Territories of Tomorrow Living Lab

IdentityThe Territories of Tomorrow Living Lab:
the Lessons of the Future

1 - Presentation of the Foundation

1.1 - Created by the European Network of digital Cities (www.villesnumeriques.org) and the European association of professors and
researchers ARENOTECH (www.arenotech.org) - a partner of MOSAIC and WEEST European projects -, the Territories of Tomorrow Foundation (TTF) aims at favoring the development of knowledge-based economy and society at the local level. With his partners, the Foundation is taking part in the creation of a resource centre. The TTF is also contributing to the creation of a training centre for territorial executives, with a focus on prospective thinking.

1.2 - It was created in July, 2007 with the European Network of Digital Cities - a network of professionals from local authorities, businesses and universities in 18 European countries, representing 140 cities and territories (www.villesnumeriques.org) -, ARENOTECH (Association for Art, Education and New Technologies) - gathering almost 5000 professionals across Europe involved in developing and promoting culture and knowledge with the help of new technologies (www.arenotech.org), a Digital Observatory - dedicated to picturing technologies and new forms of communications (www.espaces-multimedia.org), the Society of the Future - a European-wide think tank on innovation trends and prospective (2020-2030).

1.3 - The Foundation has created regional representations in the world: the Europe-Latin America Institute in Buenos Aires, in partnership with local universities, the Europe-Africa Institute in Dakar, the Europe-Asia Institute in Beijing in partnership with the Chinese government and, under creation, a Euro-Mediterranean Institute. Each of these representations aims at helping local initiatives such as the creation of Living Labs, Knowledge Centers, Knowledge Areas, smart Territories…

2 - A Vision of Innovation Territories

We think that the economy of tomorrow will be based, first and foremost, upon knowledge and the way it is organized and used. At the scale of a territory, this necessarily implies to develop and optimize, at the same time, both local capacities and external links. Developing local capacities requires reaching a high level of cooperation and involvement between such different players as local researchers businesses and local authorities. In many places, this means significant changes in mentalities and practices. The lack of external links is a major cause for failure of several existing technological clusters. Creating and strengthening these links implies, first of all, to acquire precise information about the existing international networks, about their practice, successes and failures (In the European Union alone, for example, there is noless than 30 important knowledge and innovation networks). Furthermore, the requirements and benefits of external cooperation must be strongly taken into account at all stages of the design and development of the local knowledge capacities.

Prospective thinking, a prospective and strategic approach including universities and public authorities is another strong requirement to succeed in
today’s and tomorrow’s knowledge-based economy with strong involvement of users and local partners.

The Territories of Tomorrow Foundation can assist local authorities in dealing with the three main issues - the 3 B of Klaus Schwab in Davos - :
· Bounding: share Knowledge
· Binding: create Knowledge Maps
· Building: organize Knowledge Centers.
Building a Knowledge Map

2.1 - Bounding: share Knowledge

Knowledge to be shared range from joint R&D initiatives to market data and analyses: Knowledge can be shared with external players as well as within the territory. The TTF suggests a methodological and legal framework to guarantee the protection of the players who share their knowledge. Such a protection is crucial for small and middle businesses in particular, since they usually do not have the means to ensure the protection by themselves. Local authorities should play an important role in initiating and supporting the sharing process.
The TTF methodology explains why and how, advantages and examples. Sharing knowledge with other players is now considered as a key requirement for advanced sectors. Multiple types of research and industrial synergies are made possible. Sharing knowledge is also seen by many investors as an attractiveness factor.Through “competence networks”, Germany has helped local businesses to partner with local and external universities and research centers. As a result, all the companies had their innovation potential significantly increased. In Italy, “local production systems” help local companies to join their efforts to expand internationally with bank support.

2.2 - Binding: create Knowledge Maps

To identify formalized and non formalized knowledge existing within any organization of the Territory (among non formalized knowledge is, for example, traditional, recent research or business practice). The Knowledge Map reveals both capacities and needs in the fields of research and industry. It is designed in a dynamic way to integrate future developments.
The advantages? An invaluable document for external and internal players:
- local knowledge is a key factor to attract investors (local recruitment and partnerships…)
- local universities can adjust their research and teaching capacities
- local businesses no more ignore the resources available locally
- local authorities can improve their prospective thinking, better design their
development strategies, focusing on knowledge development.
For example, Mataro, a middle-sized city near Barcelona, built its Knowledge Map in partnership with the Cataluña University and the TTF. The map became the basis of several investment projects. Sharing Knowledge

2.3 - Building: organize Knowledge Centers.

Knowledge Centers, Knowledge Cities and Knowledge Territories associate local businesses, universities and research centers with the local authorities’ organizational and financial support. They aim at identifying available local resources (Knowledge Map); sharing knowledge within the territory and externally; spreading knowledge among the public (including new training and education initiatives); stimulating strategic and prospective thinking.
Knowledge Centers can be developed in several forms such as Technology Centers (focused on research) or Living Labs (focused on the future usage of products and technologies). The TTF can accompany the creation of such centers or contribute to reshape existing ones.
The Advantages? Statistical evidence shows that the Territories who that organize knowledge efficiently do benefit from multiplied entrepreneurial
initiatives and accelerated economic and social development. New technologies are spread more widely within local economic and social life. For example, in Estremadura (Spain), more than 40 knowledge centers offer improved conditions for research and entrepreneurship. Formerly, Estremadura was one of Spain’s less developed regions. Now it became an internationally renowned area for open source software. The TTF is accompanying the creation of knowledge areas in Rabat (Morocco) and Edmonton (New Brunswick). These projects include the installation of high-technology companies. The TTF is also organizing Living Labs in Strasbourg and Central France (Ardèche).

3 - Presentation of the Living Lab

Territories of Tomorrow Living Lab gathers, under the auspices of Saint-Laurent de Neste pole of competences dedicated to heritage and knowledge technologies (cave of Gargas - INITI -TIC Project / numerical abbey of Escaladieu, Midi-Pyrenées) on the one hand and of Territories of Tomorrow Foundation on the other hand, a village of knowledge and an archaeology centre in Provence - Côte d’Azur, a reflection space dedicated to high speed broadband Internet in Alsace, as well as the European Centers of New Technologies (CENT) of which the first
will see its building site starting next year in Privas, Ardèche.

Territories of Tomorrow Living Lab objectives are as follows:

3.1 - A prospective discussion on regional planning, development of their identity and technological innovation management, in connection with the great international institutions: a better tourist, economic and cultural valorization of heritage, notably through Tourists Mobility (using technologies of Geographic Information systems, geolocalisation and geotagging) and of the new forms of cultural mediation (using virtual reality, enhanced reality and 3D modeling, through Numeric Interpretation Centers).

3.2 - The constitution, within the Cistercian abbey of Escaladieu, of a European Knowledge Centre about "Information Technologies and Heritage". With more than 10 years of local development policy based on infotechnologies, Saint-Laurent de Neste county has carried out many projects in the fields of data processing, digitalization of heritage elements (RENABL Project), tourism (ULYSSE, Hypercarta R&D projects), and geomatic (BRIDGE-IT, EDIT R&D projects). These projects were carried out by the two local structures enforcing the ICT development, the European Center of rural Information Technologies (www.cetir.net) and the House of Knowledge (www.maisondusavoir.fr). We also have
fully equipped infrastructures for creation, accompaniment and hosting of companies specialized in areas explored by the Living Lab, in particular the firm growing centre (www.zone-ppi.com).

3.3 - The development of the Knowledge village of Peyresq (Hautes-Alpes) in a state-of-the-art research centre devoted to Knowledge Economy.

3.4 - The creation of an experimentation and reflection space on the digital culture in Strasbourg.

3.5 - The creation of partnerships between researchers and economic actors through the European Centers of New Technologies (CENT), such as Privas’ Cent (Ardèche). Malta is a potential possibility of a CENT installation.

3.6 - The development of European and Euromediterranean projects, in connection particularly with the Archeology Centre of Var in Draguignan.

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