Press
Release Think Tank,
Paris, 8th
December 2009
The
European Digital Think Tank strengthens its commitment to innovative, flexible
and sustainable trans-national collaboration in the Creative Industries
Meeting on the occasion of the annual Paris Regional
Innovation Tour, the European Digital Think Tank of leading Digital Creative
Industry clusters strengthened its international membership whilst further
defining its vision and strategy for the most effective trans-national cluster
collaboration.
At the
meeting, representatives of the South East Media Network, UK and the Amsterdam
Innovation Motor joined the group of existing members from major European
clusters, including Cap Digital Paris, IIP CREATE of the Netherlands, the DIGIBUSINESS Finland Cluster Program coordinated by
Culminatum Innovation, Barcelona Media, and Vega Park, Venice. This
group of clusters, with thousands of SME, research and corporate industry
members across Europe, forms one of the strongest strategic representative
bodies of the international Digital Creative Industries.
The group took the opportunity of the Paris meeting
to reaffirm its founding strategic principle of maintaining collaborative
freedom, creativity, flexibility and continuity in responding to the needs of
its members on a national and European level. Alongside close involvement of its members with EC Creative
Industry organizations and funded projects, the Think Tank emphasizes its role
as a long-term, independent
industry platform, which can integrate the results of individual
European collaborative projects to produce sustainable and structural
trans-national value.
The foundation of the Think Tank in
June 2007 in Helsinki was driven by one common strategy: to unite and leverage
the expertise, experience and innovative potential of the national clusters to
create an alliance which is capable of overcoming a fragmented European market,
and enabling national and international leadership. Such an
approach, without initial EC funding support, demanded a common purpose and
strategy, perceived collaborative benefits, and resource commitment. Moving forward on these values, the Think Tank has since
been successful in creating a common platform of excellence for supporting the
members’ own community and European initiatives, lobbying and advising the EC
and finding funded collaborative project opportunities for its SMEs and cluster
members.
“We are fortunate to have such leading, committed,
and complementary European clusters in the Think Tank”, said Patrick Cocquet,
Managing Director of Cap Digital and host of the Paris Meeting. “They represent
a sustainable base for effective collaborative project development and European
industry growth, in addition to providing an invaluable source of Digital
Creative Industry experience and expertise”. Such sentiments are shared by Geleyn Meijer, Managing
Director of IIP CREATE, the Dutch Digital Creative Industry cluster: “The
shared vision, values and goals of strong Think Tank clusters mean clear
benefits for all our members, both on a national and European scale.” Not
least, Irina Blomqvist, leading the Finnish Cluster, emphasized the importance
of the “human” factor in such a long-term European coo-operation: ”Good
collaboration across nations and cultures demands trust, openness and tolerance
from its members. We believe that the Think Tank has been exemplary in uniting
these factors for success”.
Further information regarding the Digital European
Think Tank, its strategy, aims, activities and members can be obtained from the
contact members in the respective European clusters:
Cap Digital Paris: patrick.cocquet@capdigital.com
IIP CREATE, NL andrew@waag.com
Culminatim, Helsinki Irina.Blomqvist@culminatum.fi
Barcelona Media marta.ysern@barcelonamedia.org
SEMN, UK gina.fegan@semn.org.uk
AIM, Amsterdam Mike@aimsterdam.nl