The idea "Learn and work with Europe's Best in New
Media and Content Technologies" aims at stimulating the development of a
European e-content industry by monitoring the digital media market and
transferring know-how in Europe.
The background ACTeN is a EU-funded thematic network
with a total volume of 1 Mio. Euro for two years (September 2002 - August 2004).
It is part of the EU Programme "Information Society Technologies" (IST) which is
a single, integrated research programme promoting a user-friendly information
society.
The mission In ACTeN, 11 partners from 10 countries cooperate
to build an enlarged business and industry community in the area of multimedia
technologies and e-content applications and tools. With this, ACTeN provides an
East-West collaboration by addressing the opportunities and challenges of the
enlargement of the EU towards Central and Eastern Europe.
It
looks in particular for the technology needs in the vast marketplaces of the EU
and the Newly Associated States (NAS). Enlargement towards NAS countries is a
powerful engine for rejuvenating the EU and promoting dynamic change by bringing
together different cultures.
The network In
order to be able to do this, ACTeN builds on the network of the European Academy
of Digital Media (EADiM) which has members and fellows in 28 countries in the EU
and the NAS and has developed around the evaluation of best practice of
e-content creation through the EUROPRIX contest. Based on this network, ACTeN
seeks to anticipate needs of the business community for innovation, enabling
technical environments and new product features.
The activities By means of four "instruments", Market
Monitor, Business Roundtable, Scouting Workshop and Scholars Conference, ACTeN
aims to showcase the diversity and quality of European multimedia production
while highlighting new themes arising in the European digital media
industry.
Content Market Monitor: Taking into account that the international
digital media market is characterised by a lack of clarity about current and
future trends and highly segregated national markets, market updates and
overviews of the digital media market are strongly required. In ACTeN technology
and market watches directed towards national and regional market developments in
the content and multimedia industry are continuously conducted. Particular focus
is put on interactive electronic publishing, following the value chain of
content creation, packaging, distribution and delivery.
Published as an electronic newsletter you find reports
concentrating on the content and multimedia industry regarding:
national and regional market developments
dissemination of projects’ results and trends relevant to European
programmes
Business Roundtable: Data gained from the market monitor is set
into context in expert discussions. Altogether 18, mainly national business
round tables are conducted in ACTeN. Experts are invited according to the value
chain of the e-content production on topics which have come out of research
conducted in earlier EU-funded research (under so-called "Framework 5",
1998-2002) such as digital rights management, future of UMTS, ubiquitous
computing, to name a few. The methodology used id modelled after structured
focus groups interviews and adapted for the context of a professional business
meeting. Results are written up in business briefings. With this, an illuminated
discussion on drivers and trends gets fostered which in return can shape further
EU-funded research in Framework 6 (2002-2006). more...
Scouting Workshop: In altogether 10 scouting workshops which last
for 3 to 5 days international practitioners are brought together. Europe’s best
in multimedia, the winners and nominees of the EUROPRIX contests, show their
products and give insider-tips on how to produce successful quality multimedia.
By demonstrating best practice products leading edge know-how gets transferred.
These hands-on sessions teach the know-how which is collected in the market
monitor and business round tables. more...
Scholars' Conference: Resulting trends and perspectives on the
future of the e-content industry are scrutinised in two scholars conferences as
part of the ACTeN project. The scholars network offers professional research on
market development as an outcome of the EUROPRIX jury session in which leading
European experts look at numerous best European multimedia products every year.
This results in a special scientific know-how which is collected and
subsequently published in the scholars conference. This look into the future is
a necessary endeavour for giving the e-content industry a more prominent stance
in the European market. more...
These
goals can just be achieved by drawing together and strengthening a Europe-wide
network of experts, business people, scholars and designers alike. You want to
participate and actively engage in a network characterised by interchange,
sustainability, and European outreach? Then get in touch with us.
The network