Presentation at the conference isei12

European Collaborative Innovation Centre, a project to promote broadband-based innovation

and entrepreneurship.

 Jan Frick, Professor

University of Stavanger, Norway

8 Regions in 2007

Background“Digital communications networks are seen as the bedrock of the modern world.

Wireless technologies, broadband Internet connectivity and satellite systems have transformed such regions as Europe, Northern America and Asia in the best-connected regions of the world.

The world we live in is often referred to as a “digital world”, which is characterized by, for example, convergence between computer technologies and communication technologies, constant increase of speed and capacity of these technologies and decline in their cost, increased ease of interfacing between different parts of the Internet, and growth of broadband and mobile communications.” Nordmark, K. (2012).

The partners concluded that there were very little innovation and entrepreneurship in these regions even if the broadband availability and capacity around the North Sea was high even in 2007. See Figure 1 showing 3 graphs from Norwegian national statistics. 

Figure 1: Graphs on Internet and Broadband usage development in Norway.

StartupAll 8 centres started out with establishment of an E-Clic office.

A physical location was regarded as important to have an identity and become a partner versus new companies, students with an idea, or in innovation processes in established organizations.It was emphasised based on experience from earlier projects, and most regions thus had partners from all three sides of the triple Helix model: Academia, private companies, and public authorities.

But the variations between partner centres were significant. In Kortrijk, Belgium, Groningen, Netherlands, Hannover and Wilhelmshaven, Germany, Borås and Karlstad, Sweden, the centres were located at a University.In Norwich, UK, the centre was located at a television production facility, and in Stavanger, Norway, the centre was located at an industrial park that is a common home for new or small companies.

In Karlstad and Norwich, the main partners were the regional public authorities, and Universities dominated at the remaining locations.

All centres had an agenda to involve local companies and students that could continue work started in the centres and possible establish new companies. A major part of that was to involve local companies and students in transnational activities and workshops as much as possible.

The E-clic project had its lead partner and common secretaries at Regional Authorities, Karlstad, Sweden. But all other regions had a regional manager, and work package leaders were from most countries.

The idea or methodFrom the early application it was the intention that these centres should perform many tasks.

One was to have room for university students that had an idea or simply wanted to become part of a start-up or development environment. To mix students from different countries at workshops was also part of the ideas of development of products and market.

Another was to try to develop and create business with new or small existing companies.

A main task for the centres was to develop methods, cases, etc. in both products and services.

The last of the more specific tasks was that three of the regions wanted to develop this as a “living lab” environment where one included customers and users into the development process.

But the overall idea was that available infrastructure together with international partners in a triple helix setting would create new products and new services, and that some of these might develop into new companies.

The approach was very different as Compare that was a formal partner in Sweden, is an umbrella company for 100 ICT companies in the region.

Another way of including the triple Helix was Howest who merged students and companies by the yearly Multimania conference but without including the companies as formal E-Clic partners.

The e-clic model

All centres complement each other in knowledge, equipment, and local infrastructure such a collaborating companies.

The core of the model is the meeting place, which is important to encourage transfer of knowledge

The process

As all these projects experience, the world change as the project runs. Some partners (smaller ones) drop out or reduce activity and others find extra funding to complement and thus increase the activities.

In Norwich, the county became invisible and their EPIC centre did not get the intended volume. In Stavanger, RKK and later Ipark dropped out, and activity was relocated to the NettOp centre at the University. At several of the regions we also had a change of persons as many from the startup in 2008 have been replaced in 2011. An this rotation of people is both a dissemination of experiences and a problem as new persons need some time to establish collaborations across regions.

In addition to change of people and the learning during the project, the involved technology changes also. A good example is the iTunes University that was un-known as a possibility at project start but was utilised when it became available.

During the project all partners focussed on including students in the process and also to provide occasions where students from different countries could meet other students. This was the case at yearly Multimania conferences at Howest, at CeBIT in Hannover, at entrepreneurship week in Stavanger, and at conferences in Karlstad. The idea was to enable students to create new products and services and perhaps companies by providing them with a broader and better infrastructure for such around the North Sea.

EDUCATION OF NURSES: 100% of 3 year Nursing bachelor available as e-

learning

CONFERENCES

ResultsThe final e-Clic conference was in Karlstad in Sweden in December 2011 presented results from all partners.

In average 20 cases or prototypes were listed at each centre, most as transnational collaborations The conference including a competition for students from most regions where they in groups during 24 hours developed structure and screens for a multimedia app for a large shopping mall nearby.And the student made E-clic movie

Did E-Clic then promote innovations and entrepreneurship? Several development networks have been established, innovations are made and documented at all partners and partly made as cross-country collaborations, etc. But no new companies have been established within 2011 even if several of students involved have been discussing the possibility.

The future of the E-Clic network goes on in several versions. Most of the partners are involved (partly together) in new international projects building on the E-Clic experiences.