New technologies offer creative artists unprecedented opportunities for collaboration. However, the creative sector does not always know how to apply these technologies.  The SPECIFI project has come up with several solutions:

• Smart platforms enable various innovative forms of creative performance (such as augmented reality);
• A hi-speed network between cities (a so-called Creative Ring) allows artists in various European cities to collaborate seamlessly and even act jointly;
• Making intellectual property agreements on a European-wide level removes the barriers to cooperation and successfully create business models.

The Creative Ring, combining SPECIFI with the European FI-WARE project, has now become reality.

The pilot cities for the new applications in the SPECIFI project are Trento (Northern Italy), Barcelona (Spain) and Kortrijk (Belgium). Alcatel-Lucent, i2cat and Mediahaven have been involved as technology partners. Dialogic, together with the Belgian Research Institute iMinds (now: imec) was responsible for developing the business models.