A new series of European summits will begin in London in September, with the organizers hoping to put scientists, technologists and entrepreneurs in the same room and come up with fixes for some of the world’s great challenges. The program is called RE.WORK and, if it reminds you a bit of Google’s Solve For X initiative, then you won’t be surprised to learn that the first instalment is being done in partnership with that scheme.
That first RE.WORK summit will take place on 19 September, which is fortunate timing for those attending GigaOM’s Structure:Europe conference in London on the preceding two days. The RE.WORK program will kick off with a focus on the areas of: the internet of things, 3D printing, nanotech, artificial intelligence, robotics, computing systems and sensors.
“We’re trying to showcase emerging technologies and breakthrough ideas,” summit founder Nikita Johnson told me. “It’s all about reworking big challenges that we’re facing in the future. We want to bring the technology and science aspect, but with mission of positive impact.”
While the first of these summits will focus on technology, others will have different themes: one in December will deal with urbanization, RE.WORK Health will take place next year, and others will handle energy, education and the environment. The first three meetings will take place in London, with others set for Dublin, Berlin and other European cities. Events will also be followed up with smaller meet-ups, Johnson added.
Apart from Solve For X, other initiatives in this space include TED, to a certain extent (RE.WORK looks to be a bit more collaborative and interactive) and the engineering-led Global Grand Challenges Summit.
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