First launched in 2019, the Global Innovative Growth Forum (GIGF) is a forum for global leaders to engage and collaborate on promoting innovation for sustainable growth. Today the global pandemic is challenging the world on how to address health and economic issues simultaneously. We now live in a world where social distancing is the new norm and must rely on accelerated digital innovation and the need to maintain a clean environment. COVID-19 has completely reshaped the global innovative ecosystem as economic and social structures are rapidly changing.
The World Bank Group Korea Office will be collaborating with the Republic of Korea’s Ministry of Economy and Finance to host GIGF 2020 which will be held virtually in Seoul. This year’s GIGF will highlight “Innovative and Sustainable Growth in the Post COVID-19 Era.” Speakers such as Vinton G. Cerf, Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist of Google and Saeed Amidi, Founder and CEO of Plug and Play will talk about the unprecedented impact of the pandemic on global innovation and growth and the search for new drivers of growth through digital and green innovation. The forum will include an interactive session between Korean technology startups and a panel of World Bank and external experts, as part of the recently announced Disruptive Technologies for Development (DT4D) 2.0 challenge. Stay tuned for more information about the event!
Download the Full Program (PDF)
| Day 1 | December 9th Wednesday, 2020 | |
| Time | Agenda | |
| 09:00-09:07 | Opening Remarks | Nam-ki Hong, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance - Watch Replay |
| 09:07-09:15 | Welcoming Remarks | Victoria Kwakwa, Vice President, East Asia and Pacific, World Bank - Watch Replay |
| 09:15-09:30 | Keynote Speech 1 | Vinton G. Cerf, Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist, Google - Watch Replay |
| 09:30-09:45 | Keynote Speech 2 | Sukyung Park, Adviser to the President for Science and Technology - Watch Replay |
| Session 1: Transition to Non-Contact Society and Digital Innovation - Watch Replay | ||
| 09:45-09:55 | Presentations | Keith Strier - Accelerating the convergence of digital and physical innovation to drive economic growth |
| 09:55-10:05 | Erik Brynjolfsson - The AI Awakening: Implications for the Economy | |
| 10:05-10:15 | Nicol Turner Lee - Closing the Digital Divide with a Tech New Deal Program | |
| 10:15-10:25 | Kamran Khan - Harnessing the Power of Data to Build Resilience to Global Epidemic Threats | |
| 10:25-10:55 | Discussion with Speakers Moderator : So Young Kim / Director, Korea Policy Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) Panelist : Christopher Sungwook Chang / Managing Director of Kakao Mobility Corp. | |
| Session 2: Green Innovation for Sustainable Growth - Watch Replay | ||
| 10:55-11:05 | Presentations | Marilyn A. Brown - Interim Chair, School of Public Policy, Georgia Institute of Technology |
| 11:05-11:15 | Jochen Schwill - Chairman, CEO of Next Kraftwerke | |
| 11:15-11:25 | Mark Woodall - Executive Chairman, GreenSync | |
| 11:25-11:35 | Vivek Pathak, Regional Director, East Asia and the Pacific, IFC | |
| 11:35-12:05 | Discussion with Speakers Moderator : Hyoeun Jenny Kim / Deputy Director-General, Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) Panelist : Jae-Seung Lee / Professor and Jean Monnet Chair in Division of International Studies at Korea University | |
| Day 2 | December 10th Thursday, 2020 | |
| Time | Agenda | |
| 09:00-09:05 | Congratulatory Video | Safi Bahcall, Author of the best-selling book 'Loonshots' - Watch Replay |
| Session 3 : The Prospect of Global Ecosystem and the Roles of Startups in the Post-COVID19 Era - Watch Replay | ||
| 09:05-09:15 | Presentations | Saeed Amidi - Economy recovery led by the startup ecosystem |
| 09:15-09:25 | Tim Draper - Changes and Prospects of the Global Startup Ecosystem in the Post-COVID19 era | |
| 09:25-09:35 | Jack Young - Digital Transformation in 2020 and beyond | |
| 09:35-10:05 | Discussion with Speakers Moderator : JP Lee / CEO and Managing Partner, Softbank Ventures Asia Panelist : Junghee Ryu / CEO, FuturePlay | |
| Session 4: Partnerships with Startups to Promote Innovation in Developing Countries - Watch Replay | ||
| 10:05-10:13 | Speech | Martin Raiser - Harnessing Entrepreneurship for Development: the role of start-ups in spurring development innovation |
| 10:13-10:21 | Jongkap Kim - Introduction on Korea Startup Ecosystem and Collaboration Opportunities with the World Bank Group | |
| 10:21-10:25 | Gayatri Singh - Green and Blue Footprints Tool: Decision Support for Living Cities | |
| 10:25-10:29 | Daniel Ortega Nieto - The Power of Public Data: Disrupting Corruption and Money-Laundering | |
| 10:29-10:37 | Startup Pitch | Dtonic - ICT Fighting COVID-19 in Korea |
| 10:37-10:45 | N.Thing - To Feed the World Sustainably | |
| 10:45-10:53 | InnoCSR - Eco friendly non-fired Bricks (Good Bricks System) | |
| 10:53-11:01 | THE.WAVE.TALK - IoT Water Sensor for water innovation and big data: Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime | |
| 11:01-11:55 | Panel Discussion with Startups Moderator : Hoon S. Soh, Special Representative / Country Manager, World Bank Group Korea Office Panelist : Hyunjoo Je CEO & Managing Partner, The Impact Venture Capital Yellowdog Charles Reed Anderson / Founder of CRA & Associates Toni Eliasz / Program Manager, Disruptive Technology for Development, World Bank Gayatri Singh / Senior Urban Development Specialist, World Bank Daniel Ortega Nieto / Senior Governance Specialist, World Bank | |
| 11:55-12:00 | Closing Remarks | Byoung Hwan Kim, Director-General, Office for Innovative Growth, Ministry of Economy and Finance - Watch Replay |
