Berlin: Creative Metropole and Center of Communication Technologies

Berlin makes an important contribution to the discussion and on-going work in several  European projects: OPEN CITIES, CREATIVE METROPOLES and REDICT, interregional networks funded by the European Commission.

Open Cities

The Project "Open Cities: Open Innovation Mechanisms in Smart Cities" has started in November 2010. The Project aims to validate how to approach Open & User Driven Innovation methodologies to the Public Sector in a scenario of Future Internet services for Smart Cities in five innovative and representative European cities: Helsinki, Berlin, Amsterdam, Paris and Barcelona. Cities will learn how to integrate Open Innovation methodologies in their fabric and users will benefit from pilots on Future Internet services as a result of the project.

In Berlin, it is planned to improve access to public data sets, to build up a crowd sourcing platform and to realise apps and ideas contests. Thus, the transparency of the Berlin administration is to be increased, cooperation between stakeholders from industrie and civil society is strengthened and the development of IT-based innovations in European cities is promoted. more

Creative Metropoles

Public Policies and Instruments in Support of Creative Industries (INTERREG IVC) links together 11 large European cities. The core metropoles are the capitals of the Baltic nations, cities that for years have worked in close collaboration on various projects. This network is being expanded to include the cities of Amsterdam, Barcelona and Birmingham. The collective goal is the establishment of a well-functioning, focussed, flexible and efficient public support system for the creative industries in the participating cities in order to stimulate the growth and development of the creative sector. more

REDICT

Regional economic development by ICT/New media clusters (FP7, Regions of Knowledge) brings together 18 partners from politics, research bodies, networks and enterprises in the six regions of Amsterdam, Berlin, Copenhagen, Dublin, Paris and Bucharest. The aim of the project is to improve the knowledge transfer and research & development activities in the field of new media in order to strengthen the innovation capacity and future competitiveness of the partnering cities. Only since the fall of the Berlin Wall just 20 years ago can Berlin again assume the role that large cities typically play in international collaborations. The networking of Berlin with other urban and cross-regional commercial centres and the evolution of a decidedly international orientation require time. Both projects show that Berlin has since become an accepted partner in international and cross-regional cooperation. more


European Digital Think Tank

Berlin is member of the European Digital Think Tank, a European platform that aims to support the growth of innovative CCI SMEs and to maintain collaborative freedom, creativity, flexibility and continuity in responding to the needs of its members on a national and European level.

The network commits to innovative, flexible and sustainable trans-national collaboration in the Creative Industries, which can integrate the results of individual European collaborative projects to produce sustainable and structural transnational value. more

ALL THOSE EUROPEAN NETWORK PROJECTS ADDRESS BERLIN’s STRENGTHS: THE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES. THE COLLABORATIVE PROJECTS DEVELOPED IN BERLIN BY REGIONAL INSTITUTIONS AND COMPANIES HELP TO DEVELOP NEW SOLUTIONS TO ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL CHALLANGES.