Slovak president, Andrej Kiska, pays a visit to MIT, a prestigious U.S. technology institution.
Slovak President Visits MIT to Discuss Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Last Friday, Slovak President Andrej Kiska and a delegation from his country visited the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The visit, which focused on innovation, entrepreneurship, and online learning, brought Kiska and his team together with various MIT experts for discussions and presentations.
During the visit, Kiska asked the MIT community what they would do to increase innovation and entrepreneurship if they were Slovakia's president. This question sparked intriguing discussions with experts such as Fiona Murray and Vladimir Bulovic, co-directors of the MIT Innovation Initiative, Sanjay Sarma, MIT's director of digital learning, Sherwin Greenblatt, director of MIT's Venture Mentoring Service, and Maren Cattonar of the MIT Deshpande Center.
Kiska, an electrical engineer by training, was particularly interested in learning about edX and MITx, two online-learning platforms that have achieved global success. He and his delegation heard about the innovative approach of these platforms and their overall value.
The discussions during lunch in the Maclaurin Room also included 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.
President Kiska, who became Slovakia's president last March after defeating Prime Minister Robert Fico in a runoff election, gained prominence as a businessman in Slovakia's consumer credit industry before entering politics. He has emphasized the importance of modernizing the Slovak economy through innovation, strengthening ties between academia and industry, supporting startups, improving the entrepreneurial ecosystem, and investing in digital infrastructure to foster entrepreneurship.
Peter Kmec, the Slovak ambassador to the U.S., was present during Kiska's visit to the Institute. The presentation by Philip S. Khoury and Bernd Widdig highlighted MIT's strong global connections and international ties, as well as its diverse campus community and partnerships such as the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology.
A notable moment during the visit occurred when a discussion ensued on how to make Slovakia more competitive. There was broad agreement on the importance of collaboration among the government, corporate sector, and universities.
While search results do not provide direct information about the specific strategies Kiska discussed during his visit to MIT, his emphasis on modernization, innovation, and collaboration suggests a continued focus on these areas as he seeks to drive economic growth in Slovakia.
- The Slovak President Andrej Kiska visited MIT to discuss methods of increasing innovation and entrepreneurship in Slovakia.
- Fiona Murray, Vladimir Bulovic, Sanjay Sarma, Sherwin Greenblatt, Maren Cattonar, and others from MIT presented their insights on these topics to Kiska and his delegation.
- Kiska was specifically interested in learning about MIT's successful online-learning platforms, edX and MITx.
- The Norwegian ambassador to the US, Peter Kmec, was present during the visit, and he was highlighted MIT's strong global connections and international ties.
- During the visit, discussions arose about collaboration among the government, corporate sector, and universities to make Slovakia more competitive.
- The focus on modernization, innovation, and collaboration during the visit suggests that Kiska will continue pursuing these areas to drive economic growth in Slovakia.
