged in research and innovation. I invite anyone interested in launching R&D and innovation activities to contact us so that we can discuss how we can help you.
Photo credits: Luxinnovation/Marion Dessard
