Creativity, Innovation, People

The Regional Dimension of Creativity and Innovation

EYCI Second Flagship Conference

Brussels 8-9 July 2009

The main objective of EYCI flagship conferences is to stress the importance of creativity and
innovation for Europe, in particular in a context of crisis, and the added value of EU policies
to bring them to fruition. Common to all conferences are the showcasing of good practices
and the contribution of a wide range of actors from education, research, business, culture,
and the arts, including both the public and the private sectors.

The main characteristic of this second conference is its regional/local approach. In other
terms, the conference should explore creativity and innovation from a people's point of view,
demonstrating how they relate to everyday life and to societal priorities and concerns.

The three themes chosen to this end are employment, wellbeing and education. There are
clear linkages between all three, and the conference should highlight this mutual
dependence, and the need for holistic approaches.

To this end, each theme will be presented by an expert in the subject, and it will be illustrated
by means of a selected number of cases of good practice. It will be a specialised conference,
addressing policy makers, practitioners, academia and business. The parallel workshops will
be structured as panels, to stimulate and facilitate a debate and produce policy conclusions

For employment, the key message is how creativity and innovation contribute to the creation
of new jobs. Good practices will be chosen in areas with high growth potential such as soft
energies, health services, waste management, communication services or the creative
industries. A second important message is the fact that these new jobs are often quality
jobs.

For wellbeing, the key message is how creativity and innovation contribute to a better quality
of life for all. Good practices will be chosen in areas of high societal impact and relevance
such as health, clean cities, leisure activities or advanced social services.

For education, the key message is how education and learning are the source of creativity
and innovation and how important is to build them in as core values of education and training
systems in Europe. A second key message is the need of "new skills for new jobs". Good
practices would be linked to essential sectors for creativity and innovation such as science,
ICT, entrepreneurship and the arts.

All three areas are closely interrelated, as selected good practices will demonstrate. This
interrelationship will also drive the conference's organization, by a holistic approach to the
description and analysis of projects as well as by providing opportunities for cross-
disciplinary debate.