The Next Generation Learning Conference offers a unique chance to discuss the new opportunities arising from the use of social media in the field of vocational and adult training. International experts and experience practitioners will guide you through the benefits deriving from the integration of web 2.0 tools in the delivery of vocational and adult training courses and in the optimization of organizational processes in training institutions. The Next Generation Learning Conference is free of charge.  For a detailed program and online registration visit http://www.svea-project.eu/conference.html.

Media & Learning 2011 is the place to be if you are interested in the latest developments, services and uses of media in education and training. Aimed at both policy makers and practitioners, the purpose of this event is to identify policies and initiatives that promote digital and media competence at all levels of education and training as well as to promote best-practice in the take-up and application of media in education

At this conference we will be discussing:

• the urgency of embedding digital and media literacy skills amongst the European workforce
• how best to convince stakeholders about the importance of embedding digital and media skills amongst learning professionals and learners at all levels of education and training.

The conference will include:

• practical learning opportunities showing how you can apply all types of media in education and training through workshops and hands-on training sessions
• information sessions describing lots of different initiatives and developments linked to this field supported by European and national programmes
• sessions linked to the MEDEA Awards 2011, a competition now in its fourth year that recognises and rewards excellence in this field. These sessions will feature winners and finalists from the past and current competitions.

For more information please visit www.media-and-learning.eu

INTELI, partner of EICI, produced in the framework of the URBACT Creative Clusters’ project the report Creative-based Strategies in Small and Medium-sized Cities: Guidelines for Local Authorities.

This document integrates strategic guidelines for the definition and implementation of creative-based strategies in small and medium-sized cities.

This action plan was developed within the " Creative Clusters in Low Density Urban Areas" project supported by the URBACT II Programme of the European Commission.

Click here to download the report.

Meet European stakeholders involved in ICT research, technology transfer and innovation policy and share your experience and knowledge in order to jointly improve the transfer of Europe’s excellent ICT research results into marketable business opportunities!

“ICT Innovations: Research > Business > Society” is the final conference of the FITT project (Fostering Interregional Exchange in ICT Technology Transfer), co-funded by the European Union (INTERREG IVB NWE).

The FITT conference will take place on 10th May 2011 in Brussels at the Representation of the State of Baden-Württemberg to the EU (Rue Belliard 60-62)

Exchange with transfer experts, researchers and entrepreneurs, get to know the achievements of the FITT project and take part in two inspiring panels:

Panel 1: From Ideas to Products: The Business Model Challenge
•    How to create sustainable business models from ICT innovations?
•    What are the bottlenecks that stop innovative ideas from reaching the market?

Panel 2: How FITT is Europe for the Innovation Challenge?
•    What is needed to turn the Innovation Union into reality?
•    What can Structural Funds do to stimulate successful transfer?
•    What is missing for making Europe a more rewarding place for innovation and for unleashing the Digital Revolution?

Afterwards, a panel discussion with policy, research and business experts will take place, as well as an evening event including a dinner buffet and the opportunity to exchange and network in a relaxed atmosphere.

For further information please visit: www.fitt-for-innovation.eu/fitt_conference
The conference is free of charge but  registration is compulsory.

Click  here to download the flyer (.pdf)

Create10, the European Future Conference for Digital Trends in the Creative Industries, will be staged for the first time on November 10 and 11, 2010 in Stuttgart. The CReATE project accompanies the Create10 with the CReATE Forum. Inspiring talks, paneldiscussions and four exciting workshops in the fields of the five CReATE trends will take place.

The Malta Mobile Gaming Summit is for all digital media companies that wish to enhance their access to the booming European and Asian Mobile Gaming markets.

The Malta Mobile Gaming Summit is a major event that will bring together dozens of large established players in the sector and innovative small enterprises in three days that will combine training & coaching, international conference and business showcases & matchmaking.

Program:

1st day: companies traning & coaching

2nd day: international conference

3rd day: B2B showcase & matchmaking

Unlike other commercially based events, the Malta Mobile Gaming Summit is free of charge for all participants as it is an event co-financed by the CIP programme of the European Union.

Full Programme at: http://www.filasinternational.eu/immediate/malta.asp

Organizer: Filas, Rome - www.filasinternational.eu/immediate

The 13th TCI Annual Global Conference takes place from 29 November – 3 December in Delhi, India.

The conference program touches issues such as

• Creating links between India and rest of the world, exploring the potential and possibilities
• Examining the role of learning clusters – what is needed from the workforce, knowledge and education to act as engines of growth?
• Exploring the social impact of clusters in bringing prosperity for the posterity

A special business-matching arena will be organized during the conference, offering a networking point for delegates to meet with each other and Indian companies and organizations.

Please register until 19 November at www.tci-network.org/tci2010

More info:www.tci-network.org/tci2010

How do you draw up a coherent creativity policy and what are the success factors of such a policy? With this conference, which will take place in  Kortrijk, Belgium on 21st October 2010, the Interreg IVB North Sea project “Creative City Challenge” and the Eurotowns network bring together
experts, companies and cities and want to inspire and challenge cities and regions with creative ambitions.The conference falls within the scope of the “Innovation Festival”.
Click here to dowload the programme.
For additional Info and registration click here

MFG Baden-Württemberg presented “MFG Visual Experience Lab” at FMX 2010, the internationally renowned platform for computer animation, visual effects, games and digital media.

MFG uses this new laboratory to test and research current visualisation trends and technologies together with universities, businesses and talented newcomers from South-West Germany, providing them with an open experimental forum in which to study current trends and projects and test new applications jointly with MFG.
FMX visitors had the opportunity to learn how these technologies can be integrated into computer games and virtual training worlds.

The CReATE project consortium invite all the interested people to the  international conference  “CReATE: CONNECTING ICT RESEARCH AND CREATIVE ENTERPRISES”, that will take place in Turin, Italy, on 4th and 5th November 2009.

The conference, sponsored by Regione Piemonte, will be the meeting point for experts, coming from several countries and different background,  to discuss the state of the art of ICT innovation in creative industries and cluster development. It is meant to involve public, political, entrepreneurial stakeholders through targeted workshops and discussions, in order to network them, to identify new ICT development trajectories and ICT research priorities, to focus innovative business models.

The CReATE International conference is part of a week in Turin full of events and festivals, to explore digital creativity, such as View conference, Share Festival, Club to Club Festival in cooperation with Regione Piemonte.

For further information visit www.lets-create.eu/turin_conference.html

To download the complete programme, please, click here

Can culture make a significant contribution to modern economies and social change?

Does culture have an important part to play in local and regional development?

Together with the ERICarts Institute, the Center for Strategy and Evaluation Service is  conducting a study for the European Commission on the Contribution of Culture to Local and Regional Development as part of European Cohesion Policy and our aim is to involve as many people with practical experience in the field as possible.

Those involved in culture-based projects, officials responsible for developing or applying cultural or Structural Fund policies or people with a particular interest in how cultural activities impact on the economy and society may wish to participate in the study. 
To have more information please click here

The workshop aims to highlight factors conducive to creativity and innovation which are linked with culture and may be relevant to regional and local development policies.

The workshop will take place, within the Open Days 2009, on 7th October from 09:30 to 11:45 at Centre Borschette - Brussels.

For registration or for further information about the Open Days programme please click  here.

The European Year of Creativity and Innovation has started and MFG is on the front line with several projects (e.g. CReATE and EICI)  and initiatives (e.g World Creativity Forum, fmx ecc. ) to promote on  regional, national and european level actions closely related to the European Commission' s purposes.

Download the agenda with MFG’s strategies on Creativity and Innovation and follow up MFG during the European Year of Creativity.

The European Commission’s i2010 strategy is coming to a close this year. The EU consequently needs to adopt new guidelines for the period 2010-2015. The Commission has therefore launched a public consultation to identify priorities to be introduced in a new “digital agenda” for Europe. All citizens and organisations are welcome to contribute to this consultation.

Period of consultation: from 4 August until 9 October 2009.

More information: http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/eeurope/i2010/pc_post-i2010/index_en.htm
 

The "Gesellschaft für Kreativität" invite all of you to the ceremony for the assignment of CREO 2009 (price that every year the association assign to the most active and important person in Creative industries sector). This year the CREO 2009 will be awarded to Prof. Edward de bono, the leading authority of creativity thinking and father of LATERAL THINKING.

The ceremony will be embedded in a half-day seminar that will take place in Berlin on September 18th starting at 1.30 pm.

For further information on the event and association click here (german)

To download the invitation please click here

The "Creative Industries" conference, organized by Lodz Art Center, is going to be  a relevant appointment which promotes the activity of the European Year of Creativity and Innovation.
The scope of the conference is focused on the following subjects area:

• presentation of good practices, modern management of culture within inter-sector cooperation between public administration, non-governmental organizations and entrepreneurs (panellists from Poland and abroad)
• defining the concept of culture industries and building the image of the cultural sector as a significant field of economy,
• incubators, technology parks as a place of creating business processes and developing cultural activities, promoting towns and regions.

For further information about the programme please click here

The INNO-DEAL Final Conference will focus on the importance of providing colutions, possible ways to ensure a successful support of the innovatice and creative companoes, taking also into account constraints and troubles that are affecting the global economy.
An international group of high-level speakers and panellists will be attending, from governments, academia, and economic development agencies. Mr Reinhard Buescher from the Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry (DG ENTR) will represent the EC.
The INNO-DEAL project which is fundend under the EU Pro-INNO programme brings together 12 partners accross 12 EU countries and is focused on creating trans-regional agreeements to foster innovation financing and regional economic development.
For further information on the conferece please click here

On the occasion of the European Year of Creativity and Innovation, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is initiating a design competition to create, and later produce, an innovative and sustainable design product,  with a strong civil society message.
The EESC, in cooperation with the Belgian design organisation Designed in Brussels is now launching EESC Design Zero Nine in all 27 EU Member States. The winning design will be produced in a limited edition in 2010 in the EU as part of the EESC´s communication strategy.

Click here to download the Call for entries. (Deadline 15 August 2009)
For more information, please, write to: design-competitioneesc.europa.eu

The European Interest Group on Creativity and Innovation (EICI) and MFG Baden-Württemberg are hosting the Creativity World Cafe´on 21st of April 2009 @ Representation of Baden-Württemberg in Brussels.

This event aims to bring together high level decision makers from European institutions with CEOs and directors from regional and local development agencies, research institutions and creative companies. Join us to demystify the real links between creativity and innovation and to discuss how we can support creative industries making Europe´s economy more competitive!

For further information please send an email to EICI-infomfg.de

On 21st and 22nd of April 2009 the Committee of the Regions will organize a conference in the European Creativity Year of 2009l focused on two main themes:
One, it is intended to create a platform for the exchange of ideas and best practices among regions, cities and experts for promoting creativity and innovation and to exhibit examples in various sectors.
Two, the CoR and the European Commission will invite "100 young creative talents from all over Europe" to Brussels. Young entrepreneurs, artists, architects, designers, film directors or other creative talents will come together and share ideas and visions which should lead to creative collaborations across cultures and borders.

For further information click here

The IBBT, the Interdisciplinary institute for BroadBand Technology will organize on 12 May 2009 (@ ICC in Ghent) the iMinds Conference  offering an interactive program, alternating inspirational speeches from Samuel Widmann (Google), Amy Shuen (author of “Web 2.0: A Strategy Guide”), Alain De Taeye (TomTom) and several others with thematic tracks on research, incubation & entrepreneurship and ICT policy.
Even more so than in their brokerage events,  they want to bring together actors with very diverse backgrounds to discuss new ways of approaching ICT innovation in Europe.

For more information and registration, please visit http://events.ibbt.be/iminds 

IBBT is launching a competition to promote and reward user-driven innovation for public benefit: the INCA (Innovative and Creative Applications) Award. 
The scope is unlimited: widgets, web services, APIs, mash-ups, mobile or stand-alone apps. Full guidelines to the INCA competition will be published on March 23rd.
Check http://www.inca-award.be and submit your e-mail address for early bird info!

Contact INCA (for all questions and additional information):communicationibbt.be

The C4G, with the support of the European Parliament and the European Commission, organizes an European Conference on Creative Industries hosting experts and distinguished speakers on this topic.

The aim of the Conference, "Creative Industries - Driver of Growth, Employment & Innovation", is to build awareness of the growing importance of the Creative Economy and of the creative industries in economic and social development.

The conference will take place in Athens on 18th March 2009.

To know more please download the programme.

For further information about the mission and the activities of C4G click here.

The 2008 edition of Ravello Lab, an EC supported annual think tank that examines the links between culture, creative industries, economic development and innovation, took place from 9th to 11th of October. Each year the event prepares recommendations for national and European policy makers on the issues discussed. This year’s recommendations will be published before the end of year and will cover urban development and creativity. For more information and background papers of Ravello Lab as well as recommendations of 2007 visit www.ravellolab.org.

The project ”Creative Metropoles: Public Policies and Instruments in Support of Creative Industries” has been approved by INTERREG IVC Monitoring Committee. The project is among the 35 projects selected for financing out of 492 applications submitted. The city of Riga is the lead partner of the consortium. http://www.baltmet.org/pub/index.php?id=16&lid=43

The Creativity World Forum took place in Antwerp last week. Presentations and videos of keynote speeches can be accessed here: www.creativityworldforum.be

NESTA has published a new report on how users change the rules of innovation and I thought this might be of interest to you. See link below. They are also currently preparing a report on the role of supporting innovation in the current economic crisis. I will make sure to send this to you as soon as it is published.