STARTS explores the catalytic role of the Arts

The STARTS (Science, Technology and the Arts) Symposium being held in Brussels on 22-23 June 2015, in the salle Henri Le Boeuf at BOZAR, is aimed at exploring the catalytic role of the Arts for innovation in business, industry and society and how to foster it. Possible synergies will be considered during the meeting from an entrepreneurial, technological, scientific, social and artistic point of view. Already existing collaborations of Science & Technology with the Arts in the framework of European Commission funded projects will be particularly highlighted.

As representative of the Civic Epistemologies consortium Frederik Truyen, Professor at the Faculty of Arts of Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (BE), is attending the event to present the project to the delegates.

Civic Epistemologies is an EU-funded project about the participation of citizens in research on cultural heritage and humanities, grounded on considering ICT as powerful drivers of creativity. The project intends to highlight also the "artistic dimension" of the citizen engagement, being both art a possible mean for public engagement in culture and citizen participation a potential input to art creation.

Today, an increasing number of high tech companies and research institutions, world-wide, assert that the critical skills needed for innovation to happen and to be of value for society are, in addition to scientific and technological skills, skills such as creativity and capacity to involve all of society in the process of innovation. In this context, the Arts are gaining prominence as a catalyst for an efficient conversion of Science & Technology knowledge into novel products, services and processes.

Working at the nexus between Science, Technology and the Arts, STARTS is discovering opportunities for piloting cross-sectorial cooperation that enhance and promote innovation. To foster such cooperation, the European Commission is launching its STARTS (Science, technology & the Arts) programme.

Hereafter, the symposium's preliminary agenda:

MONDAY, 22 JUNE

Location: BOZAR, salle Henri Le Boeuf, Scène and exhibition halls

9.30: Registration

10.00 - 12.00 Setting the scene for STARTS
Opening by Paul Dujardin, Director of BOZAR, and Michel Magnier, Director for Creative Europe, DG EAC, European Commission.

Ralph Dum, DG CONNECT: The STARTS initiative

Gerfried Stocker, Ars Electronica: How Can Artistic Practices Be Best Brought into Innovation in Industry?

Nick Ervink, artist and Fried Vancraen, CEO Materialise: 3D Printing: Technology Breakthroughs and Artistic Challenges

Laura Belloff, Head of Culture and Games ITU Copenhagen (tbc): Innovation at the crossing of the Arts and Technology

Hugues Vinet, Director R&D at IRCAM: Ircam as Innovator In Broad Economic Areas

Roger Malina, Executive Editor of Leonardo Publications at M.I.T Press STEAM programme: The Arts, Science and Technologies in the US

12.00 – 13.30 “Light Lunch” in the HLB Bar

13.30 – 17.30 STARTS topical workshops: TED style talks

13.30 – 15.15 How technologies team up with the Arts: Internet of Things and augmented reality

• Rob van Kranenburg – coordinator


• Aleksander Valjamae, NEUROCINEMA


• Bruno Apollini, SANDS


• Carmen Mac Williams, GRASSROOTS ARTS


• David Cuartielles, ARDUINO (tbc)


• Eric Joris, DREAMSPACE


• Laura Belloff, Head of Culture and Games ITU Copenhagen (tbc)


• Paul Verschure, UPF


• Pavel Smetana, NEUROCINEMA


• Rafaella Rovida, PELARS

Data and Society

• Jaromil Rojo, D-CENT – coordinator


• Domenico Vicinanza, GEANT and Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge UK


• Marleen Stikker, WAAG SOCIETY


• Oriana Persico, UBIQUITOUS COMMONS


• Roel Roscam Abbing, BORDER CHECK


• Salvatore Iaconesi, UBIQUITOUS COMMONS


• Teresa Dillon, SUPERGLUE

15.15 – 15.45 “Quick drink” in the HLB Bar

15.45 – 17.30 How music stimulates technological innovation

• Francois Pachet, Sony Lab, LRN2CR8 project coordinator


• Beatrice de Gelder & Antonio Camurri, DANCE


• Claudio Allochio, GARR: The Role Of Art In Industrial Innovation


• Cynthia Liem, PHENICX


• David Worrall, FRAUNHOFER IIS: Sound ways of Understanding


• Mike Thompson & Susana Cámara Leret, THOUGHT COLLIDER


• Philippe Franck & Jacques Urbanska, TRANSCULTURES


• Rolf Gehlhaar, HUMAN INSTRUMENTS: Market Transfer of Artistic Prototypes: SOUND=SPACE


• Stefano Delle Monache, SKAT-VG

Creative Cities: ICT, the Arts and the city

• Mike Phillips, i-DAT, MODEL CITY - coordinator


• Andrea Cancellato, TRIENNALE  DI MILANO


• Andrzei Novak, NEW NARRATIVES


• Annemie Maes, BEEHIVES


• David Crombie, JAM TODAY


• Josep Perelló, BARCELONA LAB


• Manuel Abendroth, LAB-AU


• Tim Brooke, FUTURE CITIES CATAPULT

17.30 – 18.00 “Quick drink” in the HLB Bar

18.00 - 20.00 STARTS in action: demonstrations and performances

Opening: MEP Carlos Zorrinho and European Commission (tbc)

• Antonio Camurri, DANCE


• Bruno Apollini, SANDS


• Carmen Mac Williams, GRASSROOTS ARTS


• Cynthia Liem, PHENICX


• David Worrall, FRAUNHOFER IIS


• Domenico Vicinanza, GEANT and Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge UK


• Jaromil Rojo, D-CENT


• Roel Roscam Abbing, BORDER CHECK


• Teresa Dillon, SUPERGLUE

For those interested a guided tour to "Making a Difference/a Difference in Making" (BOZAR exhibition of a series of 3D printed works from the Arts, science, design and engineering) is foreseen

20.00 – 22.00 “Walking dinner” (demonstrations may be continued)

TUESDAY 23 JUNE 2015

Location: BOZAR, STUDIO and/or Henri Le Boeuf

9.30 Registration

10.00 - 10.30 Success Stories from links of technology and the Arts

Pier Luigi Sacco: STARTS Successful Project Stories (20min)

Opening by European Commission, Guenther Oettinger (tbc)

10.30 - 11.40 Creativity is the key: How the Arts can stimulate innovation

Chair: Vladimir Sucha, Director-General, JRC (tbc)

(this roundtable with industrialists, entrepreneurs, technologists and artists will discuss the importance of the Arts for innovation in industry and society).

Panel: 3min statements followed by a discussion

• Pérez Dolset, CEO ZED


• Albert Heuberger, Director FRAUNHOFER IIS


• Joachim Sauter, CEO ART+COM


• Lucía García, LABoral


• Egbert Lox, Senior Vice-President of UMICORE


• Valentina Montalto, Creative SpIN, KEA: Smart Guide To Creative Spill-Overs For Cities

11.40 - 11.50 Break

11.50 - 13.00 Creativity is key: How the Arts can stimulate innovation

Chair: (tbc)

(this roundtable with industrialists, entrepreneurs, technologists and artists will discuss the ways in which the Arts can contribute to innovation in industry and society).

Panel: 3min statements followed by a discussion

• Cristian Beza, Founder ARTADYS


• Francesco Monico, ST INNOVATION CUP


• Gerfried Stocker, ARS ELECTONICA


• Jo Libeer, former chairman of VOKA


• Laurent Gaveau, director, GOOGLE CULTURE LABS (tbc)


• Monica Bello, Head of ARTS@CERN


• Tim Plyming, NESTA

 13.00 Closing

For those interested a guided tour to "Making a Difference/a Difference in Making" (BOZAR exhibition of a series of 3D printed works from the Arts, science, design and engineering) is foreseen.