EUROPEAN DIGITAL THINK TANK STRATEGY
1.Think Tank Rationale
Development of ICT technology and new innovations in the way people communicate have changed and are about to change ways people interact and consume media. This will have implications for ICT and media businesses, the new environment will bring challenges but also significant opportunities.
In the new communication environment also small and medium-sized companies have the possibility to take a leading market position on global level. The new business environment is more and more global.
However, small companies don’t always have the resources, international networks and all necessary knowledge to take the benefit of the new market environment. This is where there is a need for business catalyst services in digital content industry.
This is the rationale behind the Think Tank initiative.
2.Digital content and services industry
‘Digital Content’ involves diverse aspects and challenges, as it is not traditional business area or a field of business with one single focus.
Content business can be divided into businesses with consumer focused content products and/or services, and businesses serving other content business orientated businesses, for instance games, animation, Internet services, television production, music, e-learning and marketing communications. As the business environments are developing quickly, the area of digital content industry needs to be addressed with a flexible definition to take into account possible new areas that are of importance to the sector.
The digital content industries have specific needs and require a special approach that few people outside the sector are capable of understanding or providing. Digital micro-enterprises have many creative ideas but inadequate time and resources to develop them. They are often ill equipped to deal with investors and content commissioners. Big media companies, too, are active within digital content area. Small and medium sized companies may also benefit from co-operating with larger enterprises.
The success of the digital content sector relies heavily on developing sufficient creative talent and capability to innovate to satisfy the demand for diverse and compelling content. While their work is recognised and flagged as being at the forefront in terms of innovation and content, digital media innovators and entrepreneurs need an intellectual infrastructure that will support business growth in this dynamic sector.
3.The Think Tank Network
Think Tank Network for digital content industries is a co-operation project launched by several European organisations that represent a region. The member organisations share a common view on the development of digital communications technologies, services and markets; further they share the idea that in today’s world national-level co-operation is not enough.
Founding members of the network share these theses:
• Development of digital communications technologies and
practices bring new business opportunities for small and
medium-sized companies
• The aim of the network as well as of its member
organisations is to support the growth of the client companies
• In today’s world, companies need to operate and co-operate
on an international level; the same applies to business development
organisations as well
• Business development organisations need to offer their
client companies services on an international level and help
companies’ access to international networks
Network founding members represent Finland, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and UK. In addition to these markets the network will also pay attention to other countries and market areas.
4.Strategy
The network’s strategic goal is to enhance each member’s capability to serve their clients by sharing knowledge and best practices. This expertise will be used to put forward recommendations for change that benefit the Digital Content Market both regionally and European wide.
(For some member organisations “clients” refer to companies, for which the organisation offers it services; whereas for some of the members serving clients is more general-level industry development.)
4.1. Mission and Vision
The mission statement of the network is:
The Think Tank network co-operation will significantly help
its members to support their clients to grow and prosper on the
international digital content market.
The network’s vision for the coming few years can be described with the following list of intended achievements:
• Several client companies have successfully sold their digital
content products and services on the international market
• Several client companies have raised funding with the help
of network members
• Network members have co-operated in several EU funded
projects
• Network members share knowledge with each other on a
continuous basis
• Recommendations from the Think Tank are put forward to the
European Commission to add value to the EU’s work in the Digital
Content Sector
• Recommendations from the Think Tank are put forward to
regional government agencies in order to benefit the digital
content market locally and globally
The scope in sharing knowledge covers digital business and content creation in general, digital technologies and funding opportunities.
The network’s strategy can be summarised as follows:
The network is a group of regional digital expertise organisations that jointly exchange information and work on selected themes and issues that face the ever changing digital content market. Among the network’s scope is to understand trends, new business models and weak signals within digital business industry in order to make European companies more competitive globally.
The network meets regularly and co-operates between the meetings with the help of virtual tools. The network is given a brand image that helps to differentiate from other digital media development projects.
The network will meet at existing conference and events associated to the Digital Content Sector throughout the year. Also some planning meetings are needed in between. This will allow the Think Tank to be more effective in putting forward themed discussions around such events, have far more presence and relevance and then distribute its findings and recommendations to the wider sector.
The network membership is limited at least in the beginning. Each of the network members cover their own costs for the co-operation, for the network’s engagement with conference and events funding will be sought from the relevant organisations.
5. Activities
5.1. To share information
a. General information: press, market intelligence, newsletters
etc
b. Strategic information: to establish the option of joint
initiatives, or to have the possibility of providing similar
services to member companies.
5.2. To explore joint industry initiatives, where relevant and feasible
5.3. To prepare joint advocacy (e.g. lobbying and informing policy makers) in relevant areas such as skills provision, access to finance etc. As each item is proposed, it must be agreed by a majority to achieve ‘group’ advocacy
5.4. To share international activities
5.5. To support ongoing match-making activities among SMEs and other Creative Industry organisations across the member regions on a “trusted” basis
5.6. To have shared branding
5.7. To publish on Digital Creative Industry issues
5.8. To provide practical support across the eco-sytem of the member organisations
The Think Tank will monitor and apply metrics to evaluate the
success of the above activities on an annual basis. The results
will be published.
The network’s external web presence is created under the digibusiness.eu web site. Culminatum Innovation will be in charge for the implementation and technical hosting of the site. All members are encouraged to post information on Think Tank activities on their own organisation’s web sites or a link to digibusiness.eu.
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