Technological trends are emerging and lead to new products and consumer groups, distribution channels and consumption habits. This provokes pressure to keep up with the paradigm shift towards a digital eco-system. Within this digital eco-system, Creative Industries will play a major role in preparing economy and society for the challenges lying ahead. Combined with information and communication technologies (ICT), Creative Industries are a dynamic motor for economic and social innovations.
Making new technologies more relevant to consumers and helping to develop new markets, they are thus a key factor for economic recovery. Additionally, due to its structural conditions – dominated by micro, small and medium enterprises – the sector is a strong basis for regional success contributing to a prosperous European Single Market. Last but not least, for regions a vivid creative sector is a starting point to foster economic development, because as a matter of fact creative companies, entrepreneurs and investment tend to follow where creative talents settle. Once the economic force of Creative Industries was showcased by several studies, the topic was high on the agenda throughout Europe. And in 2008, the European Commission assigned the CReATE consortium to support the identification of promising research field and programmes.
As a major outcome, the CReATE Joint Research Agenda delivers now a valuable contribution for pushing forward Creative Industries and adapting current support programmes. Thus the Joint Research Agenda (JRA) presents a solid basis to build up a joint European research and innovation landscape. The JRA, jointly developed together with Creative Industries experts from four leading creative regions, gathers the most promising research fields at the crossroads of Creative Industries and the ICT sector. In short, the topics are: