STARTS Ecosystem · Support to STARTS Community and Lighthouse Projects through the creation of an ecosystem for hybrid talent

STARTS ecosystem’ intends to become a pillar of the STARTS (Science, Technology and Arts) movement in Europe, by creating and animating an ecosystem of creators, artists and innovators that will engage with and support the two new Lighthouse projects to be launched under STARTS, while building on results of past and ongoing initiatives, such as the STARTS Residences (VERTIGO), WEAR Sustain and STARTS Prize projects, among others. For that the project will aim at the creation and animation of a STARTS ecosystem by coordinating artistic and innovation relevant aspects of the two lighthouse pilots and of other European/international R&I projects that put artists and creatives at the centre of innovation.‘STARTS ecosystem’ proposes to be the mechanism that feeds the new Lighthouse projects and other R&D&I initiatives with the artistic inspiration (under the form of input from artists and creators) they require to lighten the way towards a more human-centred, while technological, society. It will accomplish this by offering a solid framework for actors, activities and results generated under the first wave of STARTS projects, to meet and consolidate with newcomers, in the form of an ecosystem that can raise interests and drive artistic/creative talent towards the large-scale activities, to be demonstrated under the Lighthouse projects and other R&D & innovation projects, where artistic potential can be leveraged. The main goal of this proposal is to contribute to the development of a new and sustainable ecosystem for the STARTS initiative that can foster collaborations and innovation between creators, artists, researchers and technologists to promote competitive business models, unconventional products and solutions that can contribute to an enhanced understanding of societal needs. We will not start this process from scratch, but will build instead on the communities of value, networks and tools created under the current STARTS projects.