7. European Creative Industries Summit
November 27 2017
Representation of the State of North Rhine Westphalia, Brussels

 

Europe @Cross-Roads
A New Agenda for Innovation

 

New products, new services and even new markets: while innovations have become increasingly part of our daily routines, European and national policy makers focus also anew on innovation as a key driver for „Europe’s competitiveness on a global scale.“ (EP-Report, 2016/2072(INI)) This kind of innovation is no longer purely technical, it is about social, business, open data, civil-society, human-centredness, resiliency, governance and civic participation: in the digital global and connected world innovation has changed over the last 10 years from a sectorial to the cross-sectorial driver of growth and jobs. Today innovation is cross innovation.

What does this mean for businesses, policy makers, legal and funding frameworks? What are the implications for innovation itself? What enables such innovators? What are innovation-friendly environments today and in the future – business-parks or tax exemption will not do alone?! What are key drivers for innovation and a sustainable growth of jobs and wealth, but also for Europe as a whole?

– New European Initiatives for Innovation in 2016 – 

The European Parliament highlighted in its Initiative Report 2016 „the role of cultural and creative industries as a driver of innovation and growth in all other domains of activity in the EU and on connected third countries.“ CCI realizes a „substantial contribution to growth also in the EU Member states“, but is also a „concrete tool for social cohesion“. Already in May 2015 the European Council concluded that crossovers of cultural and creative industries (CCI) stimulate innovation, economic sustainability and social inclusion. While CCI companies are recognized by now as the „most innovative“, not all policy and funding framework for CCI companies match their needs yet to be innovative and cross-sectorial, thus leveraging their full innovation potential for the future of Europe. CCI are also especially open for innovations from the youth, migrants and enable perspectives which are vital for the cohesion of Europe with such extreme youth unemployment.

„Even though all programmes are open for applications from CCIs, the participation rate can and should be raised. The support of CCIs should be made a policy priority within the ESIFs, Horizon 2020, and the MFF as a whole. In the Horizon 2020 research programme and the structural funds, in particular, we should fully exploit potential synergies existing between EU policies. This would allow to effectively use the funding available under EU programmes and reach the goals they were designed for.“
(EP Initiative Report, 2016) 

EU Commissioner Carlos Moedas started the development of a European Innovation Council (EIC) in 2016 and already established in March 2017 a High Level Group of Innovators to do so. In its statement of intent the group calls for the EIC to „act as a catalyst to accelerate the next wave of innovation, to change mindsets, and to give Europe a fighting chance to lead at a global level.“

– A New Agenda for Innovation –

A New Agenda for innovation is needed and at hand to create innovative frameworks, interdisciplinary policies and cross-sectorial funding schemes. And this new agenda is vital for a new Europe to be built after Brexit to keep its global competitiveness.

The 7. European Creative Industries Summit invites key stakeholders from business and policy in Europe to debate and support the future of innovation frameworks and to promote subsequently the innovation of frameworks themselves. Creative governance is needed for cross innovation, for nothing less than the future growth and jobs and cohesion in Europe.

Topics focus in especial the „adoption of an overarching and transversal EU strategy for CCI“, a „policy priority within the ESIFs, Horizon 2020, and the MFF as a whole“ for CCI and the the development of the European Innovation Council

The 7. ECIS is also presenting best practices in cross-innovations and welcomes renown business leaders as well as national agendas for innovation in cultural creative sectors.

– The Summit and Its Audience – 

The European Creative Industries Summit is organized by the European Creative Business Network and takes place since 2010. Each year it welcomes 100 policy makers and public agencies promoting and funding creative cultural sectors from all policy levels, be it city, regions and nations, as well as cultural and creative entrepreneurs.

The European Creative Business Network (ECBN) is a unique not for profit foundation established in 2011 to promote the interests of the cultural creative industries in Europe. Our 41 industry defining members, currently stemming from 19 EU countries, are leading agencies, hubs, centers and intermediaries for the cultural creative industries on local, regional and/or national level.  Together, we account for approximately 70% of the workforce in cultural and creative sectors in Europe.

The European Creative Industries Summit is supported by KAT Kreativwirtschaft Austria and is organized in collaboration with THEARTS+.

– Here you find the program with all speakers: registration is free –