Innovation Festivals to stimulate regional excellence

October 1st, 2009: The European Design Centre takes the lead in the new European project ‘Innovation Festivals’ that recently has been approved under the Pro Inno programme. It aims to promote and stimulate regional excellence.  By strengthening regional innovation, the competitive position of Europe will improve. Since innovation is also a result of the sharing of knowledge among citizens, the involvement of local citizens in innovation strategies is of crucial importance. The Innovation Festivals project aims to involve local target groups such as students, business communities, universities and schools by organising six Innovation Festivals throughout Europe. The project has the following goals:
• demonstrate in a simple manner how innovation and design can respond to societal needs and challenges;
• help to raise the international profile of a city or region and thus contribute to building a strong regional innovation identity;
• bring different institutions and organisations closer together, thus strengthening regional innovation systems and the overall commitment towards innovation.
These aims will be achieved by organising 6 Innovation Weeks in the regions of Barcelona, Lisbon, Kortrijk, Vilnius, Tallinn and Milan, showcasing the innovation excellence in each specific region. www.innovationfestivals.eu