Idea and Objective

The initial idea of this innovation project was to contribute to the European Research Area via a holistic approach and new methods by inspiring European society through the provision of new tools in order to develop European innovation.
The objectives of the project have been to examine and identify the driving factors behind innovation, to involve a wide range of stakeholders and to leverage good practice as well as new measures into national and regional innovation policies.
The activities have included the identification of key innovators in society from school children to advanced research laboratories and from experimenting individuals to front runners among innovative enterprises. All levels of innovators have been brought together and public-private innovation partnerships have been promoted.
The aim was to facilitate the exploration of experiences and attitudes towards creativity, to promote new constellations of collaboration and to enhance inventiveness within and across scientific fields, education, public sectors, business sectors and virtual communities.

Innovation Circus final public partner meeting

Innovation Circus final public partner meeting was held 10-11 April 2008.

The meeting was the culmination of 2 years of work in 4 regions in Europe. Throughout the project the research has been focusing on the following themes:

• Youth and Innovation
• Innovation and Urban Development
• Innovation in Science, Technology and Economy
• Emerging Cultures and Creative Industries
• Communication and Visibility

Below please find the presentations from the meeting. They all sum up on the research done in each region in a one of the above fields.

• Methodology for research:
  Rikke Ulk
  Director, Antropologerne.com
  “289 Views on innovation”
  289 Views on innovation 10.04.2008
• Innovation and Urban Development
  H. Schmitz
  CEO, Wista Management
  “Innovation Habitat… Preparing a major change project”
  conf pres schmitz 100408
• Youth and Innovation
  Per Boelskifte
  Professor, Technical University of Denmark
  “Educating Children and Young People for an Innovative Society”
  conf pres boelskifte 100408
• Innovation in Science, Technology and Economy
  Lucienne Blessing
  Vice President, Université du Luxembourg
  “The Possible, The Profitable, The Desirable, The Sensible - A Discussion about Cooperation between Industry and Universities”
  Panel april 08
  Søren Stauning
  Vice Consul, Innovation Center Denmark, Munich“Bridging Initiatives - Innovation as a connector between science and business”
  conf pres stauning
• Emerging Cultures and Creative Industries
  Friedrich Meschede, Dr., DAAD Berlin
  “The Economy of Culture in Europe”
  emerging culture final
• Evaluation of the project
  Agnieszka Spro?ska, Research Fellow, PIAP
  "Introduction to Evaluation of the INNOVATION CIRCUS project"
  IC-PIAP
• Conclusions
  Annette Borchsenius
  Head of Division, Danish Agency for Science, Technology and Innovation – EuroCenter
  "Perspectives of Innovation"
  Perspectives of Innovation

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The project was finalized 20 June 2008. The following publications were delivered

Inspiration for Innovation
289 Views on Innovation

Further, an additional publication was prepared going into the details with the activities in Berlin: Innovation Habitat - Berlin Charlottenburg

Innovation Circus 2008 in Milan

The second Innovation Circus was held from 4 to 12 October in Milan's city centre. It was a success for the organisers and public authorities involved, both in terms of participants (with over 30 000 certified visitors) and the quality of the activities over the nine-day programme.

The event was supported and promoted by the Lombardy Region, the Chamber of Commerce, the City and the Province of Milan, and organised by Alintec (which is the result of Politecnico Innovazione and Assotec merging, with activities in the field of Innovation and Technology Transfer) in cooperation with the main universities in Milan, Fondazione Politecnico di Milano, Assolombarda and the Agricultural Research Council (CRA). Many industries (among them 3M, Dassault, ST, Kodak, and Oregon Scientific) with a strong focus on innovation had a part in sponsoring the Innovation Circus or expressed their interest in doing so in the future.

Building upon the 'innovation week' format piloted in 2007 by the Innovation Circus project, an INNO-Action, the idea behind the Innovation Circus is to set up a framework to reach and capture the widest possible audience, from schoolchildren to pensioners and from laymen to highly skilled professionals, to convey the idea that innovation is a main driver of progress for society and individuals, and that being innovative means enjoying life.

To this end, the Innovation Circus addressed different segments of the public through an exhibition showcasing some of the most imaginative and eye-catching novelties from research and industry in an open space set up the city centre. The activities included happenings, talk shows in the centre of 'Galleria Vittorio Emanuele', theatre performances, taster attractions, open laboratories, and more formal events like workshops and seminars, with each day focusing on a different strategic topic such as food, energy and transport, architecture and design, economy, communication and leisure.

Another goal accomplished by the project, less visible to the public but important nonetheless, was to set up a platform where relevant stakeholders could meet and discuss innovation strategies, notably in view of the Universal Expo that will take place in 2015 in Milan, where innovation will play a major role.

The Milan Innovation Circus 2008 brought over 30 000 visitors to the exhibition while 700 people attended the theatre performances. More than 1 000 people participated in conferences, laboratories, and meetings; and 2 500 people watched the shows. The activities featured 130 companies, associations and universities and featured 125 keynote speakers.

For more information and to get a flavour of this exciting event, please visit the website.