WIRE2017

Project Information

WIRE2017

Grant agreement ID: 775984

DOI

10.3030/775984

Project closed

EC signature date 8 June 2017

Start date 1 March 2017

End date 28 February 2018

Funded under

• Strengthening the administrative and operational capacity of transnational networks of National Contact Points

Total cost

€ 247 537,50

EU contribution

€ 247 537,50

Coordinated by

TECHNICKA UNIVERZITA V KOSICIACH
Slovakia

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - WIRE2017 (WIRE2017)

Reporting period: 2017-03-01 to 2018-02-28

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The Week of Innovative Regions in Europe (WIRE) 2017: Socially responsible, creative and trusted regional innovation in digital era as the 8th European Commission’s annual event, was hosted by the Technical University of Košice (Slovakia) from 28th to 30th of June 2017.
The event was generously supported by the Directorate-General Research & Innovation and by Spreading Excellence and Widening Participation Programme. Actual topic of the event was the socially responsible, creative and trusted regional innovations in digital era.

The 2017 WIRE platform objective purpose was to enable its participants, relevant policy makers, national and regional authorities, knowledge institutions, and enterprises from all over Europe to have an in-depth dialogue on the importance of societal impact of digital innovations, role of creativity in innovation potential, as well as widening and participation calls and the EU funding programme beyond 2020 suggestions and so to stimulate socially responsible research and innovation of digitalization for regional development and understand its societal impact using synergies between different EU policies to support economic, social and territorial cohesion.

During the three conference days the speakers with their interesting speeches rose debate and opened questioning issues. WIRE 2017 has hosted several highly valued speakers and round table members from various organisations like Markku Markkula, Vazil Hudák, Andrés Barreneche, Magda De Carli, Stanislav Kmeť, Ján Turňa and many others. The main conference days were accompanied by many side events like field visits, workshops, open space presentations, visual and audio creative installations at the conference venue.
During the whole event several digital tools were used to foster the communication, networking and feedback management. A networking wearable device with an interconnected web application that dynamically recorded the participants’ opinions and so provided a visual support to connect various experts and stakeholders with similar interests during the event is just one of the examples.
According to interviewed speakers and participants the conference had outstanding feedback from all the participants. That is obviously a good start for the following event of WIRE 2018 that will be held in Austria Innsbruck.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The event was organised in several consecutive and parallel steps:

Rising awareness and participants´ addressing
For addressing potential conference participants several dissemination channels were used. Advertisement through mailing lists, FB advertisement, twitter adverts, web page, press releases, organisations trusted networks and others.

A project web page was designed to inform, present, attract, register, and promote al the relevant content of the project.
Invitations of creative art installations and for the open space event
Several artists were addressed to welcome their creative installations at the WIRE 2017 event. An open call for open space presentations was also made public through various communications channels, to attract young scientists, entrepreneurs and to present their creative ideas and start-ups.
Venue of the conference
The venue was selected and managed by the organisator in cooperation with Kasarne Kulturpark and Double tree hotel Hilton. The venue was selected to host the conference due to capacity requirements and due to creative art installations. The venue spaces had to meet the requirements to host a press conference and to provide also space for so called „creative space“ installations, and to provide space for parallel workshops related to conference topics.
Conference programme
The agenda was developed in cooperation with EU Steering Committee, all the invited speakers, participants, venue capacities and other relevant factors. Several side events like fields visits were planned and also a social networking reception with cultural program was planned.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Progress beyond the state of the art:
The topic of the conference addressed perspective theme of socially responsible regional research and innovation in digital era with special emphasize on societal impact. As one of the inequalities as social impact is regional disparities, widening participation was one of the top issue. One of the uniqueness of the event was informal creative networking device never applied before.
The main emphasis was being put on the process how to tackle pressing societal challenges in a dynamically changing social and economic environment through digital innovation, and on the impact on people fulfilling Europe 2020 targets. The themes concentrated on
- Strengthening the socially responsible research and innovation in digitalisation and new skills (jobs and growth) and enhancing its societal impact
- Enhancing an efficient public administration through public sector digital innovation
- The lessons learned from the SEWP Interim Evaluation and gaining better understanding of the Widening context for spreading excellent science and increasing the potential of its participation through existing cases
- Discussing a post 2020 agenda
- Supporting the utilization of creativity, science and art for achieving a trusted and successful up-take of breakthrough innovation

Impact/results:
Audience
Approximately 8 000+ potential participants addressed through direct e-mailing, 6 000+ through the cooperating websites and press releases, 12 000+ subject addressed through Facebook paid advertisement and approximately 300 through direct involvement and trusted networks.
The press release and online promotion information was based on the dissemination and social media plan utilizing the power of EU networks and institutions advised by steering committee members. The specific part was the communication with journalists to ensure promoting WIRE2017 within independent media where 4 journalists were attending the press conference.
Altogether before the event 39 press releases/publications were published using various media. After the event more than 10 press releases and publications summarizing the event and presenting the follow up or related activities were published.

The number of event participants met the expected measurable requirements. The venue generous spaces have hosted more than 250 participants of the event and accompanying activities with more than 221 at the main events in the four sessions. Altogether members of 27 countries took part at the event. We were happy to welcome also countries like Ukraine to present future direction of this country to EU R&I space.
Four journalists and nine newsarticles were produced together with radio casted news.
12 out of 32 speakers&51% participants were females, more than 30 % (approx. 36%) of the speakers and open space presenters were under 40y considering presenters as group of speakers and presenters from open space.
In general, the main socioeconomic impact is based on rising awareness between WIRE2017 participants in the area of new approaches to socially responsible research and innovation in digital era, examples of social innovations, funding opportunities for research and innovation in next programming period by EC and EIB, networking between participants and new project consortia and submission in the field of socially responsible digital innovation and widening participation calls and best practices from different EU regions.

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