Presentation about the E-clic project. ISEI 2012 conference was located in Venice, Italy, and it is published in a book : Titolo: Entrepreneurial strategies and policies for economic growth Autori: Moreno Muffatto, Paolo Giacon Editore: libreriauniversitaria.it Data di Pubblicazione: 2012 ISBN: 8862922663 ISBN-13: 9788862922661

1. European Collaborative
Innovation Centre, a project to
promote broadband-based
innovation and entrepreneurship.
Jan Frick, Professor
University of Stavanger, Norway

2. 8 Regions in 2007

3. Background
“Digital communications networks are seen as the
bedrock of the modern world.
Wireless technologies, broadband Internet connectivity Figure 1: Graphs on Internet and
and satellite systems have transformed such regions as Broadband usage development in
Europe, Northern America and Asia in the best-connected
regions of the world. Norway.
The world we live in is often referred to as a “digital
world”, which is characterized by, for example,
convergence between computer technologies and
communication technologies, constant increase of speed
and capacity of these technologies and decline in their
cost, increased ease of interfacing between different
parts of the Internet, and growth of broadband and
mobile communications.” Nordmark, K. (2012).
The partners concluded that there were very little
innovation and entrepreneurship in these regions
even if the broadband availability and capacity around
the North Sea was high even in 2007. See Figure 1
showing 3 graphs from Norwegian national statistics.

4. Startup
All 8 centres started out with establishment of an E-Clic office.
A physical location was regarded as important to have an identity and become a
partner versus new companies, students with an idea, or in innovation processes in
established organizations.
It was emphasised based on experience from earlier projects, and most regions thus
had partners from all three sides of the triple Helix model: Academia, private
companies, and public authorities.
But the variations between partner centres were significant.
In Kortrijk, Belgium, Groningen, Netherlands, Hannover and Wilhelmshaven, Germany,
Borås and Karlstad, Sweden, the centres were located at a University.
In Norwich, UK, the centre was located at a television production facility, and in
Stavanger, Norway, the centre was located at an industrial park that is a common
home for new or small companies.
In Karlstad and Norwich, the main partners were the regional public authorities, and
Universities dominated at the remaining locations.
All centres had an agenda to involve local companies and students that could
continue work started in the centres and possible establish new companies.
A major part of that was to involve local companies and students in transnational
activities and workshops as much as possible.
The E-clic project had its lead partner and common secretaries at Regional Authorities,
Karlstad, Sweden. But all other regions had a regional manager, and work package leaders
were from most countries.

5. The idea or method
From the early application it was the intention that these centres should perform many tasks.
One was to have room for university students that had an idea or simply wanted to become part of a
start-up or development environment. To mix students from different countries at workshops was
also part of the ideas of development of products and market.
Another was to try to develop and create business with new or small existing companies.
A main task for the centres was to develop methods, cases, etc. in both products and services.
The last of the more specific tasks was that three of the regions wanted to develop this as a “living lab”
environment where one included customers and users into the development process.
But the overall idea was that available infrastructure together with
international partners in a triple helix setting would create new
products and new services, and that some of these might develop into
new companies.
The approach was very different as Compare that was a formal partner in Sweden, is an umbrella
company for 100 ICT companies in the region.
Another way of including the triple Helix was Howest who merged students and companies by the
yearly Multimania conference but without including the companies as formal E-Clic partners.

6. The e-clic model
All centres
complement each
other in knowledge,
equipment, and local
infrastructure such a
collaborating
companies.
The core of the model
is the meeting place,
which is important to
encourage transfer of
knowledge

7. The process
As all these projects experience, the world change as the project runs. Some partners
(smaller ones) drop out or reduce activity and others find extra funding to complement and
thus increase the activities.
In Norwich, the county became invisible and their EPIC centre did not get the intended
volume. In Stavanger, RKK and later Ipark dropped out, and activity was relocated to the
NettOp centre at the University. At several of the regions we also had a change of persons
as many from the startup in 2008 have been replaced in 2011. An this rotation of people is
both a dissemination of experiences and a problem as new persons need some time to
establish collaborations across regions.
In addition to change of people and the learning during the project, the involved
technology changes also. A good example is the iTunes University that was un-known as a
possibility at project start but was utilised when it became available.
During the project all partners focussed on including students in the process and also to
provide occasions where students from different countries could meet other students. This
was the case at yearly Multimania conferences at Howest, at CeBIT in Hannover, at
entrepreneurship week in Stavanger, and at conferences in Karlstad. The idea was to enable
students to create new products and services and perhaps companies by providing them
with a broader and better infrastructure for such around the North Sea.

8. EDUCATION OF NURSES: 100% of
3 year Nursing bachelor available
as e-learning

9. CONFERENCES

10. Results
The final e-Clic conference was in Karlstad in Sweden in December 2011 presented
results from all partners.
In average 20 cases or prototypes were listed at each centre, most as transnational
collaborations
The conference including a competition for students from most regions where they in
groups during 24 hours developed structure and screens for a multimedia app for a
large shopping mall nearby.
And the student made E-clic movie
Did E-Clic then promote innovations and entrepreneurship?
Several development networks have been established, innovations are made and
documented at all partners and partly made as cross-country collaborations, etc.
But no new companies have been established within 2011 even if several of students
involved have been discussing the possibility.
The future of the E-Clic network goes on in several versions.
Most of the partners are involved (partly together) in new international projects
building on the E-Clic experiences.