MFG Review 1995 – 2010

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1995: MFG launched to support media and innovationNetscape Internet browser floats on the stock market .................................Page 6

1997: bwcon launched as one of Germany’s first cluster initiatives The “Tamagotchi” cyber-chick becomes a toy industry bestseller ....................Page 8

1999: CyberOne award sets the benchmark for start-up funding Napster online music exchange changes the music industry .....................Page 10

2001: Record attendance at Germany’s largest multimedia summit 9/11 changes the world .....................................................................Page 12

1996: MFG creates regional initiative Baden-Württemberg medi@Chess computer “Deep Blue” defeats the world chess champion for the first time ..Page 7

1998: Baden-Württemberg is Germany’s multimedia location no. 1One in ten adults in Germany is already online ...........................................Page 9

2000: MFG delivers Germany’s first funding programme for digital content Dotcom hype reaches its climax .........................................................Page 11

2002: MFG launches offensive to encourage e-content innovationThe euro replaces the German Mark .....................................................Page 13

The e-Content Years

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2003: Innovative software researchers honoured with do it.software award Space shuttle “Columbia” explodes shortly before returning to earth .........Page 14

2005: MFG organises open source initiative for the German-speaking world Tim O’Reilly paves the way for the success of social media ...............................Page 16

2007: FAZIT research project reveals future scenarios for the IT and media worldTime Magazine names iPhone as ”Invention of the Year 2007” ...................Page 18

2009: MFG receives the accolade of Excellent Knowledge Organisation Cloud computing on verge of global breakthrough .................................Page 20

2004: Karl Steinbuch Scholarship gives new impetus to fostering talent Tsunami in the Indian Ocean shocks the interconnected world .................Page 15

2006: ISO certification for cluster and innovation management“Wii” console revolutionises the games market with motion sensors ...........Page 17

2008: bwcon named best competence network in GermanyCollapse of US investment bank Lehman Brothers ..................................Page 19

2010: New Baden-Württemberg creative network brings together regional projects “Avatar” transports film into a 3D world ...............................................Page 21

The Open Innovation Years

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nyone who wants to succeed in the age of digital value creation needs to combine knowledge from different sectors and choose strategic partners. As a public innovation agency for ICT and media, MFG Baden-Württemberg grasped the connection between cooperative working and innovation very early on.

Since its foundation in 1995, MFG’s role has been predominantly that of network creator and facilitator of strategic collaboration. Together with research institutions, businesses and universities across the region, it develops projects and strategies to strengthen Baden-Württemberg as an IT, media and creative location. Today, Baden-Württemberg is one of the leading multimedia locations in the German-speaking world. Back in 1996, MFG was already supporting the development and dissemination of new multimedia techniques by taking charge of over 150 multimedia, IT and media expertise projects in its role as key contact for the initiative “Baden-Württemberg medi@”. The environment for IT and media was further enhanced by the broad-based IT and media offensive “do IT” launched in 2002. Here again, as an expert partner MFG was instrumental in coordinating and implementing individual projects and activities.

Exciting ideas and innovations can only be generated in the future, if young talent is supported at an early stage, researchers and businesses work together to find solutions for complex questions and if there is an atmosphere of openness and trust. MFG is known for all these aspects for 15 years now. Recently, it was awarded “Selected Landmark 2010” in the nationwide initiative “Germany – Land of Ideas”, which is a proof of MFG’s outstanding contribution as an innovative motivator and supporter whose work is highly valued by businesses, universities and up-and-coming talent in Baden-Württemberg and beyond.

I would like to express my gratitude to all MFG employees who have supported the various industries and the changes they have undergone with great foresight from the very beginning and set the right course at the right time. I hope that the MFG will face a bright future and continues its successful work for Baden-Württemberg as an outstanding IT, media and creative location.

Helmut Rau MdLState Minister of Baden-Württemberg

Setting the right course at the right time

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Klaus Haasis CEO, MFG Baden-Württemberg, Public Innovation Agency for ICT and Media

15 years of MFG – 15 years devoted to ICT and creative industries in Baden-Württemberg

I n 1995, when Netscape’s IPO triggered the first wave of Internet hype and one of the most impor-tant German search engines – web.de – was created in Baden-Württemberg, MFG commenced its work of promoting innovation in the region’s media sector. MFG is now one of the largest

public innovation agencies for ICT, the creative industries and media. It has been an adventu-rous, exciting and challenging journey – and an important contribution to developing Baden-Württemberg as a technology and business location. This review is designed to share the developments of the last 15 years – both worldwide and here in Baden-Württemberg – with you.

In the Multimedia Years from 1995 to 2000, the focus of our first projects was on two key objectives in particular: promoting the acceptance and use of new media in Baden-Württemberg, and connecting busi-nesses, young talent and research institutions.

The e-Content Years saw the focus shift more towards digital value chains and new business models. Between 2001 and 2005, we initiated a range of programmes to support young IT and media talent. For example, over the past six years we have helped a total of 189 students to implement interdisciplinary projects and research activities via the Karl Steinbuch Scholarship. In the Open Innovation Years Internet and Information Technology were fast-paced. Social networks, new collaboration tools and user-generated content became hugely important concerning Web 2.0. In the context of MFG Social Media Lab, MFG and partners test new technologies and provide those experiences to enterprises in the region.

Cooperate, connect and learn – these three elements have underpinned our approach ever since MFG was created in 1995. And today, 15 years on, strategic cooperation and trust-based partnerships continue to be at the heart of our work, including those that transcend countries and industries. We bring together companies and researchers from our region with partners and experts from other parts of Europe and work with universities and SMEs on testing new technologies and applications in our Creative Labs.

Please join us as we look back over the last 15 years. By helping us to develop projects and ideas for the next 15 years, we can ensure that Baden-Württemberg remains one of the top international locations for the IT and creative industries in the future!

+++ Microsoft releases Internet Explorer +++ MP3 players produced +++ web.de goes online +++

MFG launched to support media and innovation

MFG began with

its own webs ite.

Internet Explorer was

not able to d isplay

images at the t ime.

The shareholders of MFG are the State of Baden-Württemberg, Süddeutscher Rundfunk (SDR) and Südwestfunk (SWF).

Hot Topic:Netscape floats on the stock market on 9 August. By lunchtime, the company’s founders can cel-ebrate becoming the first Internet billionaires.

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he Internet Age dawns: As the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) celebrates its first anniversary on 1 October 1995 in Massachusetts, work is getting under way nearly 6,000 kilometres away in Stuttgart as the MFG Medien- und Filmgesellschaft Baden-Württemberg starts up its activities in the two sectors of film funding and media development. It quickly seizes the opportunity to secure www.mfg.de,

one of the few three-digit URLs. Klaus Haasis, CEO of Media Development, and three members of staff move into the offices of the L-Bank building at Huberstraße 4. Their mission: to further develop and strengthen Baden-Württemberg’s position at the forefront of multimedia development, technological convergence and digital value creation.

Hot Topic:Chess computer “Deep Blue” defeats the world chess champion - Russian Garry Kasparow - for the first time under tournament regulations.

+++ Microsoft releases Internet Explorer +++ MP3 players produced +++ web.de goes online +++ +++ DVD introduced +++ digital data volumes grow exponentially +++ the first Deutsche Telekom shares go on sale +++

MFG creates regional initiative Baden-Württemberg medi@

State election in Baden-Württemberg on 24 March 1996.

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The s ix pr ior it

ies of

“Baden-Württemberg

medi@“ are: media co

n-

tents , media ne

tworks ,

media technolog

ies , media

economy, d ig it

al l i teracy , an

d

media in rural

areas.

he young, interdisciplinary MFG Media Development team sees two main factors as key to expanding the information society: promoting the acceptance and use of

new media in all areas of society, and connect-ing different interest groups. MFG becomes the contact point for the regional initiative Baden-Württemberg medi@, which provides around DM 540 million of state funding. Over the next five years, the initiative supports more than 150 projects that encourage the development, adoption and dis-semination of new multimedia technologies and applications, whether in industry, private households or public life.

In addition to large companies, southwest Germany’s IT and media industry owes its dynamic develop-ment to the many small innovators and regional ini-tiatives that count on MFG’s support, be it in the form of expertise, networking events or competi-tions. This inspires MFG and others to launch the Media Forum Freiburg. MFG and the Stuttgart University of Library and Information Science (HBI) jointly develop an Internet search engine espe-cially for information from and about Baden-Württemberg which can filter hits by region. It goes online in 1997 under the name “Webbes”.

Hot Topic:The Japanese cyber-chick “Tamagotchi” becomes a toy industry bestseller in Germany.

+++ introduction of first LCD screens for desktop PCs +++ six million computers connected to the Internet +++

bwcon launched as one of Germany’s first cluster initiatives

“Zeppelin NT” sets off on its maiden flight from Friedrichshafen to Echterdingen in September.

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ogether with its partners, MFG is successful in establishing the German Multimedia Summit (DMMK) as the most impor-tant multimedia industry convention in the German-speaking

world. The mark of 1,000 participants is far exceeded when it is held for the first time in Stuttgart in April 1997.

On 5 May, 35 of the region’s companies join forces as part of the business initiative Baden-Württemberg: Connected – bwcon, one of Germany’s first cluster initiatives. Their joint aim is to promote the use of

digital networks in business and society and make Baden-Württemberg the number one region for Internet use. MFG takes over management of the

business initiative, which is set to become one of the most successful technology networks in Europe.

MFG and bwcon also support the Regional Commu-nity Initiative with Deutsche Telekom. A total of 16 projects involve local government authorities, educational institutions, businesses and public bod-ies developing innovative ways of learning and

working using the Internet and multimedia – the total value of the project is DM 40 million. MFG coordinates nine joint projects involving online learning, virtual working and online administra-tion. 60 training and further education seminars are equipped with multimedia workstations and more than 7,000 tutors trained.

Hot Topic:One in ten adults is now connected to the Inter-net. There is a growing trend towards creating your own personal website on the Internet.

+++ record attendance: 670,000 visit CeBIT +++ iMac unveiled +++ Mozilla’s source code available to all +++

Südwestrundfunk (SWR) is formed through the merger of SWF and SDR.

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One year after bwcon was

set up, the number of mem-

bers has more than doubled

from 36 to 78.

Baden-Württemberg isGermany’s multimedia location no. 1

or the first time, Baden-Württemberg has a joint booth at the CeBIT exhibition, where this year’s visi-tors marvel at the first dual-band

mobile phones, Bluetooth and GPS navigation. MFG introduces the professional audience to groundbreaking projects and offers an attractive presentation platform to multimedia enterprises from southwest Germany. MFG also arranges for the region to be represented at the Milia International Multimedia Exhibition in Cannes.

Meanwhile, in Baden-Württemberg the Webbes search engine launched in 1997 is attracting a great deal of interest from the Internet community. The newspaper Stuttgarter Zeitung is so im-pressed with the concept it buys the portal from MFG and HBI. MFG Media Development, TV broadcaster VIVA and the Baden-Württemberg Film Academy announce the “Clip Attack” competition for new bands. It offers prize-winners the chance to have their music videos produced free of charge and broadcast on VIVA2.

CyberOne award sets the bench-mark for start-up funding

+++ one millionth .de domain registered +++ the millennium bug causes widespread concern +++

The slogan “Wir können alles. Außer Hochdeutsch.” becomes synonymous with Baden-Württemberg, whose people are noted for their distinctive accents.

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The winner of the CyberOne second pr ize ,

He i ler Software , successfu l ly f loats on the

stock market just one year later .

he first CyberOne business plan competition is announced by the bwcon business initiative in 1999 to support aspiring talent and promising business models in e-business throughout Baden-Württemberg. The award will mobilise more than DM 20 million in venture capital. Prize money of DM 100,000 will be given away, along with professional advice and support. The jury proves in the

first year that it already has its finger on the pulse. It awards second prize to an innovative software appli-cation for creating Internet marketplaces. The developer, Heiler Software, will have a successful IPO in 2000 and become one of the leading providers of sales software.

The state portal www.baden-wuerttemberg.de goes online in October. The website is so user-friendly, up-to-date and efficient that the German Public Relations Association (DPRG) awards it the coveted “Goldener Pfeiler”. MFG is jointly responsible for the quality, appeal and perfor-mance of the Internet site. It develops the concept for the site content and ensures that screen design, editorial system and server operation are implemented as effectively as possible.

Hot Topic:Napster, the first free music exchange service on the Internet, goes online in June and is the driving force that changes the music industry.

MFG delivers Germany’s first funding programme for digital content

+ 300 million Internet users online worldwide +++ more than 1 bn websites on the WWW +++ the millennium bug fails to strike +

Hot Topic:Worldwide dotcom hype reaches its climax - the bubble bursts in March 2000.

Baden-Württemberg is number two in the world for business software after Silicon Valley.

Internet VillageOver 900 applications submitted in 10 years.

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business software cluster has developed in the region that is second to none. Con-sultancy company Roland Berger puts the corresponding turnover at €6.2 billion for

the current year, a 20 percent increase on 1999. The industry currently employs over 55,000 people in the region. Baden-Württemberg achieves a global market share of around 7 percent and is the second strong-est region in the world after Silicon Valley.

The Internet is increasingly becoming the universal medium for communication and information. This further reinforces the media industry’s need to adopt new digital production techniques. MFG sets up Digital Content Funding, first Germany’s fund-ing programme for digital content, which will enable faster convergence of film and the Internet in Baden-Württemberg. The programme has an annual value of half a million euros.

The rapid development of new media is also spreading throughout Baden-Württemberg’s town halls and local government landscape as more and more local websites go online. This prompts MFG, the Academy for Rural Areas and the Local Authori-ties Association to announce another round of the “Internet Village” regional competition, follow-ing its previous successful launch. The competition helps local government authorities to enhance their Internet presence, thereby strengthening Baden-Württemberg as a location that has embraced the knowledge-based economy.

+++ Wikipedia goes online +++ iPod launched +++ 68 out of 100 Germans use a mobile phone +++

Record attendance at Germany’s largest multimedia summit

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Hot Topic:The 9/11 terrorist attacks change the world.

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eading figures from the IT, communication and media industries gather at the German Multimedia Summit (DMMK) to discuss the challenges facing businesses and the media sector due to con-vergence of information channels.

Over 2,000 visitors attend the congress at the Killesberg Exhibition Centre in 2001 – a record number, affirming its position as Germany’s biggest summit for the Internet and digital industries.

Meanwhile, the increasing number of tasks being handled by MFG means that the offices in the L-Bank building have become too small. In June, Klaus Haasis and his team move their workplace to the recently redesigned Bosch Areal. Operating from the new offices, they also assist in the merger of the Stuttgart University of Library and Information Science (HBI) and the University for Print and Media (HDM) to create Stuttgart Media University (HdM).

Southwest Germany is ahead of all other German federal states, with 49% of the population using the Internet.

MFG launches offensive to encourage e-content innovation

+++ Stuttgart State Opera again voted Opera House of the Year +++ Google is the most important search engine +++

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Hot Topic:Currency changeover: the euro replaces the German Mark.

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Baden-Württemberg’s towns and cities are nation-wide leaders with regard to their Internet services.

ollowing on from the success of the regional initiative “Baden-Württemberg medi@”, 2002 sees the launch of the IT and media offensive “do IT”. With the “do IT” programme, MFG’s key focus is on supporting new forms of media and information technology. A total of €450 million will be invested by Baden-Württemberg in expanding the information society during the current legislative term

alone. “do IT” promotes the use of new media predominantly in areas where it will inspire creativity and bring benefits to medium-sized companies and the education sector.

Meanwhile, MFG’s expertise in supporting the use of IT and media has gained it a reputation beyond its home region. The European Commission tasks it with leading the e-content initiative ACTeN (Anticipating Content Technology Needs) – the building of a European-wide network begins. Trade associations from ten European countries work together to analyse the e-content market, drawing up concrete recommendations for future EU funding programmes and encouraging the production of digital content and innovation. The project value of one million euros helps MFG to generate over 50 percent of its funding from third-party sources this year for the first time.

With in the bounds of “

do IT“ the

“Med ia Manua l Baden-

Württemberg“ got

pub l i shed - an extens

ive reference

book with more than 8,000 contac

ts .

The

e-Co

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+++ 12 March sees the DAX drop to its lowest level since the dotcom bubble burst +++ 3D virtual world “Second Life” goes online +++

Innovative software researchers honoured with do it.software award

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The “do i t .software award“ sees

a tota l of €204 ,000 in pr ize money

go ing to 138 software researchers

for 51 outstand ing research pro jects .

Germany’s first Pop Academy opens its classroom doors in Mannheim.

The

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aden-Württemberg offers the largest range of educational opportunities in the ICT and media sector in Europe, with more than 220 courses. In autumn, 54 new students begin their studies in Music Business and Pop Music Design at the newly established Pop Academy. As well as Swabian rocker Wolle Kriwanek, the pioneers behind the establishment of Mannheim Pop Academy include MFG CEO Klaus Haasis.

In summer, the Baden-Württemberg state government and SWR launch the MFG Foundation with support from the business initiative Baden-Württemberg:

Connected. The not-for-profit foundation works to promote education, research and development in the media, ICT and film sectors. It supports inno-

vative projects and research activities through measures that include scholarship programmes and competitions. Players are connected and plat-forms created that enable research findings to be translated into practical

applications. The MFG Foundation announces the first do it.software award in 2003, which

rewards scientific excellence in software research with prize money of €40,000.

Hot Topic:Tsunami in the Indian Ocean shocks the interconnected world.

Karl Steinbuch Scholarship gives new impetus to fostering talent

+++ Google listed on the stock exchange on 19 August +++ more and more mobiles feature colour displays and digital cameras +++ 15

T

Construction work on Stuttgart’s new exhibition centre begins on 1 September.

Unt i l 2010 , a tota l of 189 students

have been sponsored with more than

1 mi l l i on euros . The

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he Stuttgart-born com-munications engineer and computer scientist Prof. Karl Steinbuch predicted

the ascendancy of multimedia and digitisation forty years ago. The Karl Steinbuch Scholarship, named after him and awarded by the MFG Founda-tion, aims to uncover highly qualified, creative new talent in the ICT and media sectors and provide such individ-uals with financial support. Nine projects are chosen for support in the first year, including PANtektura – housing con-struction software which allows anyone to plan a house on their computer.

From this point on, the foundation awards between ten and twenty scholarships every year to particu-larly qualified students working on in-novative IT and media projects in addition to their studies. Each project receives up to €10,000 of finan-cial support.

Hot Topic:Tim O’Reilly paves the way for the success of social media with the term “Web 2.0”.

+++ Angela Merkel becomes Chancellor +++ 37.5 million Germans online, ie 57.9% of the population +++

MFG organises open source initia-tive for the German-speaking world

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The MFG network has grown

exponent ia l ly with in 10 years ,

from 6 ,000 contacts to 76 ,000

documented technology rela-

t ionsh ips .

Southwest Germany is the country’s leading open source location.

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pen source software has evolved into a real alternative to “closed” solutions since the end of the 1990s. In Baden-Württemberg, over 2,000 IT service providers have already tailored their products to the Linux operating system

and applications based on it. The open source network Lisog is launched on 7 March to further expand the possibilities. This initia-

tive covering the entire German-speaking world is supported both by global players and SMEs in

the IT industry and by universities and Linux users in the public and private sectors. Their common goal is to promote Linux-based solutions in the business world and increase market acceptance among users. The 29 founder members entrust the management of their cooperation plat-form to MFG and appoint Klaus Haasis as managing director.

Meanwhile, at the Villa Bosch in Heidelberg, the first Heidelberg Innovation Forum

is getting under way. This event offers selected researchers, start-ups and businesses the opportunity to present their technological innovations to a group of major investors and potential partners. Financing newcomers, licensing new technologies, forging alliances between researchers and businesses – MFG and the European Media Laboratory (EML) aim to stimulate all of these with this matchmaking event.

The

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ISO certification for cluster and innovation management

+++ 100 million YouTube downloads per day +++ first tweet sent +++ Facebook opens up +++ StudiVZ launched +++

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Almost 75% of Baden-Württemberg’s popula-tion use a PC and 67% of them are also online.

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s part of its Science Years programme, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research declares 2006 the Year of Computer Science. MFG is an official partner of the

Year of Computer Science, and the Internet is the driving force for rapid progress in IT. The flatrate pricing model acts like fertiliser on the broadband network, enabling the digitisation of content to flourish and networks of content producers and users to bloom. Information platforms emerge that have com-pletely new formats.

Hot Topic:Nintendo’s “Wii” console revolutionises the games market with motion sensors.

MFG is quick to recognise that tools for collabora-tive production of content have considerable potential for science and innovation manage-ment. It sets up an internal innovation wiki as a knowledge base for its employees. MFG’s ISO 9001 certification from the German Association for Certi-fication of Management Systems provides evidence that it meets the highest standards of knowledge and quality management, and once again demon-strates MFG’s pioneering role in the public sector.

+++ Germany creates an electronic Commercial and Cooperative Register +++ Google is world’s most valuable brand +++

FAZIT research project reveals future scenarios for the IT and media world

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The MFG Innovat ion Park prov ides a

new test ing ground for v isua l exper i-

ences in the v i rtua l 3D world Second

L i fe , offer ing 131 ,072 square k i lome-

tres for bus inesses and un ivers i t ies .

2/3 of all businesses in Baden-Württemberg use e-business.

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FG has made significant contributions to shaping a powerful re-search and development landscape. It now manages 21 cluster ini-tiatives and networks. The 32 Internet portals administered by MFG together receive over 2 million visits per year in total, dem-

onstrating the huge demand for knowledge platforms in southwest Germany.

The MFG Foundation, together with the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Inno-vation Research (ISI), identifies especially promising research fields and markets for innovative information and communication technologies as part of the FAZIT research project. In 2007, a total of nine research volumes are published in the FAZIT series, in-cluding the results of a highly regarded Delphi study and two company surveys. This involved questioning some 16,000 businesses about their use of social media tools, open source software and future use of information technology.

Hot Topic:Time Magazine elects iPhone as “Invention of the Year”.

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Hot Topic:The effects of the collapse of US investment bank Lehman Brothers are felt across the global economic and financial world.

+++ Germany creates an electronic Commercial and Cooperative Register +++ Google is world’s most valuable brand +++

bwcon named best competence network in Germany

+++ Obama exploits the use of Web 2.0 and becomes President of the US +++ the computer mouse is 40 years old +++

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More than 100 experts from 4

European reg ions meet to exchange

ideas in 8 CReATE workshops .

Baden-Württemberg again takes the number one slot in the European Innovation Index, ranking above 65 other countries and regions.

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uring 2008, MFG works hard on expanding its European-wide network, which will enable Ger-man companies in the technology and creative industries to forge cross-border alliances. It works together with 36 partners on joint European projects and is involved in developing EU project pro-posals with a total value of €22.8 million.

Brussels gives the go-ahead for the CReATE project on 11 March. In Baden-Württemberg, the creative indus-tries are now ranked as the third most important economic sector – just behind engineering. Together with its partners from the regions of Piedmont, Rhône-Alpes, the West Midlands and the Steinbeis-Europa-Zentrum, MFG aims to strengthen the innovation performance of medium-sized companies in the creative sector, boost cooperation at regional and European level and identify the technological trends relevant to the creative sector.

MFG also hosts the first Stuttgart BarCamp in September 2008.This event brings together around 200 bloggers, programmers, journalists and online marketing experts at the Bosch Ar-eal complex to discuss a range of Web 2.0 to-pics chosen by the participants.

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MFG receives the accolade of Excellent Knowledge Organisation2009

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The research project FAZIT

ends and the book “D ig i ta l

Paths to New Markets“ is

pub l i shed .

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is created on 1 October.Hot Topic:

Gartner Hype Cycle announces that cloud computing is on verge of global breakthrough.

+++ Twitter is „Word of the Year“ +++ launch of World Digital Library +++ more than 1 million articles on Wikipedia +++20

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s a trusted partner of the EU, MFG organises an exciting programme of activities to mark the start of the European Year of Creativity and Innovation. The “Kreativraum Stuttgart” events week is part of this programme, attracting around 100,000 creative individuals and decision makers. But the event highlight of the year is indisputably the 2009 Creativity World Forum. MFG and the

Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Economic Affairs together stage the main event of the international network “Districts of Creativity”, which is being held in Germany for the first time. Between 1 and 3 December, around 2,000 creative minds from 29 industries and 28 countries gather in Ludwigsburg to discuss creativity as a location factor.

This year MFG is awarded as “Excellent Knowledge Organisation” by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology for its pre-eminent knowledge management and superior know-ledge-based management processes.

New Baden-Württemberg creative network brings together regional projects

+++ 4 million people use mobile phone apps +++ nationwide introduction of Germany’s electronic ID card +++

T2010

3/4 of all people in Baden-Württemberg are online. That’s the second highest Internet usage rate in a nation-wide comparison.

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MFG i

s a w

inner in Ge

rmany,s “365 Lan

dmarks in

the Land of

Ideas“ com

petition

,

being

chose

n as a Selected Land

mark 2010 fr

om mo

re tha

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0 applications.

Hot Topic:The Hollywood film “Avatar” transports film into a new world of 3D technology.

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he MFG Visual Experience Lab bears fruit: the ViPol virtual training programme for police forces, developed by Ulm-based firm TriCAT and the Baden-Württemberg Ministry

of the Interior with support from MFG, receives the silver Serious Games Award.In a real “creative marathon” in autumn, MFG and its partners link up more than 1,700 participants at 8 events on 4 days in 3 locations. The highlight is the joint event between the highly respected German Multimedia Summit and Create10, the international conference for creative industries. Held in Stuttgart’s Römerkastell, the event enables providers and users of the digital economy to mix with international researchers and politicians, as well as young talent and innovative companies.The MFG Foundation establishes the Karl Steinbuch Research Programme at the end of the year. It is designed to stimulate particularly innovative research in ICT and the creative industries. Work on building a region-wide network of cultural, cre-ative and IT industries also begins. From 2011, MFG and around 50 partners from the scientific and busi-ness worlds will bring together regional projects and programmes under the title “Kreativland Baden-

Württemberg” to form a unique central pool of all stakeholders, industries and companies engaged in these sectors in southwest Germany.

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Web

2.0 MFG Baden-Württemberg on Web 2.0

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MFG Baden-Württemberg mbHPublic Innovation Agency for ICT and MediaBreitscheidstraße 4, 70174 Stuttgart, GermanyTel. +49 711 90715 300, Fax +49 711 90715 350info@mfg.de, innovation.mfg.de

CEO: Klaus HaasisConcept: Hannah Fesseler, Silke RuoffEditors: Christine Heinrich, Silke Ruoff, Silva Schleider, Aline SchmidDesign: www.made-am-neckar.de Collages 1997+2006+2008 use stock material from www.istockphoto.de Landscape 1999-2000 xx designpartner, Jürgen GerhardtPrinting: Gulde-Druck GmbH & Co. KG, Tübingen

© MFG February 2011

ISO 9001: 2008 certified for innovation management and cluster management

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The State of Baden-Württemberg and Südwestrundfunk are the proprietors of MFG.

s Public Innovation Agency for ICT and Media, MFG Baden-Württemberg has been working to strengthen the federal state of Baden-Württemberg as a key location for ICT, media and creativ-ity since 1995. It enhances state-wide innovation and competitiveness by promoting regional, national and international cooperation, among other activities. Its focus is on supporting suc-

cessful entrepreneurship, especially in small and medium-sized companies, and on their linkage with applica-tion-oriented research and public funding programmes.

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ProprietorsMFG Baden-Württemberg mbHPublic Innovation Agency for ICT and MediaBreitscheidstraße 4, 70174 Stuttgart, Germany

info@mfg.de, innovation.mfg.deTel. +49 711 90715-300, Fax +49 711 90715-350