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 Region: [e-mail]
IIP CREATE, NL: [e-mail]
Culminatim, Helsinki: [e-mail]
Barcelona Media: [e-mail]
SEMN, UK: [e-mail]
AIM, Amsterdam: [e-mail] contact: Olivia Daste – [e-mail] – [phone]

Countries

France