Designing & Delivering Impactful Island Innovation Programmes @ GSIS 2026

​Designing & Delivering Impactful Island Innovation Programmes A Collaborative Design Lab · Side Event at GSIS 2026

​📅 Wednesday, 22 April 2026 ⏰ 9:45 – 11:45 AM 📍 Global Sustainable Islands Summit · Gran Canaria, Spain

​Many islands invest heavily in innovation programmes — incubators, accelerators, ecosystem initiatives — as part of broader sustainable development strategies. They're expected to drive economic diversification, build climate resilience, and support social inclusion.

​Yet many struggle to translate that investment into lasting impact. Why?

​This session brings together funders, policymakers, programme leaders, ecosystem builders, and entrepreneurs for an honest, cross-sector conversation about what makes these initiatives succeed — and what causes them to fall short.

​This is not a standard panel. It's a working session: part fireside dialogue, part collaborative design lab, with structured workshops and live synthesis throughout.

​What to expect

​🛠️ Collaborative Design Lab — facilitated roundtables where you contribute your own experience and expertise

​📄 Co-created white paper — your contributions directly inform a published paper shared with the European Commission in response to the call for input on the EU islands policy.

​🔥 Multi-stakeholder fireside dialogue — real talk across sectors on programme design, funding structures, governance, and ecosystem alignment

​⚡ Live insight capture — interactive polling and real-time synthesis

​Featured Voices

​Ashaki Goodwin · Director of Government Affairs, PVBLIC Foundation

Andreia Rosa Collard · Director of Competitivity, Innovation and Sustainability, Government of Madeira

Alessandro Silvestri · Managing Partner, MALTAccelerate

Facilitated by

​Gabriela Matic · Co-Founder & Director, Metta

​Wil Benton · Co-Founder & Director, Metta

​Gabriella G. Hernandez · Head of Comms & Sustainability, Metta

​This session is for you if you...

• ​Design, deliver, fund, or evaluate innovation and entrepreneurship programmes

• ​Work in island government, development, or ecosystem building

• ​Are an entrepreneur or social enterprise leader in an island context

• ​Want to learn how to plan or launch your own programme

• ​Are simply passionate about what sustainable island development can look like

​Organised by Metta in partnership with Island Innovation. Places are limited - register to secure your spot today!

​IMPORTANT: To participate in this activity, you must be a registered attendee for the Global Sustainable Islands Summit.
You can use our code GSIS2026-PARTNER-SP to get 20% off your ticket when you register. Register here: https://www.islandinnovation.co/events/global-sustainable-islands-summit-2026/