Documentation

The history
of N.I.C.E.
Developing a European
network based on
local interests
2013: Project “Shaking Hans“ — Winner of the pilot of the
N.I.C.E. Award.
In September 2012, ecce turned to the European
Commission’s Directorate-General for Enterprise
and Industry with a simple question: What is innovation?
Which definition is at the heart of the recently announced
Europe 2020 strategy and its Innovation Union?
In 2012 – barely a year after its foundation – ecce was
preoccupied with the setup of sustainable structures to
promote change through culture in the Ruhr region. From
the very beginning, this included the continuation of the
European networks that had been established during the
European Capital of Culture RUHR.2010, and the future
use of European potentials and forces in order to support
structural change in the Ruhr region. These goals adopted
by the state government of North Rhine-Westphalia
and the Regionalverband Ruhr (Ruhr Regional Association)
– and laid down in the RUHR.2010 sustainability
agreement – had to be made fit for the future and put
into practise. Many questions had to be answered: Which
networks are suitable to this end? Which structure does
a network require? And which sectors, trends or topics
in the Ruhr region are suitable or ready to be supported
through European potentials?
During this stage of finding a sustainable European dimension
of the Ruhr region, the European Union presented
its new perennial programme for the years 2014–2020:
the Europe 2020 strategy and the Innovation Union. This
was one cornerstone in view of European potentials: if the
Ruhr region intended to tap the potentials offered by the
European Commission, this had to take place within the
scope of the Europe 2020 strategy, at least for the years
2014 to 2020. In retrospect, the simple question “What
is innovation?” asked in September 2012 can be seen as
a strategic marker. The European Directorate-General
answered as follows:
“Pursuing a broad concept of innovation, both research-driven
innovation and innovation in business
models, design, branding and services that add value for
users and where Europe has unique talents. The creativity
and diversity of our people and the strength of European
creative industries, offer huge potential for new growth
and jobs through innovation, especially for SMEs.” 2
This definition of innovation was surprising since it seemed
inherently inconsistent: on the one hand, it drafted
a comprehensive concept of innovation but gave a list
of examples, which seemed restrictive on the other. The
creativity of citizens and the potentials of the creative
industries were mentioned in the same breath – did that
mean that different worlds were thrown together without
any visible underlying concept? Not least since the potential
of innovation seemed to be focused on – not to say
limited to – growth and employment: Would that mean
that innovation potentials in education, social development,
urban development and integration are not subject
to the Europe 2020 strategy? Should they not be promoted?
And what about cultural innovations? How does the
European Union intend to promote these as of 2014?
What are cultural innovations? This question directly related
to the European potentials for RUHR.2010. Depending on
the European Union’s understanding and definition, this
might open – or close – a window of European opportunity
for the Ruhr region. The crucial question was whether the
top-down definition of the European Union would include
the regional and urban institutions, the makers and activists
to be producers of innovative culture – projects such as
“2-3 streets” by Jochen Gerz, the Games Factory in Mülheim
an der Ruhr, Urbanatix in Bochum, or many other examples
of innovative impetus given by RUHR.2010 during the year
of European Capital of Culture and retained afterwards.
The clarification of this question did not
2
become any easier since the European
Source: Communication
definition of creative industries differed
from the Commission to the
from the German usage: on the one
European Parliament, the
hand, it included public institutions such
Council, the Economic and
as museums, theatres and libraries but
Social Committee and the
seemed to be much more geared at the
Committee of the Regions,
industry on the other. Would this mean
Europe 2020 Flagship Initiative
that sole proprietors and self-employed
artists – who did have commercial
Innovation Union (Brussels,
6 Oct 2010).
intentions yet often only managed to
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