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CREATOR aims to lift European ICT innovation to a next level

25.10.2011

The well known European paradox refers to the perceived failure of European countries to translate scientific advances into marketable innovations. On strategic policy level, good actions are already in place to cope with this paradox. Nevertheless, it remains in practice difficult for companies to get into the global market with their ICT innovations.

This issue deserves particular attention since ICT technologies promise to command a greater share of economic activity. The size and effectiveness of investment in software-related R&D can determine economic performance and international competitiveness more broadly. Many firms beyond the traditional software sector embrace software development as a complement to their non-software products and use ICT as a proper mean to innovate.

To face this important evolution, several challenges need to be tackled. The much-discussed knowledge deficit in the ICT sector results in potential skills shortage and imposes companies and knowledge centers to focus on industrial knowledge development and avoid dispersion of capabilities.

ICT innovation efforts are taking place in a context of increasing complexity of services and products. Furthermore the delivery of software products on time, within budget and with an acceptable quality, is a remaining challenging.

Hence, the deployment of ICT innovations needs to be efficient and fast. The industry has come to a stage where few companies are able to play the innovation game alone. This calls for the creation of industrial alliances focused on innovation.

Determined to tackle these new challenges, Institut Telecom, Sirris and VTT today announce the birth of CREATOR, a European expert network that supports ICT innovations through its expertise hubs in various countries, starting with France, Belgium and Finland. CREATOR aims to support the ICT industry to enhance its innovation processes and to create international alliances to design and deploy innovations on the global market.

The three partners in CREATOR share the same strong vision and ambition to tackle the issues of speed-to-global-market and the intrinsic complexity of future ICT services and products. In addition to this shared vision, the partners have their own unique contribution in this partnership.

Institut Telecom is recognized as an international top research and education center for its strong involvement supporting industry large and small companies. It has a profound experience in go-to-market of ICT research via new incubators. Sirris is a leading player in the realization of industrial driven innovation and has a deep experience in the creation and delivery of new generations of ICT services. VTT is an international top research institute and is recognized for its experience in the setup and realization of shared industrial ICT research projects on an international scale.

QUOTES

“Our economy is moving towards an economy of alliance under the pressure of the innovation stream. CREATOR has been designed to support this evolution and Institut Telecom is proud to contribute to it.”
(Philippe Letellier, Innovation Director at Institut Telecom)

“VTT has a long and successful tradition of partnerships with larger companies. VTT’s main target in the CREATOR alliance concept is to instigate Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SME) to focus on growth and global markets. CREATOR provide SMEs with new means to offer a complete solution, faster time to market, a wider addressable market as well as a variety of business models to choose from.”
(Tatu Koljonen, VP Strategic Research at VTT)

“For companies, software and ICT is a dominant differentiator to innovate their products. By this ICT becomes a key innovation axis for the future. Its societal impact goes beyond national borders and industrial sectors. CREATOR is the beginning of a profound collaboration between European key players to help companies creating value in this new area of globalized innovation.”
(Jeroen Deleu, Director at Sirris)

About Sirris - www.sirris.be

Sirris, the collective centre of the Belgian technology industry, was founded in 1949 by Agoria, the Belgian Federation for the Technology Industry. More than 150 highly qualified engineers, scientists and technicians assist companies in implementing technological innovations by investigating new technologies, raising industry awareness of promising innovations, providing advice at all decision-making levels and offering support, from the initial concept to the operational solution. Its mission is to increase the sector’s competitiveness through technology and innovation. Sirris has more than 2.400 member companies. Sirris develops expertise and acquires knowledge in-house, and at the same time keeps up to date with developments in other parts of the world.

About Institut Telecom - www.institut-telecom.fr

The Institut Telecom is a higher education and research establishment specializing in information and communication science and technology. The Institut Telecom group includes the Grandes Ecoles Telecom ParisTech, Telecom Bretagne, Telecom SudParis and Telecom Business School, as well as two subsidiary institutions: Telecom Lille I and Eurecom. These schools are home to around 5400 students, 650 lecturers and researchers and 950 doctoral students, post-doctoral researchers and visiting professors. As European leader in the field of telecommunications science, the Institut Telecom established a network of 7 affiliated schools in 2008. Committed to innovation, the Institut Telecom and its network of partners have been awarded Carnot 2 certification for the quality of their collaborative research. The Institut launches over 50 technology start-ups every year via its business incubators.

About VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland – www.vtt.fi

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland is a leading multitechnological applied research organization in Northern Europe. VTT creates new technology and science-based innovations in co-operation with domestic and foreign partners. VTT’s turnover is EUR 290 million and its personnel totals 3,100.