Bringing together expert views on the significant 'non-technological' challenges that are ahead gives FWS-2010 a complementary lens from which to view the future. The panel sessions scrutinise key changes taking place within the industry which provide challenge as well as opportunity.

Financing Innovation: Where have the VC's Gone?

Chaired by Malcolm Penn, CEO of Future Horizons
Confirmed panellists from Intel Capital, NESTA, Imagination Technologies, Cascoda Ltd & Sony Ericsson.

The connected world is underpinned by a systems hierarchy that rests upon semiconductor technology. Innovation opens up new  applications areas creating new markets and a great deal of this new innovation takes place within the start up community. However, all is not well in start up land as the venture capital fuelled system of yester-year is crumbling at its foundations and the industry must find a new model to deliver tomorrows innovations more efficiently. This panel session will scrutinise the problem and explore the potential for financing future start ups.

Malcolm Penn is perhaps Europe's most outspoken and thought provoking analyst. With a career reaching as far back as the 1960's, Malcolm is well placed to marshall our respected panellists in the crucial area of financing innovation.

Panellists

Intel Capital : Abdul Guefor

Imagination Technologies : Hossein Yassaie

Sony-Ericsson : Joakim Nelson

Cascoda Ltd : Bruno Johnson

NESTA : Libby Kinsey

The Disruptive Effects of Open Source

Chaired by Glyn Moody, Open Source Blogger and Technology Writer

Panellists from ARM, Canonical, Embecosm & Symbian Foundation

The open source business model has been used in the IT industry for a long time and has delivered some great successes for companies trying to disrupt the established order. Is there a ‘Domino’ effect around open source adoption and are we seeing this in other sectors?
The panel will debate how the open source model applies within an engineering/product environment, both hardware and software, the lessons that can be learned from the experiences in the IT sector, the impact that it is likely to have over the next ten years and the indirect benefits, such as enabling ecosystems, that it brings.

Our session chair is a writer, blogger and speaker.  His journalism has appeared in national newspapers, magazines and online; his blog about open source and open culture can be read here.

Panellists

ARM : Philippe Robin, Director - Open Source, ARM
Canonical : Steve George, Vice President - Business Development
Embecosm : Dr Jeremy Bennett, Founder and Chief Executive
Symbian Foundation : Daniel Rubio, Chief Architect

The Future of Broadband Wireless

Chaired by Stuart Revell, Digital Communications KTN

Panellists from BBC Research & Development, Microsoft Research & Hutchison 3G

Wireless Communications is a major driver behind the growth of the Digital Media, Internet and ICT industries and is the crucial element for delivering the medium and long term goals for advanced media, network and broadband services.
The UK benefits from having all of the elements of the value chain, from world-leading content providers, through to infrastructure and platform development, with vital component companies feeding multiple levels. At the very top of the value chain we have some of the most advanced digital consumers in the world.

This panel session explores next generation wireless opportunities including Broadcast DTV, Cellular LTE, Digital Dividend, White Space, spectrum usage, service convergence and consumer driven innovation.

Our chair is a passionate advocate for digital communications technologies and has 28 years industry experience working for companies including RTA Communications, Freescale Semiconductors, Motorola and Compair Industrial.

Panellists

BBC Research & Development : Matthew Postgate - Controller
Hutchison 3G : Erol Hepsaydir
Microsoft Research : Tim Regan