S+T+ARTS Initiative of the European Commission (EU)

S+T+ARTS Prize is part of the S+T+ARTS Initiative of the European Commission. It has long been an established fact that innovation is at the core of a competitive economy. Europe has historically focused its attention in engineering on R&D and standardization. Today, however, focusing only on technology is not sustainable.

European Commission S+T+ARTS

An increasing number of high tech companies, world-wide, assert that, in addition to scientific and technological skills, the critical skills needed for innovation to happen and to be of value for society are skills such as creativity rooted in artistic practices. In the context, the Arts gain prominence as a catalyst of an efficient conversion of science and technology knowledge into innovative products, services and processes. In recognition of this development the European Commission has launched the S+T+ARTS initiative – Innovation at the nexus of Science, Technology, and the ARTS. The constant appropriation of new technologies by artists allows them to go further in actively participating in innovation in society and business. By using ICT as their medium of expression, artists are able to prototype solutions, create new products and make new economic, social and business models. Additionally, by using traditional mediums of expression and considering the potential of ICT, they propose new approaches to research and education and reflect on the role of innovation in our society.
ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/en/ict-art-starts-platform
starts.eu

Ars Electronica

Ars Electronica (AT)

Art, technology and society—since 1979, Ars Electronica (AT) has been investigating how they’re interrelated and where they overlap, and seeking causes and effects at work among them. In doing so, the Ars Electronica Festival functions as a proving ground, the Prix Ars Electronica is an international competition to honor outstanding achievements in media art, the Ars Electronica Center is an educational institution and Museum of the Future open throughout the year, the Futurelab is Ars Electronica’s in-house R&D facility, and AE Solutions is the business division that carries out assignments commissioned by clients in the private sector. All these entities constantly monitor their respective domains to identify what’s happening in science and research, art and technology, and to mutually inspire one another.
ars.electronica.art

BOZAR

BOZAR (BE)

The Centre for Fine Arts (CFA) is a public law company with limited liability and with social purpose (nonprofit entity). A leading multidisciplinary federal cultural institution in Belgium, often referred to as BOZAR (a homophone of “Beaux-arts”), it includes exhibition and conference rooms, a movie theatre and a concert hall which serves as home to the National Orchestra of Belgium. With a national, European and international mission, BOZAR serves an artistic and policy platform for new ideas and concepts. Creativity, quality, and artistic diversity have been at the heart of the Centre’s mission since its foundation. But for art not to be something abstract and distant, for it to be truly part of the “culture” of a society – and particularly in a city as variegated and international as Brussels – the public must be able to experience it in a way that is both natural and lively. Art and people must find and recognize each other, must interact with and enrich each other.
www.bozar.be

Waag

WAAG (NL)

Waag—technology & society—is a pioneer in the field of digital media. Over the past 22 years, the foundation has developed into an institution of international stature, a platform for artistic research and experimentation, and has become both a catalyst for events and a breeding ground for cultural and social innovation. Waag explores emerging technologies, and provides art and culture a central role in the designing of new applications for novel advances in science and technology. Artists and designers know better than anyone that they must question technology in order to get to the bottom of things, overthrow sacred cows, stimulate imagination and fantasy, create unexpected connections, and—above all—search for meaning.
www.waag.org

La French Tech

La French Tech Grande Provence (FR)

Under the French Ministry for the Economy’s initiative, La French Tech is a global movement highlighting french innovation, entrepreneurship and startups.
French Tech Grande Provence is a French Tech regional hub based in Avignon (South of France), bringing together all the players in the innovation ecosystem in the field of cultural and creative industries. Its project relies on an exceptional area to test and develop innovative projects around culture and digital technology, thus strengthening the attractiveness and dynamism of this area. The territory of French Tech Grande Provence gathers 1260 digital and tech companies, 4 competitive clusters and benefits from a surrounding “living lab” in the cultural and creative sector, with 9 international festivals, gathering more than 1,9M spectators and 5 sites classified by UNESCO. Its ambition is to create favourable conditions for the emergence, development and perpetuation of startups deploying innovative solutions around artistic, cultural, tourism and mobility applications.
Lafrenchtech-grandeprovence.fr

Inova+

INOVA+ (PT)

INOVA+ is the Portuguese leading company in the field of the promotion, management, dissemination and exploitation of international projects on Innovation, Training and Research & Technological Development. The company’s mission is to provide the knowledge, the management capacity, the partnerships and the technical and financial support needed for the development of innovation projects. With currently over 60 employees in Portugal, a turnover of about 5 million Euros and a constant high profitability, INOVA+ has managed over 40 international innovation projects (with the role of coordinator in several projects with large consortia and budgets of over 1 Million Euro). The company has offices in Lisbon, Brussels, Heidelberg and Warsaw. INOVA+ is also a group, formed by complementary entities that collaborate closely, such as SERN – Start-Up Europe Regions Network, an initiative of the European Commission, creating links between ecosystems, focusing on connecting people, local ecosystems, international outreach and providing information through the One Stop Shop for start-ups. Originally focused on ICT and web start-ups it has recently broadened its scope to all start-ups.
inova.business

T6 Ecosystems

T6 Ecosystems SRL (IT)

T6 Ecosystems srl is a consulting and research SME. T6 main areas of research are socio-economic impact assessment of research and innovation initiatives, policy analysis and design and policy communication. T6 ‘Innovation Society and Social Capital’ research unit, has gained a long experience in the field of socio-economic impact assessment, having developed and successfully tested methodologies and impact assessment toolkits for more than 12 horizon 2020 projects. T6 has a long experience in the Media and Cultural and Creative Industry community through its work on policy design and analysis of the industry and its involvement in two research projects on media (i3 and SOMA). T6 partners are also Vice- Chair of the New European Media Initiative (NEM) and founding member of Creative Innovation Council at the Frankfurter Buchmesse working on evolving digital needs of Europe’s creative industries. In its research activities, T6 adopts an interdisciplinary approach that combines and develops both quantitative and qualitative methodologies, following – when possible – the action-research principles. T6 has also an outstanding experience in disseminating and communicating activities for several EC projects (e.g. iSCAPE, EUCalc, RAMSES, TESS), developing communication strategies adapted to specific target groups and using on-line and offline tools, applying user experience and interaction design. With a long and extensive experience in participating and co-ordinating national and international research and innovation projects, with a specific focus on European Research Framework Programmes T6 has also a relevant experience and competence in project and program management, project communication and dissemination.
www.t-6.it

Frankfurter Buchmesse

Frankfurter Buchmesse (DE)

Once a year Frankfurter Buchmesse turns into the world capital of ideas. It is the most important international trading venue for content of all kinds – from novels and children’s books to scientific databases. Here, experts from global publishing meet partners from the technology industry and related creative industries such as film and games, from where new cooperations and business models take their course. At the same time, the fair is a major cultural event: around 7 500 exhibitors from over 100 countries, more than 285 000 visitors, over 4 000 events, around 10 000 journalists and bloggers make Frankfurter Buchmesse the world’s largest trade fair for publishing every year – and Frankfurt, the metropolis on the Main, the centre of the international media world. Frankfurter Buchmesse GmbH, based in Frankfurt am Main, is the organisation behind Frankfurter Buchmesse. It is a subsidiary of the German Publishers and Booksellers Association. In 2016, Frankfurter Buchmesse started a program scheme dedicated to innovation in the media sector. THE ARTS+ brings some of the most innovative thinkers and practitioners from around the world together to explore, debate and shape the future of culture and creativity in the digital age. A fair, exhibition and interdisciplinary festival at once, it is a vibrant platform that showcases the potential of digitization and new technologies for the cultural and creative industries while fostering cross-sectoral collaboration.
buchmesse.de