ABOUT PROJECT CROSS-INNOVATIONProject Cross-Innovation focusses on experience exchange between 11 leading European cities in relation to the promotion of collaborative and user-driven innovation that happens across sectoral, organisational, technological and geographic boundaries (= cross-innovation). In this context, a specific focus rests on policies and support measures that enable cross-innovation and creative spillovers between creative sectors and other industries. The partnership consists of 11 metropolitan hotspots that have the potential to put cross-innovation on the top of local and regional policy agendas across Europe: Birmingham, Amsterdam, Rome, Berlin, Tallinn, Warsaw, Vilnius, Stockholm, Linz, Lisbon, Plzen.Cross-Innovation is a key policy priority of EU 2020 and its flagship initiative Innovation Union. Improving metropolitan cities' expertise in this field will help meet the Lisbon and Gothenbourg objectives underpinning INTERREG IVC.The project focusses on practices in 4 sub-themes:• Smart Incentives - innovative types of finance that enable cross-innovation• Culture-based Innovation - schemes that unleash innovation in business and the public sector by introducing artistic and creative practices• Brokerage - services that build bridges between sectors by connecting cross innovation enablers with beneficiaries• Spatial Cross-Collaboration - services offered to companies in co-working spaces, incubators, fab-labs, science parks and to local clusters Each partner champions such practices in its respective city. To further learn about them the partnership will put in place a participative programme of experience-exchange events designed to stimulate high levels of stakeholder buy-in from diverse domains of the innovation eco-system. It will seek to improve local policies through "cross-innovation policy clinics".Cross innovation with SMEs will run throughout the project (C3C). It will examine how local support can enable companies that operate in co-working spaces and incubators to collaborate in order to develop their products and services for other markets and overcome EU market fragmentation.PROJECT CROSS-INNOVATION IN A NUTSHELL• 11 leading cities that champion cross-innovation• Linking creative sectors such as games, design, audiovisual, digital media, advertising, etc. - to "beneficiary" sectors to improve innovation capacities• Breaking down "silo-thinking" between governmental departments as well as in business and industry• Innovative site visits, policy events and a pilot in relation to the above policy sub-themes• A social media strategy that triggers a bottom-up cross-innovation policy movement across the EU• Collaboration agreements with EUROCITIES and the European Creative Business Network to increase outreach and impact• 11 local implementation plans Achievements: The objective of the project is to see how, in policy terms, cities can support cross innovation through the themes of Finance, Culture-Based Interventions, Brokerage and Space. By the term "cross innovation" we understand a process by which creative industries share information, collaborate and work with other growth sectors to promote new thinking. The first phase of the project began with a meeting held in February 2012 in Birmingham (UK) involving all partner cities, at which administrative structures were agreed, a communications plan was drawn up and key activities were initiated as part of the wider work-plan. Central to our discussions was the need to identify current areas of strength and weakness in relation to cross innovation across Europe. This information was shared in the form of a matrix, which was then taken back to the partner cities for further analysis. After the initiation meeting, each city established a Local Implementation Group consisting of city representatives, policy experts, company members and researchers. Across the duration of the project the purpose of the Groups is to advise on the potential for cross innovation on a local level and act as reference points for activity. In this first phase, the LIGs worked to finalise local matrices, showing the current state of cross innovation in the partner cities. These matrices are to be analysed before the end of 2012 by a policy expert, leading to the creation of a global matrix highlighting specific areas of interest for further development. Each LIG also began to collect information regarding best practices in each of the four thematic areas (Finance, Culture, Brokerage and Space). A template was produced by the Lead Partner (Birmingham) to assist this process. The case studies will, as above, be analysed for trends, with the information added to our website by the end of the year, in order to create an online knowledge base. Beyond meetings, two pieces of research were undertaken. First, the project commissioned Belgrave & Co (an independent consultancy with strong links to the Design Council in the UK) to write a Short Study on cross innovation. The methodology included interviews with representatives of partner cities in order to determine which mechanisms enable cross innovation. Global examples of successful practice were identified, creating a frame of reference for the selection of examples for the online knowledge base. The second piece of research completed was a Manifesto for cross innovation. Designed as a call to industry, the research community and the public sector to break down silo thinking and promote cross-sector innovation, the Manifesto's joint authors were Italian journalist Luca De Biase and Dutch innovation specialist Patrick Van Der Duin. In terms of communication activities, the project established a website, which can be found at www.cross-innovation.eu, and finalised the logo and branding. The website will act as a central repository for project information, including examples of best practice from across Europe and updates from project events. The logo and branding are based on the idea of a matrix, visually referencing interconnected modes of thinking.