Andrej Kiska, the president of Slovakia, pays a visit to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Slovak President Andrej Kiska Visits MIT for Discussions on Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Online Learning
Last Friday, Slovakia's President Andrej Kiska visited the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The visit, which included discussions with several MIT experts, focused on innovation, entrepreneurship, and online learning.
Andrej Kiska, an electrical engineer by training and a businessman in Slovakia’s consumer credit industry, became Slovakia’s president last March after defeating Prime Minister Robert Fico in a runoff election. Prior to taking office, Kiska had no previous political experience.
During his visit, Kiska and his delegation discussed entrepreneurship and innovation with Philip S. Khoury, the Ford International Professor of History and associate provost, and Bernd Widdig, director of international affairs. Widdig presented an overview of MIT's global connections, which include a diverse campus community and partnerships such as the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology.
Sanjay Sarma, MIT's director of digital learning, discussed edX and MITx, two online-learning platforms, founded by MIT and Harvard University in 2012 and achieving global success. Sanjay explained the overall value of this innovative approach to online education during the discussion.
Fiona Murray and Vladimir Bulovic, co-directors of the MIT Innovation Initiative, were among the experts present. Maren Cattonar of the MIT Deshpande Center also contributed to the discussion on entrepreneurship and innovation.
A notable moment occurred when Kiska asked the MIT community what they would do to increase innovation and entrepreneurship if they were Slovakia’s president. Sherwin Greenblatt, director of MIT's Venture Mentoring Service, was also present during the discussion.
Representatives of Slovakia’s Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Ministry of Finance, consulates in New York and Boston, and members of the Slovakian media were also in attendance. The Slovak ambassador to the U.S., Peter Kmec, was present during Kiska’s visit to the Institute.
During lunch, the discussion turned towards collaboration among the government, corporate sector, and universities as a key point to make Slovakia more competitive. Widdig mentioned this topic, emphasising the importance of such collaboration in driving innovation and entrepreneurship.
Overall, the visit to MIT provided an opportunity for Kiska and his delegation to explore innovative approaches to education, entrepreneurship, and collaboration that could potentially benefit Slovakia in the future.
- Andrej Kiska, former entrepreneur in the consumer credit industry, discussed the potential benefits of innovative education platforms like edX and MITx with Sanjay Sarma during his visit to MIT.
- Kiska, Slovakia's President with no political background prior to his office, asked for suggestions on boosting innovation and entrepreneurship from the MIT community during his visit.
- In addition to discussions on technology, education, and entrepreneurship, the visit included discourse on politics and general news, particularly the significance of collaboration between governments, corporations, and universities in driving innovation.
- The MIT Innovation Initiative, co-directed by Fiona Murray and Vladimir Bulovic, contributed to the discussions on fostering innovation and entrepreneurship during Kiska's visit to the campus.
- The visit to MIT served as a platform for Kiska to learn about strategies and methods for promoting innovation, entrepreneurship, and collaboration, which could potentially transform Slovakia in the future.
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