The network built by and for creative people.

www.creativering.eu

Welcome ………………………………………………………………….. 1

Introduction ……………………………………………………………. 2

Structure …………………………………………………………………… 3

Hubs …………………………………………………………………………... 4

Tools ………………………………………………………………………….. 5

Partners …………………………………………………………………….. 6

Projects …………………………………………………………………….. 7

Why be a member …………………………………………………. 8

What we ask ……………………………………………………………. 9

Contacts ……………………………………………………………………. 10

welcome

1

A new generation of entrepreneurs and creative

individuals is emerging in our cities. They are creating new

jobs and opportunities in difficult times, not just by creating

and improving products and services on their own but also

by enriching and revitalizing existing economic activities.

This informal innovative community is increasingly being

discovered by scientific and cultural institutions such as

universities, cultural centers, academia and also by

corporations and local governments. They understand the

importance to build bridges between those different worlds

and communities as cross-fertilization will lead to

disruptive innovation.

However, in many cases these urban creative communities

are isolated from their counterparts in other cities, and do

not have access to Future Internet technologies and

solutions, which could be highly instrumental in both

the creation and the exchange of innovative content and

applications. As a consequence, the immense potential of

the European Creative Industries, in size as well as in

diversity, is currently not fulfilled.

In order to address this, the Creative Ring, initially

developed an EU- funded project called SPECIFI, is a new

experimental community and platform for sharing creative

and innovative content and activities all over Europe, using

advanced Internet technologies and networks. It is based on

an open collaboration between local artists and creative

industries, with universities, authorities and ICT companies

in each city and region. This way, the Creative Ring intends

to bring together solutions for infrastructure, useful and

proven FI systems and applications; the Creative

Industries can experiment or deploy these systems and the

resulting innovative content, scaling up their talent and

ideas.

Alain Heureux

introduction

2

Culture is one of Europe’s greatest assets.

Economists and politicians have long overlooked the

importance and potential of the cultural and creative

industries, which have an immense value. They include

design, advertising, film and video, music, performing arts,

printing, publishing and broadcasting companies. Creative

Industries lie at the crossroads between the arts, business

and technology, making them a source of competitive

advantage. Indeed, the creative and cultural industries

account for 4.2% of the GDP of the Union, representing 7

million jobs and employing, on average, more young people

than any other sector (cfr E&Y Study : Measuring cultural

and creative markets in the EU).

Creativity is a powerful source of jobs and growth, a free

and renewable origin of energy, a resource which is

abundantly present in the countries of EU Member States. In

this spirit the Union has established a guarantee scheme to

enable the cultural and creative sectors to develop.

The Creative Ring initiative, initially developed by an EU-

funded project called SPECIFI, is a new experimental

community offering a physical and virtual networking place

for artists, creative talents and stakeholders working in the

creative industries. It aims to protect and develop the

potential of the European creative industries by maintaining

a virtuous cycle of creative talent and providing a

collaborative environment to exchange ideas, projects,

technical components and set up unprecedented

performances and collaborations. The Creative Ring’s

structure works on the three weaknesses of the creative

sector: fragmentation, a lack of technological tools or

platforms and a lack of sustainable business models.

“

The Creative Ring willovercome

fragmentation totruly valorize

Europeancreative talent.

Simon Delaere

– iMinds, coordinator of SPECIFI project

structure

3

The project is building a long lasting sense of community by

connecting several creative hubs across the European

Union in a network build on four main pillars: hubs, tools,

partners and projects.

Hubs are the concrete and physical space of the network.

They are represented by inspiring buildings in European

cities which are hosting and gathering people active in the

cultural and creative industry. A Hub represents a cluster of

Creative Industries. Moreover e Every Hub represents a

community of creative industries

Partners are organization, institution and/or companies

sharing research objectives and working to promote

innovation, private-public collaboration and

experimentation for the Creative Industries. They supports

the project by promoting innovation in the Creative

Industries through the use of ICT, their research and

innovation activities in this domain.

Tools are the instruments which technically support the

innovation process within the creative network. The

Creative Ring supports its community with a direct access to

technology, by providing apps and software which can

improve the impact of its projects and scale-up their ideas.

Finally, projects are the ultimate and concrete goal of the

creative hubs network. They are the result of the

collaboration between hubs, first-rate creative activities

developed thanks to an intense artistic and technological

interaction.

hubs

4

The Creative Ring hubs are the creative nucleus of the

network. Each hub represents a European city and its

creative community. It is the heart of the creative process

of the network, both in a physical and intangible way.

An hub should provide, at least, one building, a place

where the local creative community can converge to

experiment and develop their initiatives and to collaborate

in cross-regional projects with other members of the

network. It is also the place where young talent can meet-

up with institution and corporate.

A local hub is more than an aggregation point; it is a

lodestar for the creative sector in its own region. This

impleies that the hub maintains a thriving local creative

community and that it has the necessary institutional

support, The political support is crucial to embrace the

full potential of the Creative Ring.

It is also connected with one or more partners, such as

knowledge institutions and industry, providing the local

technology, know-how and empowering the innovation

process.

creative

community

political

support partners

building(s)

tools

5

The Creative Ring makes available new technologies to

artists and creative industries in many different ways. The

technology is offered to the Creative Industries as a set of

ICT applications and tools. Tools are state-of the

art pieces of information and Communication Technologies

enabling the Creative Industries and individuals that are

members of Creative Ring Hubs, as well as Partner

organizations, to collaborate on innovative creative

projects.

For example one of the tool today included in the Creative

Ring’s toolbox is Playground.

PlayGround app is designed to

combine smart devices, advanced

networks and IoT to create

interactive city journeys based on

artistic and other encounters.

The toolbox is the most dynamic part of the project,

evolving to ensure to the hubs the best tools to support

them in the innovative process. Tools also allow creative

industries to collaborate in real time, facilitating the co-

creation process within the network. Moreover Creative

Ring, through the toolbox, helps and promotes tools

ensuring scale up and interoperability of EU technology.

partners

6

Partners are organisations that in themselves do not

represent a Hub nor a creative industries community. They

are organization, institutions and/or companies sharing the

objectives of the Creative Ring and working with Creative

Industries to promote innovation, launch collaboration,

organize event.

This includes regional and local governments, research and

innovation organization and key tools and technology

providers.

Privileged partners are organisations that already

belong to a network with which the Creative Ring has

concluded a Partner Network Agreement. These

organisations may join the Creative Ring as partners at a

reduced fee.

Today, one of the Creative Ring partners is

iMinds, the Flanders ‘digital research

centre and business incubator, established

by the Flemish government in 2004.

It works to introduce digital innovation in five key markets:

ICT, media, health, smart city and manufacturing.

projects

7

The final aim of the Creative Ring project is to foster

the creativity of each city or region and to articulate this

energy between different hubs. Each project is a collective

intelligence laboratory where two or more creative

communities, rebrought together to collaborate on an

innovative concept, product, service or performance.

Every project should speed up cooperation,

experimentation and innovation, by developing connective

and collective intelligence thanks to a meaningful

interaction between hubs and tools.

These projects may be thematic (e.g. ICT for Tourism),

technology (e.g. a specific app to be tested) or event driven

e.g. a multi-site hackathon or arts festival). They may have a

defined lifetime or be open-ended.

why become a member

8

You are a member of an international network that

can help you in exporting your innovative service

and product outside your local market;

You can exchange best practices and be challenged

by others;

You can co-create new or improved products,

services or cultural artefacts, by selecting the right

set of partners among fellow Creative Industries,

research and innovation institutions, local and

regional governments;

We provide you with tools and ICT platforms that can

help you on your local activities and on collaborating

with other Creative Ring’s Hubs;

You influence policies on a European level to best

foster innovation and co-creation in the Creative

Industries.

what do we expect from you

2

Sign the letter of Intent and get the other layers of

your Hub activated and committed;

Participate actively in the growing network activities;

Communicate and share any activity of your local

creative industries promoting cross-border

experiences;

Identify tool providers and get them engaged;

Discuss strategies and share best practices.

contacts

3

info@creativering.eu

www.creativering.eu

join the network!