Artificial intelligence and open innovation are creating increasingly more opportunities for businesses, providing access to knowledge, technologies and expertise beyond the boundaries of their organisations. At the same time, a pressing challenge is emerging: once this external knowledge is found, how can it be successfully integrated into an organisation’s activities and turned into a real competitive advantage?
This question has been explored in practice for two decades through the Berkeley Innovation Forum, an executive forum that originated at the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) Haas School of Business.
Kaunas University of Technology (KTU), in collaboration with the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business Institute for Business Innovation, is becoming a bridge between Berkeley and European innovation ecosystems – not only bringing international open innovation expertise to Lithuania but also giving Lithuanian and European businesses access to a broader international network of experts, researchers and business leaders.
Strengthening Lithuania’s Innovation Ecosystem
The KTU Open Innovation Centre is intended to help companies access the expertise of the University and its partners, find the knowledge they are missing, and work together to develop solutions that matter not only today but also for the long-term future of their business,” says Prof. Dr Edita Gimžauskienė, KTU Vice-Rector for Strategic Partnerships.
The Centre’s ambition is not only to connect individual organisations, but also to help turn collaboration into concrete projects, technology adoption solutions and long-term partnerships. The work begins by identifying a business need or challenge and finding the right research expertise, technologies or partners, and continues through the development of pilot solutions and their application in practice. The aim is to create a clear path from the first contact to tangible value for organisations and the wider innovation ecosystem.
KTU Brings Business and Innovation Leaders Together in Kaunas
KTU is bringing UC Berkeley’s two-decade tradition of executive forum to Kaunas, where the Berkeley Innovation Forum Europe 2026 will take place on 12–13 November.
In collaboration with the innovation community at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, KTU aims to create a space to address the challenges facing Lithuanian business by drawing on the university’s technological and research expertise.
The forum programme will feature representatives of international organisations including Qualcomm, Mastercard, Siemens and Berkeley Research Group, as well as prominent Lithuanian business leaders from SBA Home, Hostinger, CAST AI, OBDeleven, Ignitis, Nando, nexos.ai and others. They will bring experience from manufacturing, energy, digital products and AI applications to the broader innovation discussion.
The two-day forum will explore topics relevant to business leaders, including the opportunities and challenges presented by AI and open innovation, how to build and manage digital business ecosystems, current cybersecurity challenges, the value AI can create in manufacturing and electronics, and how AI is changing the role of human skills and talent in organisations. The programme is built around a central question: how can AI and open innovation be turned into measurable business value and a long-term competitive advantage?
More information, programme and registration: https://openinnovation.ktu.edu/forum/
