CREA aims to promote ICT development and creativity as new drivers able to produce specific structural changes and arrangements in the European entrepreneurial base, to influence the future paths of social change and innovation to a large extent. CREA project wants to validate a new European Model of Summer Academy for students who wants to develop business ideas focus on creativity and ICT and able to explore innovation in advanced fields: new products for new markets, social innovation, meaning drive innovation in old sectors, service innovation, technology driven innovation etc. CREA will test 2 edition of Summer Academy simultaneously organized in 6 European Cities (Milan, Stuttgart, Ljubljana, Newcastle, Tallin, Utrecht), which will end with an international event (CREA ICT Business Idea Contest) for the presentation of results to international investors and the awarding of a prize. The project includes training courses, mentoring activities and the incubation program for start up companies that will be able to use the opportunities of ICT and Creativity to propose new business model with a European vision. The general objectives of CREA project are: - To create European wide system of Summer Academies for university and last year high school students entirely focused on ICT entrepreneurship; - To create a model of Summer Academy action oriented with a strong focus on ICT and entrepreneurial skills development and a rich offer of mentoring, support for business planning, matchmaking opportunities and generation of ICT related business idea; - To stimulate the development of new start up business ideas boosting on ICT and creativity; - To complement and extend similar existing Summer Academy program while strongly focusing on ICT and creativity entrepreneurship; - To organize and promote ICT Business Idea Contests.

Design is at the forefront to achieve climate-neutral cities in Europe, a green and resilient transition of cities—as living places and as main stages for change—is on the agenda. Circular economy offers pathways to innovate creative design sectors that are active in this transition and are crucial for the cultural change and social inclusion needed. In a multidisciplinary approach the Innovation Alliance Circular Design (CiD) addresses the gap in skills and knowledge, in the sectors of architecture, urban design, product/service design, offering a radically new model on how to link design to circularity and urban transformation. It contributes to the New European Bauhaus’ aim for merging creativity, arts, and technology for the Green Deal. CiD rethinks design for a circular economy, orients multidisciplinary collaboration towards carbon-neutral cities, and focuses on bio-based innovation for the built environment—using bio-materials from other sectors, creating regional circular systems in renewable materials, and installing buildings as bio-machines. Green, digital, resilience and entrepreneurial skills in Circular Design are developed through an Innovation Ecosystem that brings together relevant actors from HEIs and VET with the broader socio-economic environment (RTO, municipalities, civil society and businesses). The targeted evolution of the Alliance’s results, their dissemination and sustainability beyond the project is supported through the involvement of Europe-wide organisations in architectural practice, society, and culture. The Alliance develops innovation in Circular Design education by fostering entrepreneurship in academia, with an accelerator and continuing education programmes to upskill in emerging labour market profiles and enabling the creation of green start-ups. This Circular Design Innovation Ecosystem will boost the turn towards a circular construction and design economy.