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Economy 4.0: Shaping a Shared Future

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The annual mutual learning event hosted by AER, the Brussels Capital Region and the Government of Catalonia took place on 4 December 2019 in Brussels. The theme of the event was “Economy 4.0: shaping a future that works for everybody“. This was the fourth edition of this unique conference format.

The day kicked off with an opening address and welcome by the hosts, Jean Luc Vanraes, AER Vice President for Cooperation & Strategic partnerships, Brussels Capital Region and Lluís Juncà, General Director for Economic Promotion, Competence and Regulation, Generalitat de Catalunya.

Fabrizia Benini, Head of Unit, Digital Economy and Skills, DG CONNECT, European Commission then gave the European Commission’s view on the Economy 4.0 and pointed out some shocking statistics including

“Only 1 in 5 enterprises in the EU are highly digitised”

“1/3 workers don’t have digital skills”

These set the tone for the discussion on what regions can do to promote digital innovation and how we can equip European citizens with the necessary digital skills for the economy of the future.

Sharing Experiences

The most dynamic part of the morning session took the form of the parallel discussion groups on the Future of Work, Innovation, Sustainability and Creative Bureaucracy. These were initiated by a pitch “battle” whereby four of the invited guest speakers pitched the topics of their discussion groups to the audience and explained why their topic was the most pressing.

The discussion groups afforded AER members and participants the opportunity to dig deeper into their chosen topic and exchange experiences with a range of experts from civil society, industry, academia and the public sector.

In the Future of Work discussion group, participants reflected on how to build a workforce fit for purpose in a radically changing environment & how we can foster skills that will be “expensive” in the cyber arena.

Turning to Innovation, this discussion group examined how regions should help businesses, and specifically SMEs, to innovate and flourish in a winner takes all economy.

The disruptive nature of the Economy 4.0 also has an impact on the role of governments, which is why the Creative Bureaucracy discussion group centred their thinking on how the public services of tomorrow should be designed.

As the Economy 4.0 is also a resource-intensive economy, the Sustainability discussion group looked at the challenges facing regions in the transition to a greener economy for the future and the opportunities presented by digitalisation to use our resources more efficiently.

Sharing Solutions

The Economy 4.0 event not only allowed participants to discuss some of the biggest issues facing Europe’s citizens and regions in the digital era. It also presented solutions in the form of information on support & funding opportunities for regional stakeholders.

Dana Eleftheriadou, Head of Advanced Technologies Team at the European Commission’s DG GROW held a detailed info-session on how regions can get involved in the Digital Europe programme. These include the 100 Intelligent Cities Challenge, support to European regions in industrial transition, Smart Specialisation Platform for Industrial Modernisation & the European Social Economy Regions (ESER).

Hugo Thienpont, Vice-Rector of Innovation & Industrial Relations from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel subsequently gave a presentation on support to SMEs in Europe’s regions using photonics. Photonics are a key digital technology driving innovation and the photonics innovation incubator ActPhast4.0 is a project funded by the European Commission via Horizon2020.

The mutual learning aspect of the Economy 4.0 event was furthered through the best practices shared by a variety of stakeholders of the digital economy who showcased their ways of innovating and working in the digital economy for participants. They included:

An action-packed day of exchanges, tackling challenges and seeking solutions, the mutual learning event is a cornerstone of the AER calendar.

Speaking at the event, AER President, Magnus Berntsson, stressed how timely such a conference is.

Society is at a turning point. We are currently faced with challenges that require collective intelligence and action from all stakeholders in society. We see challenges such as an ageing society, digital transformation and perhaps the biggest challenge of our time – climate change.

He continued by emphasising the need to take time to reflect, think outside the box and exchange with partners.

“We need spaces like this where we can challenge ourselves and share perspectives”

He concluded by reiterating the commitment of the Assembly to continue to assist its member regions as we transition together from looking at Economy 4.0 as a topic of tomorrow, to a subject of pertinence today.

All of the presentations from throughout the conference will shortly be available online here.

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Regional Business Forum – Second Edition

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The Second Regional Business Forum will take place in Vojvodina from 1-3 October 2019. Given the success of the previous edition, the Assembly of European Regions and the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina want to establish this Regional Business Forum as an unmissable event in the business development year. 

The expertise of the Enterprise Europe Network, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Vojvodina, Vojvodina Development Agency and the Novi Sad Fair will help you make the right connections. 

Shaping Business Cooperation

The event will create an opportunity for companies to present their business potentials and ideas and exchange good practices and technologies. Business cooperation will be facilitated by Regional chambers of commerce, Regional development agencies and institutions supporting SMEs development.

Sectoral Diversity

This year, the Regional Business Forum will focus on 5 main sectors: 

  • Agriculture & Food
  • Metal processing industry
  • Automotive industry
  • ICT 
  • Creative industries

Business-to-business Dialogues

Through B2B (business-to-business) meetings, participants will be able to find partners according to their own interests and objectives. The B2B meetings will be managed in advance via the Enterprise Europe Network matchmaking tool: to request B2B meeting, participants have to fill in the required information when registering for the event.

A Tip for your Free Afternoons 

In addition to the busy programme prepared for you, this year’s Regional Business Forum will coincide with the 52nd International Fair of Hunting, Fishing and Tourism in Novi Sad. You will be more than welcome to take part in the fair’s activities!

Further Information & Registration

If you want to know more about the programme, the B2B platform and registration, please visit the Regional Business Forum website.

Photo by: Gerd Altmann on Pixabay

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Watch the official video of the 2018 Summer Academy in Maramures

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We are delighted to share with you this video of the 2018 AER Summer Academy produced by Maramures’ audiovisual services. This film definitely reflects what the programme has to offer to regions and participants: mutual learning, networking with experts and professionals, discovering the heritage treasures of the host region, empowering young people, gaining hands-on experience through study visits… and also having lots of fun and making friends from various regions in Europe!

All these components together result in a comprehensive experience full of beautiful memories that remain forever!

Join our Summer Academy Organising Committee !

The AER Summer Academy Organising Committee (SAOC) is looking for new regional partners willing to contribute to this great initiative and have the possibility to tap into the multiple benefits of hosting an AER Summer Academy.

Our next meeting will take place in Novi Sad (Vojvodina, SRB) on Thursday 27 September, within the AER Autumn Committee Plenaries. This will be a good opportunity for non-member regions of the Summer Academy to know more about this AER’s flagship programme and the very fresh proposal for the 2019 edition.

Please, do not hesitate to contact Andrés Muñoz Rojo at the AER Secretariat for further information.

And a few last messages…

To this year’s participants: hope you enjoyed this wonderful experience as much as the organisation team did!

To potential participants: what are you waiting for to join us in next editions?

To Maramures region: A big thanks for this great audiovisual work and for making this year’s edition a total success!

Photo credits: @Maramures County Council

Video credits: @Inside Media Baia Mare (Maramures County Council)Follow AER!

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Discussing Cultural Heritage at the 2018 Summer Academy Plenary Sessions

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Over the course of five days regional politicians, officers and youth representatives from the AER member regions gathered together for the 2018 AER Summer Academy in Maramures (RO). The opening ceremony on the morning of 7 August was followed by the first of three plenary sessions spread over the week, in which experts and professionals working in this domain provided revealing insights into the question on what is at stake –from a regional perspective– for cultural heritage in Europe.

EU Cultural Policies and Funding Programs

The first session was on the topic of ‘EU cultural policies and funding programmes’ and how they serve in protecting and promoting cultural heritage. Virgil Ș. Nițulescu, from the Ministry of Culture and National Identity in Romania outlined the evolution of cultural policies at the national and EU levels. A point he stressed was that even before any steps were taken to establish cultural policies in legislation, countries in fact already had cultural policies even though they may not have been set down in writing. The principal entity advocating for cultural policy was the Council of Europe who, through the ‘European Cultural Convention’ of 1954, urges each contracting party to take appropriate measures with a view to developing a common cultural heritage in Europe. As a result, in 1985  its flagship programme ‘European Programme of National Cultural Policy reviews’ was launched to assess the state of the cultural policies of each member state. Finally, Mr. Nițulescu emphasised the significant role that creative industries play in the global economy, being amongst the fastest growing sectors in the world and generating considerable amount of revenues and jobs; especially among youth aged 15-29.

The second half of the session was conducted by Steliana Cojocariu from the Romanian Ministry of Tourism who explained her department’s involvement in the Council of Europe’s ‘Cultural Routes’; a programme which was initiated in 1987. To date, it has over 30 routes connecting different countries covering a range of different themes from architecture and religion to gastronomy as well as providing revealing figures on European music, literature and art. The Cultural Routes are an invitation to travel and discover the rich and diverse cultural heritage of Europe creating a network that brings people and places from different countries and cultures together.

The end of the session, reserved for questions from the audience, boosted some interesting discussions. For instance, the scope of cultural promotion was raised as a means of battling xenophobia and racism by promoting inclusiveness.

Relevance of Culture and Creativity for Youth

The second plenary session focused on the relevance of culture and creativity for youth, underscoring the role of youth in preserving Cultural Heritage. Ramona Culda –from the National Board of Employers and SMEs in Romania– presented ‘Creative START’, a 4-year project kicking off this year. Its aim is to actively support small and emerging businesses in the creative industries started by youth in the North West region of Romania. In total, 600 people from the region out of which 50% are women, will benefit from training courses focusing on the development of entrepreneurial competences. 75 of these will then receive a grant to start their own business as well as support for the first two years of implementation. The project can be very valuable to young people who are in the creative industries as they are instructed in creating and implementing a business plan.

Ion Georgescu, co-founder of the Comana Paper Mill Association (Moara de Hârtie, RO), explained how his association –dedicated to book-related crafts: handmade paper, letterpress printing and bookbinding– was established in 2011. In 2016, other traditional crafts were added through the Comana Crafts Village, a space designed to revive, preserve and transmit the Romanian crafts. Ion Georgescu described it as a “social economy initiative” – even though it is not formally classified as such– as the project has created jobs for people in the village who would have no other way of getting a formal job. Through crafts they have helped communities complement their income. Their work also targets the younger generation. 80% of what they do is about working with children by organising workshops for school groups. Despite crafts being part of the local cultural heritage, Ion raised concerns about the fact that if young people are not trained in this, crafts will eventually disappear. To Ion, crafts is very much about preserving identity.

Bert Ludwig, Director of European Heritage Volunteers, talked about cultural heritage through his professional experience running the European Heritage Volunteers projects. Created in Germany in 1992, they work mainly in rural areas with a hands-on approach. The idea is to get people directly involved in cultural heritage initiatives; to “infect people with the virus of heritage as it is through involvement that we build a connection and respect for culture”. In addition to this, volunteers can acquire skills and the know-how which is being transferred from the older generation, establishing an inter-generational dialogue.

Dora David, ESN (Erasmus Student Network) National Representative of Romania, and Diana Sabo, Vice-President of the Federation of Youth NGOs in Maramures, talked about the importance of cultural heritage both for individuals’ identity but also in terms of a “collective good”. Dora David explained that a significant part of what the ESN does is to get the students involved in local society. They do this by organising different activities which allow the students to discover the local culture as well as exchanging one another’s cultural knowledge. For Diana Sabo, “what connects us as a community is our cultural heritage which includes the values we obtain from education”. In her view, “learning about cultural heritage improves our understanding of the context we grew up in: it is our past, present and future. And it is by respecting our own heritage that we can also value others’ “.

Cultural Heritage enhancing Regional Attractiveness

The last plenary session, which took place on Friday 10 August, looked at cultural heritage as a tool for increasing regional attractiveness while also discussing the need for its sustainable use. Culture heritage holds a well-known economic potential, for instance, in the tourism sector but it is also an agent in the transmission of expertise, skills and knowledge between generations. The EU envisages it as a fragile wealth that needs to be preserved and passed on to future generations. And although cultural heritage can include intangible elements, it is important in giving value and a sense of identity to a region, helping to build its future. The challenge becomes for regions to find their own identity and cultural heritage and valorise it.

In this regard, Anamaria Diaconu, National Institute for Cultural Research and Training, presented some facts and figures from a mapping on cultural consumption in various regions at the national level. This has enabled an evaluation of the cultural situation at the national and regional levels allowing for a comparison between areas and raising issues for improvement. What the statistics evidenced was the low levels of participation in cultural heritage sites, including low perceptions of the benefits that cultural heritage can bring in terms of tourism development, economic benefits and other spillover effects.

Peter Hurley, founder of Intercultural Traditions Association (Maramures, RO), focused on the need of valorising and preserving cultural heritage in the Romanian context. Originally from Ireland, he moved to Romania almost a quarter of a century ago after being captivated by the richness of the country’s culture. He describes as a European challenge what he considers “the sinking of the last Romanian cultural heritage we have”. According to Peter, the cultural heritage in Romania is something still “alive”, as traditional forms of cultural expressions prevail over the passing of time whereas in other countries cultural heritage belongs to the past. Peter Hurley concluded that we all have a duty to preserve cultural heritage by convincing people that it is something worth saving.

Article by Mariangela Clendon
Eurodyssey trainee at Brussels International
(Brussels Capital-Region, BE)

Photo credits: @Maramures County CouncilFollow AER!

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Multilevel and Open Innovation Ecosystems discussed during Spring Committee Plenaries in Arad

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On the occasion of the AER Spring plenaries in Arad, the main topic was, multilevel and open innovation ecosystems. This interesting and complex subject was moderated by Dr Sandra Evans, University of Tübingen, DE.  

Dr Evans highlighted the paradigm shift we are facing today, from closed innovation, linear subcontracts, to open innovation, clusters to the world of today open innovation 2.0, with ecosystems. The value chains are becoming more interregional in the Multi-level Quadruple Helix Open Innovation Ecosystem , where a wider spectrum of stakeholders are necessary. An openness and engagement from everyone is essential.

This opening was followed by a presentation by the President of Arad County Council, Iustin Cionca. 2018 marks 100 years since the formation of the modern Romanian state at the end of Word War 1. They celebrate the unification and the progress and reconstruction of the national identity. The Romanian modern state promote a peaceful integration of the Roma population in an eco-system. Romania is a model for integration of minorities, as an example all minorities are represented in the Parliament. Arad County is involved in multilevel cooperation to support the development of such innovation ecosystems. They collaborate with neighbouring regions in Serbia and Hungary which have an impact on over 5 million inhabitants.

Gheorghe Falcă, Mayor of the city of Arad, RO, continued to display how Arad is working with a multi stake holder approach. They have built an economic hub Arad-Timisoara. With EU funding, the two cities, have together built a highway connecting the two counties. The shared vision and shared strategy  has led them to drive the hub forward, in terms of economic development, economic activity  and also in regards to inclusion of the minorities.

The welcoming session was then transformed into a cocktail debate on the same topic, innovation ecosystems, with examples from Catalonia and Gelderland.

AER’s Vice President Albert Castellanos, Catalonia, gave an example on how Catalonia is embracing the multi stakeholder ecosystem.  Catalonia’s strategic objective is to consolidate the region as a European knowledge hub and link technological and creative capacities to existing and emerging sectors in the territory. They work in various levels regarding this, below are some of the examples:

Reinventing public services so that they provide a more efficient and effective response to societal needs. 

Reinventing the concept of community and develop new forms of cooperation among people and organisations in order to build collective intelligence that can generate effective responses to the complex problems that face our society. 

Reinventing business models so that they are more closely aligned to the needs of people.

Vivian Stribos, Gelderland, NL, presented the Gelder Energy Agreement, as an example from Gelderland.  Gelder Energy Agreement is a multi-stakeholder cooperation with a bottom-up approach for the energy transition. The shared goal is to make the province energy-neutral by 2050. Local and regional industries, governments and NGOs’ in the province of Gelderland, Netherlands, have pledged for the province to become energy-neutral by 2050. It facilitates a co-creative process where initiatives, actors, and energy are integrated into society.

The Province of Gelderland invites all AER members to take part in a study-visit the 17-19 April, to get to know this unique multi-stakeholder collaboration for an energy-neutral Province.  For more information and registration, please read more here.

 

 

 

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Funding opportunities on Artificial Intelligence!

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Following the recent success of AER’s event “Artificial Intelligence: Are Regions Up to The Challenge?” on Thursday 30 November, which brought together policy makers, stakeholders, academics, and entrepreneurs to discuss the policy implications of the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Projects Unit of the AER Secretariat is pleased to share with you some relevant information on funding opportunities matching this topic.

Funding Artificial Intelligence across the EU

A key point in the agenda of the said event was the presentation of Ms. Cécile Huet, European Commission’s Directorate‑General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CONNECT), who briefed the audience on funding opportunities under Horizon 2020 to exploit the technological possibilities of AI and robotics in multiple economic sectors as well as addressing its societal implications across Europe. The purpose of the European Commission is to develop the European AI on-demand platform joining forces all around Europe in order to materialize an ecosystem integrating knowledge, capacity and access to data, invest in R&D in areas where Europe can lead, and boost European industry competitiveness with AI while making European citizens benefit from the added value of this revolutionary technology across a wide range of sectors, such as ageing or transport.

Another remarkable aspect of the presentation of Ms. Huet was related to the Digital Innovation Hubs (DIHs), which are particularly important for innovators and entrepreneurs due to the fact that they can provide, as one stop shops, with the resources that companies need to become more competitive in a desired area. DIHs also provide business and financial support to help implement different innovations, and facilitate access to the latest technology, expertise, and knowledge to help with the testing and experimentation of digital innovations. Calls related to DIHs are available under the Horizon 2020 programme for 2018 and 2019.

Description of the targeted call

Within the framework of Horizon 2020 –Research and Innovation Action– the call for proposal titled “European AI-on-demand platform” is intended to mobilise the European AI community to support businesses and sectors in accessing expertise, knowledge, algorithms and tools to successfully apply AI thereby generating market impact.

The aim of this AI platform is then to:

  • Develop a European AI ecosystem as a collector of knowledge, algorithms, tools and resources available and making it a compelling solution for users, especially from non-tech sectors.
  • Build on and link to existing relevant initiatives (existing platforms, data repositories, cloud computing, HPC,…)
  • Facilitate the interaction with existing data portals, and resources in order to support interoperability.
  • Connect and cooperate with other relevant activities of this work programme (DIHs, Pilot,…)

The call to fund up to €20 million on AI is already open for applications!

Save the deadline: April 17th 2018

Some other ideas…

Keen on robotics? Then you should check the call for proposal “Robotics – Digital Innovation Hubs (DIH)” within Horizon 2020 under the focus area “Digitising and transforming European industry and services (DT)” which basically aims to provide a sustainable ecosystem of robotics stakeholders covering the entire value network to facilitate and accelerate a broad uptake and integration of robotic technologies, and supporting the digitisation of industry through robotics. The deadline for applications is set on the 17th of April 2018.

As for the Horizon 2020 Project Development Week –which took place in Brussels between the 20th and the 24th of November, you can also find interesting project proposals linked to Artificial Intelligence and Digitalisation to join in a consortium:

Eager to apply?

Regions are the first point of contact into the EU’s innovation ecosystem!

Should  you or your region be interested in any of the indicated calls, the AER Project Team would be very delighted to assist you in developing a successful and consistent proposal, building a consortium as well as going through the application process.

Do not miss out on the chance to apply for funding in this strategical and innovative sector of the future!

Contact

Photo credits: @visualhunt https://visualhunt.com/f2/photo/35180523113/811899303b/ & @unsplash https://unsplash.com/photos/w7ZyuGYNpRQ

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Mutual Learning at AER event on Artificial Intelligence

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Policy makers, stakeholders, academics, and entrepreneurs gathered in Brussels on Thursday 30 November at AER’s event “Artificial Intelligence: Are Regions Up to The Challenge?” to discuss the policy implications of the rise of Artificial Intelligence.

Genuine exchange

The event offered a rare opportunity for the various participants to take part in a genuine exchange. While one goal was to identify areas where regions can be active now, the event was designed to facilitate mutual learning through the stories and experiences shared by each participant. By way of discussions, participants gained perspective on the obstacles and opportunities their peers are facing with the progression of AI. As a follow up to last year’s successful event last year on E-Health, this year’s focus was on the disruptive effects of AI and its impact at a regional level.

Knowledge flow vs position papers

AER has a long history of helping regional policy makers to learn from each others in order to innovate the public sector. AER President Magnus Berntsson said in his opening speech:

This is our DNA. We exchange experiences to learn from each others, join forces to influence and initiate cooperation projects

He continued:

At AER we provide the space where collaboration and project ideas are generated, this space we call Committees. The Committees are not a group of people, they are a lab for policy innovation

And indeed what characterises AER is the flow of knowledge, ideas and experiences. The event therefore did not lead to a declaration or a position because knowledge needs to be shared and grow, instead of becoming frozen into a position paper.

This idea of flow is key to understanding the raison d’être of this event, which was hosted by Brussels Capital Region and AER Committee 1 President Jean Luc Vanraes.

As Mr Vanraes explained the event was developed in an iterative way, based on the topics AER members are working on.

We organised a first discussion on the occasion of the Nancy plenaries to identify good practices, questions and challenges”

Mr Vanraes went further saying:

AI will, and is already having an impact on most policy areas and will definitely disrupt society as we know it. As policy makers we have a duty to prepare these changes.

Nathanaël Ackerman, the founder and managing director of Hub France Artificial Intelligence offered an overview of what artificial intelligence actually is and chronicled the promises of AI. His presentation can be found on the AI event webpage.

Who is afraid of the big bad AI?

After the speeches, attendees discussed particular policy areas AER is working on such as innovation, health, culture and education. A fifth group discussed ethics as the future of human-machine interaction raises many ethical and maybe even existential questions. The particularity of these discussion group lay in the fact there was not a classical distinction between speakers and listeners: attendees were invited to take part in the conversation together with the identified contributors, which allowed for vivid discussions.

 

Supporting innovation, attracting innovators

How can regions support innovation in AI and what is the purpose of doing so? To answer this vast question, the moderator, Jonathan Duplicy of Innoviris, the Brussels Institute for Research and Innovation asked contributors to share examples of AI applications, changes ahead and the challenges they were themselves faced with. The group discussed questions related to international AI strategies, new mobilities, robotics and the future of work.

The Health Revolution

Tanya Znamenski, Public Health Analyst at PatientsTalk facilitated a discussion around the major changes AI will bring to both the delivery and organization of healthcare in society. Up for discussion was the changing relationship between doctors and patients, as E-Health begins to democratize medicine. Relatedly, issues surrounding the protection of patient privacy as patients’ medical records begin to exist online were to be debated. Another area of discussion was the ways in which AI will alter the practice of medicine, namely in the diagnosis and management of patients.  It was important for regional politicians, stakeholders, and policy makers to share their experiences with AI and its current integration in their healthcare systems.

Culture In a Digital World

While it is a policy of its own, especially at regional level, culture is also often found at the intersection of other policies ranging from economic development to health and wellbeing. This group moderated by Christophe De Jaeger, director of GLUON, a Brussels-based an organisation that realises projects on the crossing borders of visual art, research and industry, discussed the role of artificial intelligence role in the creative arts industry with its rapidly progressing abilities to generate both highly complex art and music. Culture is a crucial component to regional economic development and helps to create a common identity. Therefore, it is important for regions to facilitate collaboration between technology developers and members of the creative arts industry.

Skills and Competences: racing with machines

As AI continues to progress in its ability to perform not only blue-collar jobs, but ones involving high amounts of training and expertise the skills and competencies which are required to obtain secure employment will change. Thus, the aim for this roundtable was to have discussions centered around the skills and competencies which will be most valuable to the economy going forwards. To this end, the group discussed what is specifically human and how education could help pupils develop the right skills to race with machines instead of racing against machines. Moderating the group was Ann Nowe VUB Artificial Intelligence lab who brought first hand knowledge of the current capabilities of AI.

 AI: Towards a Soulless World?

The goal with this discussion group was raising complicated but important points on ethical questions surrounding AI. One of the main question adressed was people’s relationships with technology in a digital world, asking what it means to be human as people and technology become further linked. Contributors in this group brought examples from the private sector in fields as diverse as neuro-rehabilitation and design as well as the experience of politicians. The group was moderated by Diane Whitehouse, a Principal eHealth Policy Analyst at EHTEL.

After the break attendees convened to bring forward their reports from their discussion groups, containing their findings and recommendations.

Funding for AI Innovation

 An important event in the day was a presentation from DG Connect’s Cecile Huet, who informed them about how regions and entrepreneurs would be able to access funding to stimulate innovation and research in AI. For innovators and entrepreneurs, the two most relevant aspects of her presentation were Digital Innovation Hubs (DIHs) and the proposed European AI-on-demand platform. As a summary, DIHs are one stop shops which provide companies with the resources they need to become more competitive in a desired area. DIHs provide business and financial support to help implement different innovations, and provide access to the latest technology, expertise, and knowledge to help with the testing and experimentation of digital innovations. Whether large or small DIHs provide help for companies looking to upgrade to their infrastructure to suited for the digital age. Crucially for regions, they are the first point of contact into the EU’s innovation ecosystem. Over the next five years, the European Commission has invested 500 million Euros. Calls related to DIHs are available under the Horizon 2020 programme for 2018 and 2019.

Another notable aspect of Ms. Huet’s presentation is the open call for proposals to fund a 20-million-Euro project on AI, the European AI-on-demand platform. The project’s stated aim is to “mobilise the European AI community to support businesses and sectors in accessing expertise, knowledge, algorithms and tools to successfully apply AI thereby generating market impact.” By creating a platform which combines knowledge and access to data, the project hopes to offer solutions and support to all users of AI to integrate such technology into application, products and services. This will boost European industry competitiveness worldwide and help bring the benefits of AI to the average citizen whether it be through assistance in active and healthy aging or the transportation industry. For more information on DIHs and the European-AI-on-demand platform, her presentation can be accessed on the event webpage.

Visit to VUB AI Lab

To conclude the event, participants were treated to a visit to VUB’s AI Lab, a leading centre in AI innovation. At the lab, they were able to witness real innovation first hand, meeting with the Robotics and Language Evolution Group who focuses on the evolution of language and communication systems.

AI application demos included the use of philogenic trees for the analysis of epidemics, reinforced learning for industrial questions, smart grids and energy coins, smart prothesis and language processing.

The Importance of Networking

 One of the most important aspects of this event was its ability to bring together stakeholders in AI who may not have the opportunity to work together. Exchanges between the different stakeholders in AI is vital to the development of technology which serves the needs of citizens and regulatory frameworks which integrate the technologies smoothly into society. A goal with AER’s event on AI was to help build bridges between the different stakeholders ranging from academics, to AI companies like the Brussels Human Robotics Research Center, and regional politicians to help them arrive at mutual understandings of the other’s areas and needs.

A Note of Thanks

This event would not have happened without the support of Innoviris and the Brussels Capital Region.Follow AER!

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Bureau Members adopt AER’s political priorities for 2018-2019

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During the AER Autumn Bureau Meeting, that took place on the 29th of November in Maastricht, Bureau members voted on the 2018-2019 political priorities for AER.

It was an interesting process, as the priorities were drafted and voted on, in the same day. The discussions leading up to this were therefore very dynamic and fruitful.

Setting the overarching political goal

Members and guests sat in 5 groups of 12 to 15 and each group was asked to develop a sentence made of 10 words, outlining the global political priority.

After this session was complete, Bureau members were invited to vote for the one they thought fit the most with AER’s ambitions.

Defining the political priorities for 2018-2019

Once the political goal was voted on, the next step in the process began.

Groups were once again created and asked to develop 4 points each based on the above-mentioned priority. With 5 varied, engaged and dynamic groups, this process ran very smoothly and the priorities quickly appeared from the various gatherings of regional politicians.

The rapporteurs from each groups were then asked to gather all the suggestions and merge them in a one-pager outlining the AER political priorities for 2018-2019.

See the political priorities here.

The vote

Once the one-pager was ready, member reconvened and constructively amended the document, making it ready to be voted on.

The vote was unanimous, as all members voted to adopt these political priorities for the 2018 – 2019 period.

What next?

Now that the political priorities have been adopted by the AER bureau, they must be ratified by the General Assembly, that will gather in Oppland in May 2018.

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The Future is Now: Innovation in AI

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Innovation in artificial intelligence (AI) is turning what was once science fiction into reality. With the exponential pace at which technology develops, barriers are being broken in AI faster than many have thought possible. On 30 November, AER’s event Artificial Intelligence: Are Regions Up to The Challenge? will bring together field experts, academics, and stakeholders giving attendees the opportunity to learn about the latest trends and innovations in AI.

A Tool of the Present and Future

Discussions around AI often involve looking far into the future where the world is inhabited by autonomous robots, sometimes minimising the large role that AI currently plays in our lives. While like Google’s Alpha Go beating Master Go player Ke Jie or Tesla’s self driving cars may attract the headlines, innovation in AI is ongoing and has produced many other inventions which are changing the nature of longstanding industries. Being attentive to these more subtle present day changes and continuous innovation in AI allows people to predict the direction each industry may take in the near future. Understanding the trends in each industry paints a more accurate picture of the roles AI will come to play in society, giving policy makers some of the knowledge needed to help integrate AI into society.

Smart Technology

While the abilities of smartphone assistants like Apple’s Siri, Facebook Messenger’s bots, and Google’s Assistant have long been chronicled, closely related home assistants are proving increasingly capable themselves. Amazon’s Echo and Google Home can already switch lights on and off, set timers while people cook, and play songs or answer questions on demand. Other tasks that each can do range from telling users about nearby restaurants, checking people’s calendars for them, and playing trivia games. For now little separates phone assistants from smart homes but tech giants future plans may change this. With landlines becoming obsolete, Amazon and Google are positioning their devices to take its place. Both companies are investing in voice-calling features for their devices, with their goal of making digital phone calls like Skype completely hands free. Additionally, to improve the functionality of their devices the companies are integrating their smart homes with more and more other smart devices. The ultimate vision of smart homes is to make everything from adjusting the thermostat, turning on and off lights, to locking doors all integrated under one system. Such a system would give people the power to not only do these things with a simple command but all the way from another continent as well. One of the most promising uses of smart technology is helping elderly citizens with active and healthy ageing, a topic with AER has been active on in the past. Smart homes are already being employed in ambient assisted living which utilises smart sensors and other wearable devices to capture data about patients’ daily activities and present state of health, making it easier for elderly citizens to live in their own homes as the age.

Predictive Shopping

Smartphone users are already familiar with machine learning using personal data to automatically add events to their calendar and planning the best route home based on current traffic conditions. Now, one of the next frontiers for machine learning will be integrating itself into the daily lives of consumers to provide personalized online shopping. One app, called Pinterest Lens, lets users take a photo of a desired object and finds the item online. Another image detection algorithm can identify an object and searches for similar ones online, making it easier for consumers to buy a desired product. These apps offer a glimpse into the future of predictive shopping where programs and smart devices will be able to mine massive amounts of data ranging from “consumers’ purchase histories, product preferences, and schedules; competitors’ pricing and inventory; and current and forecasted product demand” to give consumers a highly personalized shopping experience.

When people are running low on Tide laundry detergent they can already press Amazon’s wireless Dash Button for it to order more through Amazon Prime. As predictive shopping evolves it will be able to learn users’ behavioural and environmental habits to produce more personalized options. The more data that retail store’s programs collect the better they will become at determining customers’ specific needs. Certain stores are currently using smartphones to pick up on consumers’ behaviour and provide them with context-specific recommendations. Soon, it is very possible that an appliance such as a Samsung Smart Fridge will be able to calculate when users are running low on certain foods and notify them in the morning before they leave for work. Furthermore, in the not too distant future it is likely that retailers will be able to deliver personalized content according to what mood someone is in, the activity they just finished, how much time they have to shop, or the time of day it is. Going forward, beyond developing the right algorithms challenges for retailers will include the protection of consumer data and being subtle enough to avoid giving users the sense that their personal lives are being intruded upon.

Digital Media

One of the most rapidly progressing areas of AI is in multimedia. Right now, using AI people can already create 3D face models from a 2D image, generate sound effects for a silent video, and insert smiles onto any celebrity using Twitter bot Smile Vector. These are just some of the AI assisted multimedia tools people now have at their disposal and new technologies are developing at a breakneck pace. In just one year a program went from producing pictures such as this to this. While these advances in multimedia could be a boon to the creative arts industry, they will almost certainly have negative side effects  as well. With society already having problems combating the proliferation of misinformation online giving nearly anyone the ability to create believable images and videos could exacerbate the issue.

AI and Agriculture

Since humans shifted from a hunter gather lifestyle to a more sedentary agrarian lifestyle, farmers’ crops have been plagued by crop diseases. In the past, pathogens have destroyed everything from the world’s most popular coffee beans to people’s preferred variety of banana. Today, nearly 40 percent of crops are annually lost to diseases. Fortunately, the latest developments in AI may decrease that figure dramatically by improving the accuracy in diagnosis of crop disease. At the forefront of the industry is a team researchers from Pennsylvania State University in the U.S. and the Ecole Polytechique Federale in Switzerland who have created a program which will detect crop diseases before they spread. By giving the program massive datasets-over 50’000 photos-the researchers taught it to detect 26 diseases in 14 plant species with 99.35% accuracy. Unlike many other AI programs where a drawback is the program’s price point, the researchers’ program will enable anyone with a smartphone to take a picture of a crop and receive a diagnosis in seconds. As it moves past its trial phase, the next step for researchers will be improving the program’s ability to detect diseases in a wide range of settings.

Advances in the agricultural industry due to AI are not just limited to the diagnosis of crop disease, but can now play a role in the treatment of them as well. Another machine learning program, this time an automated tractor, can identify weeds in lettuce crops within 0.2 seconds and spray them with great precision. Project worker Ben Chostner claims that farmers can reduce their pesticide usage by 90 percent using his company’s robots. If rolled out successfully, the program could transform how farmers deal with threats to their crops. The current approach to using pesticides is akin to “carpet bombing fields”, causing chemicals to descend among the healthy crops as well. The precision used by the LettuceBot not only promises to make usage of pesticides more efficient but, could lead to less pesticides ingested by consumers while decreasing their environmentally damaging side effects such as chemical runoff.

Regions and Innovators

At AER’s event on AI, attendees will have the opportunity learn from innovators about where their work is taking them. While it can seem like big corporations hold a monopoly on technological development, stimulating innovation in AI will allow regions to be active players in the 4th industrial revolution and create new opportunities for employment. AER’s event will provide information on how regions and innovators can get funding for research and projects, with a presentation from DG Connect’s Cecile Huet. As illustrated above, the impact of AI is cross cutting and promises to transform the way many industries are run. With a study visit to VUB’s AI lab, attendees of AER’s event will have the opportunity to witness this innovation first hand.Follow AER!

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Don’t miss out on the chance to apply for the Silver Economy Awards!

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If you are reading this, it’s because you are thinking of applying for the Silver Economy Awards! The SEED Consortium is searching for talented candidates like you to showcase innovative solutions addressing the needs of ageing populations and thus contribute to raise awareness on the implications of demographic change.

Do not wait any longer to submit your proposal for the Awards and get outstanding recognition by becoming the European Ambassador of Silver Economy.

The deadline for applications has been extended until the 10th of December! 

What makes the Awards so special?

If you think this project is just about an award, then you’re completely wrong. It has major implications for this expanding economic sector as a collector of financial, intellectual and technical resources of the Silver economy:

  • The awards are a catalyser of ICT solutions that brings together local and regional authorities, business and service providers, academia and civil society.
  • The Awards provide applicants with high visibility and international recognition by enabling them to get in contact with investors and key stakeholders associated with the cross-cutting domain of Silver Economy at the EU level.
  • The Awards are the fast-track to the Silver Economy stage: successful applicants will be at the core of the Silver Economy Network!
  • The Awards are flexible and tailored: they are designed by professionals from the 3 different categories (public authority, for-profit organisation and non-for-profit organisation) in 7 different domains.
  • The Awards are a champion of fairness and transparency due to their innovative assessment approach based on peer-reviewers belonging to each of the 3 categories.

And the benefits?

 Simply by taking part, applicants are promoting their innovations:

  • All applicants will benefit from online publication on the Silver Economy website after the winners are selected.
  • Heightened visibility begins with the evaluation process: all eligible applications are peer-reviewed by members of the Covenant on Demographic Change; the second round is evaluated by SEED members and vice-presidents from the Covenant on Demographic Change; and a high-level jury of experts and key players in the European Silver Economy will select the final winners.

Winners and finalists are invited to showcase their product or service before a High Level Jury at the Awards Ceremony in spring 2018, where they will be celebrated for their achievements. Winning teams will also receive an Award bearer logo and exclusive photographs from the event. This will be a unique opportunity to network & exchange with other innovators and Silver Economy leaders.

The winning solutions will be further promoted by the European Commission and SEED partners in the media, on websites, in newsletters and through other promotional material.

How to apply?

The submission is a simple 5-step online process:

  1. Register.
  2. Receive an authorisation email and login.
  3. Complete the fields (save as you go along or so you can come back in and complete the form later).
  4. Check you have completed all the obligatory fields – marked with an asterix.
  5. Agree to the Terms and Conditions.

Power to the regions!

As concluded in the SEED Workshop within the EU Open Days of the Committee of the Regions, the action of regions and cities is crucial and some have already developed comprehensive strategies to address demographic ageing while supporting and developing local business demonstrating that the Silver Economy, as a broad political and economic paradigm, holds the promise to benefit older persons themselves as well as the public welfare systems and the private sector.

This 1st edition of the only EU Award on Silver Economy is certainly a great opportunity to place regions under the spot inspiring European policy-makers to follow their example!

Save the dates again! Applications open until the 10th of December!

The winners of this first edition will hold the status of European champions of the Silver Economy for one year.

Contact

 

Photo credits:@SEED: http://silvereconomyawards.eu/2017/homeFollow AER!

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Human Culture in a Digital World

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Future artificial intelligence (AI) programs promise to alter our understanding and experiences with human culture. From the music, to language, to art, AI will play a more prominent role in human culture in the years to come. AER’s event Artificial Intelligence: Are Regions Up to The Challenge? will bring together field experts, academics, artists, politicians, and stakeholders to discuss these coming changes, providing an excellent learning opportunity for each involved.

Redefining Human Culture

The name for the human species, Homo Sapiens literally translates into wise man. The name we gave ourselves was a compliment to our intellectual abilities, a nod to the notion that humans possess abilities no other animal does. For hundreds of years, skills ranging from cooking to painting have been considered the sole domain of humans. But as machinery and AI have progressed, humans have had to adjust their perception of inherently human abilities. During the first industrial revolution thousands of textile workers and craftsmen were displaced by machines, jobs that had been performed by humans for centuries. In the 21st century as AI has displaced larger and larger swaths of human society, some have claimed that culture is the last bastion of human tradition, immune to AI’s disruptive effects. However, as AI continues to make headway in the arts it is likely people will be forced to redefine what are considered uniquely human abilities once again.

AI and Art

Al already can perform complex analysis of art by comparing hundreds of images to one another, with Rutgers University’s AI program at the forefront of the industry. When the program examined the Mona Lisa, it came back with interesting insights, scoring it lower on its creativity scale than far less regarded Leonardo da Vinci paintings. Beyond critiquing artwork, it confirmed the widely accepted belief among art historians that French impressionist Claude Monet was a primary influence of American impressionist Childe Hassam’s by noticing the similarities between their works. Art historian Marian Mazzone thinks that AI has the potential to upend the art industry, with its ability compare enormous amounts of visual material at once. AI is not only capable of analyzing art, but of producing high quality art as well. Rutgers University’s AI art program recently generated artwork which 53 percent of viewers were unable to distinguish from a human composition. Meanwhile, Google has also invested in Deep Dream, which alters pictures to produce digital art such the piece below.

#deepstyle #hq

A post shared by Deep Dream Generator (@deepdreamgenerator) on

 

AI and Music

Computer scientists are also beginning to make strides in AI generated music. While programs are still unable to compete with bestselling artists like The Rolling Stones or U2, they will still have an increasingly large impact in the music industry. Industry leaders believe that some programs have progressed enough to start appearing as background music in elevators or in video games. Other advancements in AI generated music are not even aimed at producing consumable music. Australian company Popgun’s AI program Alice can accompany humans playing the piano in a duet of sorts. Musicians play the first notes and Alice guesses at what comes next, creating a duet. Spotify has also heavily invested in the industry, hiring François Pachet away from Sony whose AI program created the song Daddy’s Car designed to mimic The Beatles, albeit with human vocals and song writing.

Personalisation of Culture

As the algorithms which make personalised recommendations continue to advance, AI will not only transform the way creative arts are produced, but also change the way people experience them. One of Spotify’s most popular features, Discover Weekly, which delivers a weekly playlist to users that they are expected to like based on their streaming history, provides an ongoing example of personally curated music.  Throughout 2017 Spotify continued to pour resources into improving its music suggestions, acquiring four startups specialised in content recommendation. Not to be outdone, television streaming giant Netflix and Ebook company Kobo are also investing heavily in improving their recommendations to users. For years, people relied upon the radio, lists like the NY Times Bestsellers, or word of mouth to find the latest the creative arts had to offer. The improved accuracy of AI recommended music, television, and literature promises to change this process by placing quality entertainment a click away.

Growing With, Not Against AI

While AI will certainly disrupt the arts and culture industry, not all see the coming changes negatively. Many believe that AI will provide new jobs and opportunities for people to enrich human culture. Indeed, this would not be the first time professions have grown alongside computer assisted technology. In the 1984, graphic design was transformed with the arrival of Apple’s Macintosh computers. The profession changed from one involving painstaking physical work to one conducted digitally, an event that is now called the desktop publishing revolution. AER’s partner in its event, GLUON aims to achieve similar harmony between AI and artists in the 21st century. GLUON brings together academics, artists, entertainers, and innovators to provide an opportunity for them to learn from one another and grow together. They will be present at AER’s event on AI on November 30th where Christophe De Jaeger will moderate the discussion group on culture. In the evening there will be an art exhibition from artists at GLUON at AER’s end of year reception. AER’s event on AI will give the regions the space to see what other regions are doing to prepare for the changes AI will bring to culture, hear from artists who will be affected by them, and learn from field experts. Culture has never been a static entity in human society. With each era, it has evolved alongside new technologies that have emerged. The progression of AI may represent the latest development in the transformation of human culture.

 

Photo Credits: Martin Toma, Wikimedia CommonsFollow AER!

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Skills and Competences in an AI era

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In the next decade, it is a virtual certainty that Artificial Intelligence (AI) will begin to replace increasing numbers of labourers. The outsourcing of labour to machines will alter the skills and competencies which are valuable in a competitive labour market. At AER’s event on Artificial Intelligence, speakers will address this topic, highlighting the challenges and solutions that exist for regions as the skills and competences that are important in society begin to change.

Changes in the Workforce

In late 2016, Amazon debuted ‘Amazon Go’, its first checkout free grocery store. With Amazon Go consumers were simply able to walk out of the store with their goods and have the charge added to their online accounts. While the store demonstrated Amazon’s growing capabilities in Artificial Intelligence, it also offered a glimpse at the future of work, a world in which human labourers are made increasingly obsolete. As highly intelligent machines continue to to play a larger role in our daily lives, society’s labour force will be radically transformed. According to an estimate made by Rice University Professor Moshe Vardi, 50% of current jobs could be lost to automation. As AI rapidly progresses in its ability to perform physical and analytical tasks, the skills that were once vital to obtaining a secure, well paying job, will diminish in importance. Given the restructuring of the workforce which is already underway, it is worth considering the skills and competences that will be most valuable going forwards.

Emotional Quotient over Intelligence Quotient?

Many suggest that the ability to relate to and understand fellow human beings will become increasingly valuable as AI becomes more adept at performing analytical functions. According to this view, jobs that require that ability to perform emotional labour will become highly sought after. If this is the case, jobs that were once derided as ‘women’s work’ or low skill labour will grow in their importance to society. Others, like anthropologist Yuval Noah Harari in his book “Homo Deus” counter that AI will eventually develop the ability to read and understand emotions better than humans themselves, rendering most workers dispensable.

Changing Educational Priorities

In response to the inevitable changes in the work force, institutions have begun to recommend ways to prepare people for the forthcoming changes. Just last year, in its Global Challenge Insight Report the World Economic Forum concluded that education systems’ priorities will have to be shifted to reflect the skills and competencies that will be valuable in an AI dominated era, to ensure that workers are not learning skills that will become irrelevant midway through their working careers. Some have suggested that answers lie in emphasizing the importance of lifelong learning and encouraging students to be curious and creative, enjoying the process of learning itself rather than simply memorize answers for an exam. This line of thinking says that humans need to better develop their abilities to creatively think in order to determine what tasks AI assisted programs actually need to complete. Others advocate for mandatory computer science classes so that children develop a deep understanding of the digital world in which they live. Many including the PEW Research Centre claim that going forwards both the state and employers will have to invest in worker retraining programs as humans become displace by machines.

Learning From the Past

It is instructive to remember that this is not the first time society has been disrupted by an industrial revolution, but the fourth. In the early 20th century, a large percentage of the workforce was concentrated in the agricultural sector. Now, the majority of the population is employed in urban centres as much of farming became outsourced to machines. Society is likely to eventually grow to complement the machines that inhabit our world as has been done in the past. As put by Vishal Sikka from the Financial Times, “breakthroughs can only be achieved if man and machine work together on a set of shared goals. When we achieve such a symbiosis, the potential for our species will be immense”.

A Topic that Transcends Boundaries

At AER’s event on Artificial Intelligence in Brussels politicians, civil servants, entrepreneurs, academics, and stakeholder groups will have the opportunity to take part in a genuine exchange on AI. They will be able to share stories about how AI is impacting their regions and effecting areas as diverse as education, health, culture, or health, and identify fields for cooperation. The impetus for the organisation of this mutual learning event came from Committee 1 president and Chair of the working group on SMEs & Investments, Jean-Luc Vanraes. At the plenary meetings in London, Jean Luc Vanraes offered to organise a mutual learning event on a current topic to exchange experiences, challenges and potentially identify new areas for cooperation between members across committees.

This unique event will give participants the chance to engage actively in conversations with stakeholder groups and experts about what they feel are the biggest challenges and opportunities to regions as AI keeps progressing. While the social and economic challenges posed by AI to human society can seem daunting, regions can learn from one another’s experiences and act right now.

Event on current & transversal topic: AI

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The Eurodyssey family continues to grow!

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The Croatian region of Šibenik-Knin hosted the Eurodyssey Forum, from 3 to 5 October. The participants were welcomed by a sunny and warm weather: a pleasant atmosphere for the forum’s 2017 edition. On the first day, a new member region was presented, Arad (RO). Lavinia Terpea, the region’s correspondent, introduced the region and its goals for the programme.

Presentations

AER Secretariat presented the Data Collected for 2017, regarding the numbers about the Eurodyssey. The members get to know the participation of each region in the programme and briefed about what they could do better in order to balance the numbers. The co-presidents, Laurence Hermand and Arlette Brone, presented the Quality Charter that was discussed later on. We also had the opportunity to exchange views on the Lanarka’s outcomes. You can find all the documents and presentations on the event’s page, here.

The new Eurodyssey logo is here!

The after lunch session had a fresh start: the presentation of the new Eurodyssey logo, by the AER Secretariat. One of the keys for the success of this programme relies on an assertive promotion. The clean, simple and bold design marks a new approach and promotion of the programme.

By the end of the day, the regions had the opportunity to showcase their culture during a speed dating session. A great opportunity to bring members closer.

The workshops

On 4 October participants had the opportunity to attend several workshops. The thematics covered the following areas:

  • the promotion and its strategy, where each member was brought to discuss their way of promoting the Eurodyssey programme. This was a good way of exchanging best-practices among members.
  • the welcome and training of newcomers
  • the design of pilot actions.

These sessions were very useful to understand what each region is doing and to build a common strategy for members.

The new Steering Committee

One of the highlights of this edition was the General Assembly. Esther Estany, from Catalonia (ES), was elected for the Steering Committee Chair. We also welcomed the new members for the Steering Committee, Arlette Brone, from Brussels (BE), Laurence Hermand, from Wallonia (BE), Agneta Kardos, from Timis (RO), Maria Vitória Soares, from Azores (PT), Emilio Vicente, from Valencia (ES) and Géraldine Pulicani, from Corsica (FR). The new members of the Steering Committee had their first meeting on the last day of the Forum and discussed the outcomes of this edition. You can find more details here.

 

The cultural visit

After having the important decisions made, the participants took off for a field visit, to the Krka National Park. Nobody stayed indifferent to such great natural beauty.

You can see pictures from the event here!

AER thanks you, Šibenik!Follow AER!

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Policy learning event on research and innovation and SME competitiveness

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Don’t miss the #policylearning event in Milan organised by the Interreg Europe Policy Learning Platform. The two day networking conference will be a unique opportunity to learn about the latest developments concerning the use of R&D results and open innovation, to share on how to better contribute to the competitiveness of SMEs and regional growth and to find out what the platform has in store for you.

19-20 October 2017 in Milan – Research & innovation and SME competitiveness

During the two-day events you will:

  • Meet colleagues working with similar topics
  • Hear about the latest EU-wide developments in your field
  • Have opportunity to share experiences, learn from each other and collaborate with each other
  • Test the services of the Interreg Europe Policy Learning Platform

The events welcome Interreg Europe project partners, representatives of the managing authorities of the Structural Funds programmes and other policy actors working with any of the event topics.

Participation is free of charge. Places are however limited and allocated on a ‘first-come, first-served’ basis, so register now and start preparing for a new kind of #policylearning experience!

Go to the Policy Learning Platform event page for more information and for registration.

About the Policy Learning Platform

The Policy Learning Platform is the second principal activity besides the projects funded by the Interreg Europe programme. Our aim is to make the projects knowledge accessible and usable by other regions and to offer networking, knowledge sharing and policy learning opportunities to any interested region even without being partner in a project. We create a hub of information and services to facilitate continuous learning mainly among local and regional public authorities in Europe. You can learn from the experiences and solutions of your peers and benefit from the policy know-how of our experts. As our platform community grows, so will the pool of good practices and expertise in our four topics: research and innovation, competitiveness of SMEs, low-carbon economy, and the environment and resource efficiency. Join us today to exchange with the other policy makers in your field and access expert services, tools and information on how to improve the effectiveness of your regional development policies and programmes.

If you have not already done so, register now to the Policy Learning Platform community to access the services (if you already have an Interreg Europe account, you can update it in a few simple clicks to join the Policy Learning Platform community)

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Join the V-CEG project on Active Youth for EEA and Norway Grants!

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AER received another project ready to be submitted for the EEA and Norway Grants Fund for Youth Employment. The Department of Business Administration, University of the Aegean aims at combatting youth employment and addressing the needs of NEETs in their project proposal, called ‘Virtual Campus for Employability & Growth (V-CEG) in the non-financial business economy’.

Who can join the Consortium?

Eligible partners sought are from the following countries:

  • Beneficiary states: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Cyprus, Malta and Portugal.
  • Ireland, Italy and Spain.

Consortium members may not participate in other projects under this Call.

They are looking for partners among all the eligible entities, especially:

  • Regions, associations of regions and
  • Social partners (employer associations, chambers of commerce and industry).

Who is in the Consortium?

The lead partner is the University of the Aegean (UAegean) which is a Network University of “academic ports of studies and research”, successfully established in 6 campuses spread across the Aegean Archipelago and offers a unique academic, environment to experience. It has established strong ties with several National, European and International Universities, Institutions, Organisations, Authorities and the Public. The Research Unit of the University since 1985 has implemented more than 2400 research projects for a total amount of 150 million Euros.

Thus, the partners from Greece are the Chios Chamber of Commerce, the Region of Central Greece , and the Research Innovation and Development Lab (ReadLab).

What is this project about?

The main objective is the development and piloting of a Virtual Campus for Employability & Growth (V-CEG) in the non-financial business economy. The non-financial business economy includes the sectors of industry, construction and distributive trades and services. Specifically, the V-CEG will be focused on:

  1. Enhancing the skills and competences of NEETs through the online delivery of a new modular training programme considering the specific needs of young people.
  2. Setting-up a work-based learning and apprenticeships scheme by involving social partners, companies, chambers and VET providers. Web 2.0 tools and popular modern social networking applications will be used to facilitate social interaction.

More specifically, the project aims to create educational resources for skills development, implement training activities, and promote work-based learning through apprenticeships in the non-financial business economy.

Therefore, the proposed activities are:

  • Needs analysis,
  • V-CEG design and development,
  • Design and implement curricula, courses and modules, using digital and innovative technologies as appropriate,
  • Set-up and strengthen work-based learning and apprenticeships in sectors of the non-financial business economy by facilitating cooperation between, social partners, companies, chambers and VET providers.

How to join?

It is important to note that the deadline for submitting the concept note is 1st of August. Hence, the deadline for your expression of interest to the AER Secretariat is 20th July.Follow AER!

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