Information technology has driven, directly or indirectly, much of Europe’s economic growth during the last decades as the role of data transitioned from the support of business decisions to becoming a good in itself. An open approach towards data value creation has become critical in the new networked economy, with Europe well placed to nurture this new revolution. However, to date Europe’s data economy has yet to achieve the same levels of growth as those in the US and Asia. Data Pitch will seek to address this critical gap by creating a transnational, Europe-wide data innovation ecosystem that will bring together data owners and Big Data technology providers, with startups and SMEs with fresh ideas for data-driven products and services. Our project will: - explore the critical factors that impact the way organisations create value from sharing data; - organise a competition addressing economic, societal, and environmental challenges, present and future, to identify promising digital innovators and data-empowered solutions; - create a cross-sectoral, secure data experimentation facility which will offer the winners of this competition a purposeful environment to nurture their ideas; and - support them by solving common concerns through funding, technical, legal, marketing, and commercial assistance. Drawing on the experience from key players in the consortium, we will establish a European Data Innovation Lab (DIL), guided and promoted by the hugely visible engagement channels and commentators at the Guardian and an international network of hundreds of organisations that have already confirmed their intention to join forces with and support Data Pitch. Together with them we will make the European data economy stronger and help the region re-gain leadership in innovation through digital transformation.

MediaFutures will set up a virtual, European data innovation hub, including funding, mentoring and support for entrepreneurial and creative projects to reshape the media value chain through responsible, innovative uses of data. We will: • explore the critical factors that impact how people engage with bottom-up quality journalism, science education and digital citizenship; • define a participatory, inclusive innovation programme, leveraging impulses from multiple disciplines, as well as synergies between entrepreneurs and creatives; • organise a competition addressing pressing technical, economic and societal challenges in the media value chain to identify promising digital entrepreneurs, creatives and data-empowered solutions; • provide data and experimentation facilities for the winners of this competition to test and nurture their ideas; • support 51 businesses and 43 artists by solving common concerns around funding and access to mentoring in technical, legal, business, media and sustainability matters; and • create toolkits and best practices for innovators, creatives, and other stakeholders to achieve greater traction for their citizen-centric initiatives, and empower them to communicate through data in inspiring, informative and engaging ways. Drawing on the experience of the consortium - ZABALA, ODI and SOTON (instrumental to delivering several flagship Horizon 2020 data incubators); IRCAM (leading the way in publicly funded art-tech-science residencies programmes); EUT and LUH (2 accomplished DIHs and BDVA i-Spaces); NMA (Europe’s largest media accelerator); LUISS (renowned school of journalism and digital startup accelerator); KU Leuven (legal and ethical expert) and DEN (one of Europe’s social innovation pioneers) - we will establish a Europe-wide, virtual data-driven innovation ecosystem, supported and promoted by an international network of 28 organisations that have confirmed their intention to join MediaFutures as members of our stakeholder cluster.

The Open Data INcubator for Europe (ODINE) project will set up an environment to support and advice SMEs and start-ups in creating commercial added value from open data. Drawing on the experience from key players in the consortium including Wayra (an incubator/accelerator), Fraunhofer IAIS and the ODI (both data facilitators and incubators), Telefonica (providing computing infrastructure and strong links to data protection and privacy stakeholders), and the University of Southampton (renowned for its open data research and home of Sir Tim Berners-Lee and Sir Nigel Shadbolt), we plan to establish a EU-wide, industry-focused network of open data companies around Europe, promoted and guided by the trusted authorities and commentators at the Guardian and OKFN. To achieve this we shall take an approach that follows ‘best in class’ practice for incubators and which makes it as a simple and smooth as possible for SMEs to apply for help. We will offer: (i) a transparent, fair, and efficient proposal process for SMEs and start-ups, based around Wayra, IAIS and ODI’s existing and successful processes; (ii) a network of European open data SMEs and start-ups; (iii) initial investment in these companies through an open call; (iv) incubation and mentoring by ODI, Fraunhofer and Wayra academies, with the possibility of acceleration via Wayra, Telefonica Ventures, and Fraunhofer Venture; (v) access to data services and computing infrastructure from IAIS, ODI, OKFN and Telefonica; (vi) expert support from serial entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs, and coaching from business schools; as well as (vii) high visibility through promotion of success stories by the Guardian, ODI and the OKFN. A successful open data incubator will significantly help Europe to regain leadership in technical innovation, balanced with the ethical treatment of data for which the public are crying out, and to create skilled jobs that help Europe become more productive and competitive in the 21st Century.