by Editor-in-chief Irina Blomqvist:

DIGIBUSINESS Think Tank members met last week in Venice, Vega Park. The meeting was an extensive mixture of Finnish, Italians, English, Dutch, Northern Irish, Spanish and French digital content & services business support people. The idea in these meetings is to exchange information on what’s happening in our respective countries or regions and start working on concrete project ideas. We went through European funding opportunities and discussed vividly on the lack of funding for commercialization for example. We don’t think there are tools for that, so therefore is there something we should do as a group to help companies to get such funding? There is clearly an issue to be raised. As an European Think Tank we aim to find possibilities for our companies to meet and collaborate. Because of the nature of DIGIBUSINESS area the companies tend to be small in size and they could benefit a lot with this “collaborative entrepreneurship” idea, which is nothing new really. Companies could actually look at the markets together.

DIGIBUSINESS companies or ICT/Media Creative companies are very innovative by nature. But, being small and innovative doesn’t necessarily bring the business in. As a Think Tank, and also as a support group for these companies we need to get Europe working together. Europe can get a head start by setting up best practice initiatives for innovation across government, industry and education. Properly developed, funded and practised, it could help a powerful climate of innovation and a thriving intellectual infrastructure to develop in Europe. Such an integrated set of initiatives - public and private - would not only be timely, it would be a bold and innovative strategy in itself.

By adopting an innovative philosophy in business and applying a creative strategy across the enterprises, embedding it in the business mix, we will be in a much better position to map business successfully onto the turbulent but wonderfully challenging environment in which we all find ourselves.

Many Think Tank members will be in Lyon in ICT 2008 Conference and networking event on 25^th November if you want to find out more.

Irina Blomqvist
Programme Director
DIGIBUSINESS Finland, Digibusiness Cluster Programme
Culminatum Innovation
Editor-in-chief for http://www.digibusiness.eu
Mobile +358 40 5722 393
irina.blomqvist(a)culminatum.fi

A Think Tank is usually an organisation that claims to serve as a center for research and/or analysis of important public issues. In general, however, research from Think Tanks is ideologically driven in accordance with the interests of its funders. And our interest is in Digital Content and Services, that’s why we are called DIGIBUSINESS Think Tank.

We are not talking about a Finnish Think Tank nor UK Think Tank – no way, by nature this is an European Think Tank. And I am rather proud of the fact.

DIGIBUSINESS Think Tank is an international network of people with strong background in digital area. Mainly it is a group of business service organisations that jointly exchange information and work on selected projects. Among the network’s scope is to understand trends and weak signals within digital business industry and to develop an open innovation platform.

That means you have to find time to THINK. It’s best to do it in bed when sick, I think No meetings, in other words, time to ponder.

We gather regularly in different European countries in our partner’s premises to discuss, present projects and ideas and to argue. At the end of March the place was Barcelona, www.barcelonamedia.org. Thanks to Marta, Vicente and Jordi.

It is important for us to understand the digital content opportunity. Also, we need to build linkages between industry, digital content companies, the creative industries and the educational system. Furthermore the creative energy and digital knowledge of the new media industry needs access to the business acumen and deep resources of the established business community and vice versa. Together they present the best scenario for a successful digital economy.

There is much confusion surrounding the definition of Digital Content. Some use the term purely to describe the digital content market, others to describe the online and mobile publishing field. The drivers of the digital content market have been the low cost availability of advanced digitally based communications and entertainment platforms to businesses and consumers. But defining digibusiness is something we are working on at the moment. So, I’ll come back to it during the spring.

Because I don’t have a crystal ball to tell me what’s going to happen in the future I have a feeling that DIGIBUSINESS Think Tank is going to be very much valued. Thinking is about to become big business again. Trust me.

April 8th, 2008 by Irina Blomqvist, Program Director for Finnish DIGIBUSINESS Cluster and the lady behind DIGIBUSINESS Think Tank initiative

Photos by Tommi Rissanen