Catrin, Jurga and Katarina says good-bye

Three and a half years have come to an end. We in the E-CLIC management team would like to take the opportunity to thank all of you for a very stimulating cooperation. Together we have reached our goals. We established our eight centres, and through them – just to mention a few things – we exchanged knowledge, stimulated innovation and broadened our networks. We are now taking good care of the results from E-CLIC. Let us not say good bye, let us say: See you again in the future – take care!

After more than 3 years of work in Wilhelmshaven many results have been produced:

12 Case Studies, 7 Prototypes/Manuals, two reviews and a brochure will be completed by the end of the project.

The case studies deal with different topics. Some of them have to do with the necessary infrastructure for broadband access, here are their titles

“Analysis of accessibility to broadband in the Weser-Ems-District”,

“A model of the broadband supplies to internet in rural areas  in the weser-ems-district”,

“Examination of transferability to regions of the Weser-Ems-District”

“Broadband access via Ethernet”

Other case studies focus on providing new services that are possible when broadband access is available. The following titles show the work on different fields:

“Feasibility study of an open source E-Government-Application”

“Implementation study of an open source E-Government-Application”,

“Developing an AIS-Antenna system”

“Implementation study of Mobile Services for Destination Management”

“Development and Construction of an AIS Receiving Equipment in SDR Technology Using the Broadband Net”

Some Content has also been produced during the project, here the titles of the case studies:

“Using second life as an eLearning platform”

There have also some prototypes been developed and documented. For some of them exists also a manual:

Prototype and manual for SecVoIP,

prototype and manual for the eGovernment platform,

prototype for AIS-Antenna System,

prototype for AIS-Display,

prototype for Second Life presence of E-Clic,

prototype for E-CLIC A/D Converter Board,

Some reviews have been written for the “Wikipilot” of Groningen and the “Second Life project meeting”. Last but not least a brochure about the outcome of the E-CLIC-project in Wilhelmshaven has been published with the main results of the project.

In the region North Netherlands we are looking back with pride to the results of three year collaboration within E-CLIC. The core partnership in our region consisted of the University of Groningen, Faculty of Economics and Business, the Hanze University of Applied Sciences, school of computer science, and Groningen Internet Exchange. These three partners closely co-operated with business companies, health care and educational institutions and the regional and local municipalities. One example of the E-CLIC activities is the development of business processes to create better services for the citizens of the region North Netherlands. E-CLIC Groningen was leader of WP 3 “Development of E-Services” and enabled students to co-operate internationally with universities and businesses all over Europe. Health care organizations, local and regional authorities, cultural organizations like museums and libraries will offer customer friendly and easy to use e-services, based on research being done within the E-CLIC project. Thanks to the transnational collaboration and the Living Lab approach within the project, applications could be tested and evaluated. Some of them have been brought to market already; others will be further developed after the completion of the project. Just a few examples: E-Cab Service, Solar Powered Network Equipment, Parking Guidance, Living Lab Oldambt – Innovative E-Health business processes WiMax Offshore Mesh Communications, Life video streaming.

Next to transnational collaboration between the centres, student and teacher exchange was a clear focus during the project. E-CLIC Groningen organized two big events, one student exchange during the CEBIT in Hannover in March 2010, the other one in Kortrijk during the Multi Mania Conference in May 2011. These two big conferences / exhibitions were highly inspiring learning environments for both, students and teachers. Students from each centre worked together in international teams for three days and presented amazing results.

Subjects of their assignments were:

Green IT – Find out the latest trends in Green IT.

In Motion – Find out the latest trends in IT systems for mobility for consumers. Develop, based on these innovations, a product and business concept/idea that uses a wireless (broadband) communication network to support mobility.

TeleHealth – Find out the latest trends in IT systems for healthcare. Develop, based on these innovations, a product and business concept/idea that uses a latest technologies in broadband communication (wired and/or wireless) to support the needs of personnel in the healthcare. Give special attention to the decrease or increase of usability for the end user (healthcare personnel or patient, disabled or elderly person).

Serious Gaming / Simulation – Find out the latest trends in systems that can be used for serious gaming, e.g. multimedia (sound and video), broadband and multiprocessor systems.

Develop, based on these innovations, a game/simulation and its business case where the participants are on multiple locations.

Public Sector – Find out the latest trends in it systems for the public sector (sound and video).

Develop, based on these innovations, a product and business concept/idea that uses a broadband (wireless) communication network to support mobility in the public sector

The Kortrijk Digital Landscape (e.g. multimedia, interactive landscapes, AR, etc.)

The internet entrepreneur – Develop business models for successful internet entrepreneurship.

The presentations of business ideas, new models of broadband and media use, applications for e-services were of amazing quality. Clearly the international collaboration and the inspiring learning environments have contributed to the development of new e-services and business ideas and broadened the path for future entrepreneurship for these students. Next to these exchanges, with the collaboration between the centres in the North Sea region, E-CLIC has created numerous opportunities for new developments in the broadband and media sector. The objectives of the E-CLIC project, to establish transnational co-operation between business clusters, research institutes, universities and public support agencies in the field of broadband services and media products and to create new market orientated products and services have been definitely fulfilled.

At the final conference Carl Fredrik Kastengren, Tieto Sweden, talked about Connected People, Connected Devices. Here

Carl Fredrik Kastengren, Tieto, Sweden

you have the opportunity to watch his slides.

There is life on LivingLab Planet MID. The prestigious media event “Hands on HD” offered 150 media professionals workshops and screenings and allowed visitors a closer look at high end camera systems and the future broadcasting workflow which will be based on broadband technology.

Currently, the event series “Media Future” is hosted at Planet MID. It is implemented in cooperation with nordmedia and its initiative “media & business.” The lectures focus on media trends and visions: media policy and regulation, development of technical TV standards or the significance for marketing and communication in smart cities are just a few examples.

During CeBIT 2012, another conference will take place in cooperation with NorCOM. The topic will be “Dynamic Enterprise Communication 2020 – Networked moving image as an engine for corporate communications.”

The exhausted participants in the 24-hour event

An initiative that has been proved successful is the 24-Hour competition. The concept is a development competition in which participants have to solve a task set by a company. 24-Hour competitions are a good way of enabling people to meet in a creative environment; the employees and developers of the future can get to know representatives of e.g. the industry, and providers of education in technological subjects have the opportunity to demonstrate that their education lead to careers with exciting prospects. The ambition with the competition is to show that cross-border collaboration and co-operation is a good investment for the future.

On 6 December at 14.00, ten existed students from four different E-CLIC partners were gathered in Karlstad Conference and Culture Centre to take part in the E-CLIC 24-Hour competition. Taking part in the 24-Hour competition meant that the students were dedicated to their team and the conference centre for 24 hours. Some of the students had never met before and were now placed into three teams that were going to compete against each other the next coming 24-hours. Their task, set by Bergvik shopping mall, was to develop an app for smartphones, which customers in the mall could use. Bergvik shopping mall is located on the outskirts of Karlstad. Sixty stores and eleven cafés/restaurants are placed in the mall. In 2008, Bergvik was appointed “the mall of the year” by the newspaper Market.

The E-CLIC 24-Hour teams consisted of:

Team 1
Sebastian Hinrichsen, Jade Hochschule (Germany)
Jonathan Vestin, Karlstad University (Sweden)
Karl-Johan Ladekvist, Karlstad University (Sweden) 

Team 2
Lukas Fink, Jade Hochschule (Germany)
Kristoffer Niklasson, Karlstad University (Sweden)
Joakim Carlsson, Karlstad University (Sweden) 

Team 3
Quinten De Corte, Howest University College (Belgium)
Fatemeh Saadatmand, Borås University-College (Sweden)
Robin Cox, Howest University College (Belgium)
Petra Lundström, Karlstad University (Sweden)

All teams took the competition very serious and started directly to form their graphical and technical ideas and solutions. Food, coffee, candy, snacks, fruits, water and soft drinks etc. was available during 24 hours. Some of the student’s slept a few hours during the night, others stayed awaked. 7 December at 8.30 in the morning the participants of the E-CLIC final conference started to arrive to the conference centre, hence they could see the students working. Although not all were awake… At lunch time all teams felt ready and satisfied with their development and everyone started to practice on their presentations. The teams’ results were presented at 14.00 to the audience and a jury at the E-CLIC final conference. 24 hours of competition was now over.

Both the audience and the jury were very impressed of the teams’ results and all teams had something that the Bergvik shopping mall felt they could use. After the jury had their consultation the winning team was presented; team 3. Their idea was well developed and had several smart solutions that the mall found useful.

Mark your calendar, on the 7:th of December you will have the opportunity to attend the final conference of E-CLIC,  Internet Innovations for the Future.

The venue is at Karlstad CCC (Congress and Culture Centre) and the conference will offer a wide range of interesting keynote speakers in the areas of mobility, business aproaches and best practices.

You’ll find everything about the conference, registration and programme, at http://eclicfinalconference.wordpress.com

The final conference will be held in Karlstad, Sweden, 6-7 December 2011.

The venue is at Karlstad CCC (Congress and Culture Centre) and the conference will offer a wide range of interesting keynote speakers in the areas of mobility, business aproaches and best practices. The second day is open for the public but register first.

You’ll find everything about the conference, registration and programme, at http://eclicfinalconference.wordpress.com

• Day #78 – Copenhagen, Denmark
  Day 78. Highlights of today: ♪♫ A Walk In The Park ♪♫ is just a line from a Nick Straker Band song that applies to every nation and every town  
• Day #77 – Copenhagen, Denmark
  www.youtube.com/watch?v=44LZaf8FrN0 Today I got to fly for the very first time and it wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be! People were very friendly and wanted to pet me on the head. (Except for that one guy at … Continue reading →

“Implementing the Digital Agenda in the North Sea Region – good practises, challenges and opportunities”

The kick-off conference of the Digital Agenda for the North Sea (DANS)” cluster project will be held in Karlstad, Sweden.

Date: December 8, 2011.
Place: Karlstad CCC

The aim of the conference is to bring the Digital Agenda for Europe to a more regional level and to show how activities and projects implemented in the frame of the Interreg North Sea Region Programme can contribute to it. Major results as well as some good practices from the Interreg IVB NSR projects “Creative City Challenge”, “Smart Cities” and of course E-CLIC will be presented and will showcase the “northern” way of implementing the Digital Agenda.

Further information about DANS, the conference and registration at http://dans-cluster.eu/