Periodic Reporting for period 2 - ScreenME-Net (Twinning for Sustainable and Visible Excellence in Screen Media Entrepreneurship Scholarship)
Période du rapport: 2022-04-01 au 2023-12-31
ScreenME stands for screen media entrepreneurship. Screen media entrepreneurship refers to entrepreneurial activities that revolve around making innovations in products and services that are offered on screens and their connected business models. This includes entrepreneurial activities relating to TV, cinema, mobile apps, and generally, the Internet. What all of these screens have in common is that they enable communications via audio and visual content. For our ScreenME initiative, however, we decided not to use the term “audiovisual media entrepreneurship” because the usual associations with that term “audiovisual media” are too restricted to TV and film. In contrast, the term “screen media” is wider, and it puts the focus on innovations for products and services for all kinds of screens. In fact, increasingly, companies that we don’t traditionally think of as media companies are also producing and offering content and services that are made available on screens. In fact, the expertise needed to produce and distribute media content, which was formerly held only by media companies, is now an important element of how today’s companies operate across industries. Audiovisual content is produced, widely shared and offered by all sorts of companies, not just media companies. The drivers of the widespread influence and relevance of screen media are the Internet and mobile applications.
ScreenMe is an acronym that we invented to refer to our activities to boost research, teaching and stakeholder collaboration with regard to screen media entrepreneurship at Tallinn University. Our partners in this project are Aarhus University, LUT University, Jönköping International Business School, Technische Universität Ilmenau, Munster Technology Institute, and Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Each of these partners is an international leader in entrepreneurship research, teaching, or collaborating with industry and policymakers.
The specific objectives of the ScreenMe-Net project are as follows:
To co-establish joint research hub ScreenME-Hub within MEDIT at TLU that conducts locally, nationally and internationally relevant and interdisciplinary research on screen media entrepreneurship.
To advance the original research output and intellectual climate at MEDIT with regard to screen media entrepreneurship in cooperation with the project’s partners.
To advance interdisciplinary in researching screen media entrepreneurship within TLU and in cooperation with the project’s partners.
To advance the co-production of knowledge and the sharing of knowledge between screen media entrepreneurship scholars and the media industry as well as policymakers.
To increase excellence in teaching screen media entrepreneurship at TLU and in cooperation with the project’s partners.
To improve the networking position and visibility for TLU and MEDIT in terms of scholarship on screen media entrepreneurship.
To ensure the sustainability of TLU’s research and network capabilities in the field of screen media entrepreneurship, with a special focus on supporting early career researchers and developing and maintaining research management and administration skills.
ScreenMe is an acronym that we invented to refer to our activities to boost research, teaching and stakeholder collaboration with regard to screen media entrepreneurship at Tallinn University. Our partners in this project are Aarhus University, LUT University, Jönköping International Business School, Technische Universität Ilmenau, Munster Technology Institute, and Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Each of these partners is an international leader in entrepreneurship research, teaching, or collaborating with industry and policymakers.
The specific objectives of the ScreenMe-Net project are as follows:
To co-establish joint research hub ScreenME-Hub within MEDIT at TLU that conducts locally, nationally and internationally relevant and interdisciplinary research on screen media entrepreneurship.
To advance the original research output and intellectual climate at MEDIT with regard to screen media entrepreneurship in cooperation with the project’s partners.
To advance interdisciplinary in researching screen media entrepreneurship within TLU and in cooperation with the project’s partners.
To advance the co-production of knowledge and the sharing of knowledge between screen media entrepreneurship scholars and the media industry as well as policymakers.
To increase excellence in teaching screen media entrepreneurship at TLU and in cooperation with the project’s partners.
To improve the networking position and visibility for TLU and MEDIT in terms of scholarship on screen media entrepreneurship.
To ensure the sustainability of TLU’s research and network capabilities in the field of screen media entrepreneurship, with a special focus on supporting early career researchers and developing and maintaining research management and administration skills.
The statute and formal proposal for the establishment of ScreenMe-Hub were drafted, complemented by a formal proposal and explanatory paper according to TLU rules. These efforts aimed to create the formal foundations for establishing the Hub. Additionally, a policy brief on best practices of R&D networking was created to serve as a reliable guideline for future activities within the Hub. The MA course Screen Media Entrepreneurship, collaboratively developed by partners of the ScreenME consortium, will continue to be integrated into three distinct MA study programs offered at BFM.
Considerable attention was devoted to the development of early-stage researchers during the project, with a large number of events organized, including the production of two training videos addressing common questions from publication to grant writing.
The consortium demonstrated success in securing new funding, notably through the Horizon Europe project Crescine and the Chance project PSM AP, both written during the first reporting period of the ScreenME-NET.
Guidance on project writing and management, developed during the ScreenMe-Net project timeline, will continue to be available to TLU staff and ScreenMe partners, aiming to improve their grant application writing and project management skills.
To enhance collaboration within the consortium, a project mailing list and online repositories were established, alongside the development of a communication and dissemination plan. The project website was created to promote ScreenMe-Net activities and consortium members, significantly boosting their visibility in both national and international academic contexts. Additionally, social media profiles on platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and X were set up. Furthermore, a ScreenME Podcast featuring Estonian and international guests involved in entrepreneurship teaching or startup entrepreneurship in the screen media industries was launched.
In September 2023, TLU organized a large conference with over 200 participants, increasing TLU's and the ScreenME project’s visibility. The conference served as a nexus between academia, industry, and policymakers, featuring an impressive line-up of keynotes and plenaries offering profound insights into the screen media landscape.
Considerable attention was devoted to the development of early-stage researchers during the project, with a large number of events organized, including the production of two training videos addressing common questions from publication to grant writing.
The consortium demonstrated success in securing new funding, notably through the Horizon Europe project Crescine and the Chance project PSM AP, both written during the first reporting period of the ScreenME-NET.
Guidance on project writing and management, developed during the ScreenMe-Net project timeline, will continue to be available to TLU staff and ScreenMe partners, aiming to improve their grant application writing and project management skills.
To enhance collaboration within the consortium, a project mailing list and online repositories were established, alongside the development of a communication and dissemination plan. The project website was created to promote ScreenMe-Net activities and consortium members, significantly boosting their visibility in both national and international academic contexts. Additionally, social media profiles on platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and X were set up. Furthermore, a ScreenME Podcast featuring Estonian and international guests involved in entrepreneurship teaching or startup entrepreneurship in the screen media industries was launched.
In September 2023, TLU organized a large conference with over 200 participants, increasing TLU's and the ScreenME project’s visibility. The conference served as a nexus between academia, industry, and policymakers, featuring an impressive line-up of keynotes and plenaries offering profound insights into the screen media landscape.
The expected impact of the project can be outlined in three key principles. The aim is to 1) enhance excellence in scholarship, 2) increase networking position and visibility for TLU in terms of scholarship on screen media entrepreneurship, and 3) to ensure sustainability of the impact, mainly through the institutionalisation of a screen media entrepreneurship research hub.
The impact of ScreenMe will be focused on the university, national and macro-regional level as well as on the overall European Research Area.
While the main impact of the project is expected to be on the coordination institution TLU, the other project’s partners are also expected to benefit from the ScreenME-Net. For one, the interdisciplinary approach in this network will also benefit their own research. Not only does the network serve as a point of access to one of the world’s most vibrant entrepreneurial and startup scenes, it also contributes to their understanding of market and industry dynamics in media industries outside their usual focus on western European countries by providing insights into current dynamics from a post-soviet transformation context. For many of the partners, the dialogue with Estonia will also contribute to new understandings as to how market size influences entrepreneurial options and conduct. What is more, TLU as a partner is unique in the network as it offers knowhow and equipment in/for developing innovative solutions and audiovisual applications for the creative industry. Furthermore, it has a unique and relevant research expertise in media innovation and cultural policy studies. MEDIT members can share their experience from practical development of relevant Estonian and EU media and cultural policy making. Mutual enrichment is also enabled by co-supervision, joint publications and project applications.
The impact of ScreenMe will be focused on the university, national and macro-regional level as well as on the overall European Research Area.
While the main impact of the project is expected to be on the coordination institution TLU, the other project’s partners are also expected to benefit from the ScreenME-Net. For one, the interdisciplinary approach in this network will also benefit their own research. Not only does the network serve as a point of access to one of the world’s most vibrant entrepreneurial and startup scenes, it also contributes to their understanding of market and industry dynamics in media industries outside their usual focus on western European countries by providing insights into current dynamics from a post-soviet transformation context. For many of the partners, the dialogue with Estonia will also contribute to new understandings as to how market size influences entrepreneurial options and conduct. What is more, TLU as a partner is unique in the network as it offers knowhow and equipment in/for developing innovative solutions and audiovisual applications for the creative industry. Furthermore, it has a unique and relevant research expertise in media innovation and cultural policy studies. MEDIT members can share their experience from practical development of relevant Estonian and EU media and cultural policy making. Mutual enrichment is also enabled by co-supervision, joint publications and project applications.