Events

🚀 Networking is vital for a thriving innovation ecosystem.

Malta Innovation Forum hosted their Annual Summer Networking Event, bringing together Malta’s innovation stakeholders – from industry, government, academia, startups, banks, telecoms, researchers, scientists, engineers, NGOs and more.

It was another opportunity to strengthen connections, exchange ideas, and continue shaping the path towards a National Innovation Ecosystem – one that is systematically designed to support collaboration and bring innovations to life.

A big thank you to our partners Xjenza Malta, DiHubmt, and EIT Community Hub Malta for their invaluable support, and to all those who joined us.

Together, we’re building an environment where innovation can flourish.

innovation.mt

🚀 Innovation = Ideas X Commercialisation

“Commercialisation” was the theme of another innovation stakeholders meeting organised by Malta Innovation Forum.

Without commercialisation there is no innovation. Imagine you build a new type of more efficient solar panel (the idea). That is not innovative until it is manufactured at a reasonable cost and successfully sold to consumers (commercialisation).

Once a product or service reaches MVP stage there is a lot more work involved in getting this product/service successfully to the market.

The stakeholder meeting had three short speeches, followed by a super active discussion, with multiple stakeholders contributing to the topic. We discussed patents, funding, industry-academia links, pricing strategies, hr matters, internationalisation challenges, and much more.

👉 Michelle Cortis (Director of Corporate Research & Knowledge Transfer at University of Malta) shared with the stakeholders the work her team is doing to link the research from the University of Malta to commercialisation, through partnerships, research collaborations with public and private entities, exploitation plans for intellectual property, management of licensing, and support of spinout formations.

👉 Melchior Cini (Director of Research & Innovation unit at Xjenza Malta) shared with the stakeholders the many initiatives that Xjenza Malta are running to promote more commercialisation in Malta. https://xjenzamalta.mt/media/open-funding-schemes/

👉 Graham Hili (CEO at Lemonworx Ltd.) shared with the stakeholders his views of commercialisation, from the perspective of a tech entrepreneur and of a local SME, listing down the pluses (such funding, close-knit ecosystem), and the challenges (such as fragmented support, no high risk culture, availability of talent etc.).

The meeting was led by MIF’s president Johan Zammit, with the help of Brigitte Tanti.

Innovation Stakeholder Meetings happen every quarter and all organisations in Malta with a link to innovation are invited.

A big thanks goes to over 25 organisations who are participating in these stakeholder meetings, to the speakers, and to Malta Life Sciences Park (Malta Enterprise) for hosting this event.

With a strong national innovation ecosystem we can unlock the full potential of our nation’s innovators to create a brighter future for all.

Let’s continue to co-create and strengthen Malta’s innovation ecosystem!

🚀 Dissemination & Engagement = Reaching Further + Connecting Better

“Dissemination and Engagement” was the theme of the fifth Innovation Stakeholders Meeting organised by Malta Innovation Forum.

Innovation doesn’t flourish in isolation – it grows when knowledge, opportunities, and conversations are shared widely. This session focused on how we can spread information and research more effectively across Malta’s innovation ecosystem, and actively involve more people and organisations in the process.

Stakeholders explored how to reach different audiences – from policymakers and NGOs to startups, local councils, and the general public – with tailored messages that resonate. They also discussed how better coordination can create a stronger, more connected ecosystem.

💬 The workshop format encouraged active participation, with teams exploring:

• How dissemination currently happens within their organisations

• Key strengths and gaps in Malta’s innovation engagement efforts

• What structures, events, and skills are missing

• How to better synchronise efforts and set measurable objectives for improvement

📌 The session reinforced a clear message: Dissemination starts at home. Each stakeholder plays a role in amplifying the ecosystem’s vision and outcomes within their networks, creating a snowball effect across the country.

✨ With shared responsibility and coordination, Malta can build a functional and connected national innovation ecosystem, driving us closer to the goals of Innovation Leap Malta 2026.

🚀 Co-Creating Malta’s National Innovation Ecosystem

“Co-Creating At Multiple Levels” was the theme of another stakeholder meeting organised by Malta Innovation Forum.

👉 Gonca Kara shared with the stakeholders a proposed plan outlining how stakeholders can continue to actively co-create and further strengthen our innovation ecosystem in 2025 and beyond.

👉 Through an engaging hands-on workshop, Xjenza Malta gave stakeholders the opportunity to co-create and provide valuable feedback on an exciting upcoming new scheme they’re preparing to launch.

👉 Rachel Camilleri explained how the recently launched DiHubMT (European Digital Innovation Hub) will be a central piece of the ecosystem. It offers many services to startups, established companies, academia, and public administration. Make sure you contact them and visit the new place in Mriehel! You will not regret it.

👉 At the start of the event, Johan Zammit, MIF’s President, had the opportunity to share with the stakeholders the key lessons resulting from the 2024 stakeholder meetings.

With every stakeholder meeting it becomes more clear that through co-creating a strong national innovation ecosystem we can unlock the full potential of our nation’s innovators to create a brighter future for all.

A big thanks goes to over 25 organisations who are participating in these stakeholder meetings, to the speakers, and to DiHubMT for hosting this event.

Now so looking forward to 2025.

Let’s continue to co-create and strengthen Malta’s innovation ecosystem!

Innovation thrives in a strong ecosystem.

Malta Innovation Forum organised the third stakeholder meeting, this time we specifically discussed how to systematically strengthen a national innovation ecosystem for Malta, where 1 +1 becomes 3, where the 1 of each stakeholder multiplies exponentially because of the strong ecosystem around it.

Rozina Sidhu Koskela led an interactive hand-on workshop where we discussed the methodologies used to manage national innovation ecosystems, the leadership structures of such ecosystems, what work is required by such leadership structures, how is this work funded/financed, and what KPIs do such national ecosystems have.

Alexandra Bonnici gave a presentation on the systems approach to innovation. By adopting such an approach, an organisations can create a structured, yet flexible environment that supports and actively encourages continuous innovation.

Jelena Drndić gave a presentation on innovation procurement and how public bodies can engage with innovative economic operators.

Johan Zammit gave a presentation about the work Malta Innovation Forum has done so far on the ins and outs of national innovation ecosystems. The good news is that Malta has both the potential and also the active building blocks for a world-class thriving innovation ecosystem. Yet there is a lot of work to be done to be a global leader with a nourishing environment, a mindset, a culture, a community where innovation flourishes, without constraints.

With a strong national innovation ecosystem we can unlock the full potential of our nation’s innovators to create a brighter future for all.

A big thank you goes to over 25 organisations who are participating in these stakeholder meetings, to the speakers, and to EEN Malta and Malta Life Sciences Park for hosting this event.

We’re already looking forward to the next stakeholder meeting in November.

Let’s continue to strengthen Malta’s innovation ecosystem!

#malta #innovation #ecosystem #stakeholders

Innovation is about people.

Human resources and their skills, knowledge, and abilities are at the core of a strong innovation
ecosystem.

The Malta Innovation Forum organised the second stakeholder meeting at MCAST, this time the topic was
human resource development (HRD).
HRD is the third thrust of the Capacity Building methodology that we are have adopted to get
stakeholder to work together towards a National Innovation Ecosystem.

During the meeting we had the opportunity to discuss…

✅ Malta on the EU Innovation Scoreboard and how Cyprus moved to strong innovator over the
years
✅ How can we have more PhDs? How can they turn their research into innovation? How
can we have more “technical talent” on the island? How can we retain them and fight brain
drain? How can we attract the PhD diaspora? What funding and tax incentives are required?
✅ Industry and research institutions have been collaborating for many years? But do they
really understand each other? What can be done to change that?
✅ Could Malta be an “Innovation Hub” apart from being a maritime hub, a financial services hub,
a tourism hub and an igaming hub? Not without the right human resources! We need more
entrepreneurial initiatives, more skills sharing.
✅ Bank Of Valletta’s perspective of human resources and innovation, thanks to a
presentation by Ian Gourley. Ian explained how BOV, Malta’s biggest bank with over 2000
employees, are building a culture of innovation in everything they do, from talent acquisition,
to learning and development, organisational structures, operations and processes and even
customer experience.
✅ What drives an innovation culture within an organisation?
✅ How can an organisation increase its innovation related skills, its mindset toward
innovation? How can an organisation have “champions” for innovation advocacy?
✅ A “community of practice” for innovation. A “centre of excellence” for innovation.
✅ Ecosystem reporting. Better “branding” of the innovation ecosystem.
✅ Last but not least : less words, more action for all stakeholders.

A big thanks goes to over 20 organisations who are participating in these stakeholder meetings.
A special thanks goes to ESkills Foundation, National Skills Council, FHRD and Project Aegle
Foundation for joining this skills related meeting.

We’re already looking forward to the next stakeholder meeting at the end of September. The topic
will be Financing Innovation.

Let’s continue to strengthen Malta’s innovation ecosystem!

Today Malta Innovation Forum organised a stakeholder meeting bringing together 18 key innovation stakeholders.

We had the opportunity to discuss…
how we can strengthen Malta’s innovation system through a systematic approach, specifically through the capacity building methodology, rather than letting it grow organically.

the importance of having a common vision, synergies, and an alignment of purpose between all stakeholders

Collaborative Governance and the best ways to collaborate. An ecosystem is a collaborative environment and thus collaboration is key.

the opportunities, strengths, and weaknesses : the topics to focus on in future stakeholder meetings, both the “low hanging fruit” and the long term goals.

We also had the opportunity to share the work Malta Innovation Forum did over the last few years related to Malta’s innovation ecosystem.

A big thanks goes to all the 18 organisations

University Of Malta
MCAST
MCST
MDIA
Malta Enterprise
Knowledge Transfer Office
European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT) Community RIS Hub
Malta Development Bank
Bank Of Valletta
The Malta Chamber
Malta Chamber Of SMEs
Chamber of Engineers
Chamber of Scientists
MCESD
JAYE
Malta Innovation Hub
Supercharger Ventures
Accler8

Differnt and more organisations will be invited in such future meetings.

We’re already looking forward to the next stakeholder meeting! Let’s continue to strengthen Malta’s innovation ecosystem!

The Enterprise Innovation Conference, held on April 24, 2024, at Xara Lodge, was a collaborative event organized with Malta Enterprise and Enterprise Europe Network – Malta (EEN Malta). Entrepreneurs, business owners, and innovators gathered to discuss the latest advancements in AI, digital transformation, and corporate innovation.

Attendees met stakeholders in those fields, attended hands-on case studies, visited the exhibition area, and gained insights from our speakers on emerging trends in these sectors.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our speakers and exhibitors for their invaluable contributions and support. Special thanks to our sponsors: Bank of Valletta (BOV), Malta Digital Innovation Authority (MDIA), ARMS Ltd, and Lemonworx, for making this event possible.

DIGINOVA, our AI & innovation bootcamp for teenagers was a great success.

Thank you to all the teenagers who participated and their parents.

Through an initiative of Malta Digital Innovation Authority aimed at our future generations, we embarked on a journey to inspire and empower teenagers with the essence of AI, digital innovation and creative thinking.

The bootcamp sessions were aimed at equipping these teenagers with the skills to become future leaders and changemakers, and the ability to harness creativity and innovation, while at the same time making the best use of emerging digital technologies.

In the last session all participants were presented with a certificate of attendance.

A big thank you goes to our members Johan Zammit, Joseph Woods and Brigitte Tanti for preparing and delivering these sessions.

A big shout-out goes to Esplora Interactive Science Centre for providing a great venue for such interactive sessions.

It was great to see different stakeholders in the innovation ecosystem coming together to create inspiring sessions for our future leaders.

#diginova #malta #digitalinnovation #creativethinking #futureleaders #innovation #creativity

It was a great pleasure to once again bring together Malta’s innovation ecosystem stakeholders for our Annual Summer Event.

The event gave us the opportunity to share the main highlights of the last 12 months, the key items being
– our National Innovation Ecosystem document that we started sharing with the stakeholders
– the Enterprise Innovation conference we did in collaboration with Malta Enterprise, EEN Malta and Malta Innovation Hub.
– a set of meetings with key stakeholders discussing Malta’s innovation ecosystem.

#malta #innovation #networking #stakeholders

MIF held its annual general meeting on Friday 4th August.

Johan Zammit was confirmed as President. Brigitte Tanti is the new secretary of our NGO.

The lead team agreed to continue to push ahead with MIF’s mission to catalyse and build a culture of innovation necessary to ensure sustainable socio-economic development.

MIF representatives Johan Zammit & Joseph Woods met with the Chairperson of the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development (MCESD), Perit David Xuereb to discuss how innovation can be at the heart of Malta’s economic & social well-being.

During the meeting, MIF presented David with our vision of a national innovation ecosystem. A number of interesting ideas and potential avenues of collaboration were discussed.

Looking forward to more collaboration with MCESD.

#malta #innovation #mcesd #ecosystem

“Engineers are the architects of tomorrow, crafting solutions today with the bricks of engineering and the cement of innovation.”

Malta Innovation Forum represented by Johan Zammit and Joseph Micallef had a cordial meeting with the Chamber of Engineers where a number of interesting ideas and potential avenues of collaboration were discussed.

The event was aimed at bringing together both providers of digitalisation and industry 4.0 as well as those seeking such solutions. We received a lot of good feedback about the case studies that were exhibited.

It was great collaborating with Malta Enterprise & Enterprise Europe Network – Malta on this event.

A big thank you goes to our main sponsor RSM MT, and to all exhibitors and attendees.

Photo by Malta Enterprise

MIF, represented by Johan Zammit, Joe Woods & Joe Sammut, attended the workshop “Active Dialog among Innovation Ecosystem Stakeholders.”

The workshop offered a deep dive into and lays foundations for, The Long Conversation Studio’s flagship programme, known as the Thinkers in Residence.

Networking drinks to celebrate our third year anniversary.

It was of great pleasure to have the opportunity to share this milestone with like-minded professionals from all walks of life, representatives of industry, government and other NGOs.

How can we empower our employees to generate more ideas? How can we enable them to express their full entrepreneurial spirit? How do we select the best ideas? How do we keep these ideas alive and take them to market?

The answers to these questions and more will be discussed together with our speakers and panelists.

Join us in discussing Malta as the ultimate launchpad for AI.

Speakers
André Xuereb, Godfrey Vella, Sven Nordengren, Prof. Alexiei Dingli, Efrem Borg, Johan Zammit

Moderator Brigitte Tanti

Organised by Creolabs Ltd. and supported by Malta Innovation Forum.

The event is sponsored by Malta Digital Innovation Authority, Tech.mt, Malta Enterprise, eSkills Malta Foundation and Gadgets

On 19th May 2022, Malta Innovation Forum was visited by Hon. Stanley Zammit, the Opposition spokesperson for Research and Innovation.

During the courtesy visit Johan Zammit, President of MIF, gave a brief presentation explaining the vision and mission of MIF, followed by an informative discussion on the importance of Malta developing a National Innovation Ecosystem – and the opportunities and challenges Malta is facing in this regard.

At the end of the meeting it was decided that collaboration will continue.

Other members of the MIF Lead Team were also present at the meeting. André Xuereb, Brigitte Tanti, Joseph Woods, and Joseph Micallef

The Malta Innovation Forum is back to in-person events! Join us tomorrow, 17th March, for a hands-on design thinking workshop led by Corinne Fenech and with the participation of Circular Economy Malta.

Together we will explore ways to apply the Circular Economy concept in Malta.

Join us on Oct 28 to discuss and learn how the field of cultural heritage is being transformed through these challenging times.

A Corporate sustainability plan can be a valuable tool through which to develop innovative solutions to address some pressing and current business challenges, including the need to attract and retain valuable employees, increasing customer loyalty and satisfaction, product/service innovation, and staying ahead of the competition.

Being a leader in the 21st century requires a new set of skills to thrive in a world that is increasingly volatile, uncertain and complex.

In times of uncertainty, people are reluctant to change. This “UP YOUR LEVEL” programme will help catalyse an innovative change process.

Join us on 27 May at 16:30 CET and find out what opportunities Open Innovation can bring to your business.

Here is your opportunity to give life to that idea that you’re always thinking of – through this fully funded 10 hour course.

Join us on Thu 23rd April at 3pm to celebrate World Creativity & Innovation Day & discuss how innovation can be our secret weapon vs Covid19