The Technology Innovation for Smart Publishing Network launches policy recommendations: the first operational guidelines to boost innovation in book publishing and ICT

PRESS RELEASE TISP launches policy recommendations: the first operational guidelines to boost innovation in book publishing and ICT

The TISP network (Technology Innovation for Smart Publishing), the European project coordinated by the Italian Publishers Association which gathers 25 organizations from 12 European countries, has released a set of policy recommendations, giving the publishing and technology sectors a common base at European level to foster and sustain innovation for the first time.

The document, drawn up jointly by the two European representative bodies of the publishing and ICT industries, FEP and DIGITALEUROPE, and published today on the TISP Smart Book website (www.smartbook-tisp.eu), represents a common stance of both worlds regarding the essential actions needed to support innovation, and submits operational guidelines of industrial policy based on the needs of companies from both sectors.

The recommendations address policy makers looking to secure the smooth running of the markets concerned and the satisfaction of consumers, using existing instruments at their disposal. They call for more public investment, including research and development, and the allocation of project funding to support both sectors.
The recommendations stem from dialogue held between the communities of book publishers and ICT providers, and draw inspiration from a variety of sources, including: wider discussions held at TISP events; business cases collected within the project; and the experiences and reflections of project partners. Suggestions range from fostering cooperation and mutual knowledge between the ICT and publishing sectors to enhancing digital skills, from facilitating access to research and finance to supporting initiatives that improve access to books by the visually impaired, as well as encouraging integrated ICT and publishing solutions to address commercial needs, increasing the discoverability of books online and creating more and more attractive products.

According to Pierre Dutilleul, President of FEP, “Book publishers are committed to fostering innovation in the sector and embracing the digital shift in order to provide their readers with new, exciting services and products. The goal of our recommendations is to create an environment conducive to fully exploiting the potential of the integration of ICT in book publishing.”

John Higgins, Director General, DIGITALEUROPE, said: “The digital industry in Europe is pleased to acknowledge the bold steps taken by European book publishers with a view to make the most of leading edge information and communication technology. We are happy that TISP provides the perfect setting for a cross-fertilization that enables both of us to meet the fast changing needs of our customer base”

Marco Polillo, President of AIE, the Italian Publishers Association, coordinator of the TISP project said: “The TISP recommendations are an important outcome of the dialogue between two TISP is a Thematic Network co-funded under the ICT Policy Support Programme of the European Union industries that converge in identifying common needs and provide realistic guidelines to European policy makers. It is significant that such European statements stems from a project coordinated by an Italian organisation during the Italian Presidency of the EU”.

Milan, July 24th 2014

Learn more at www.smartbook-tisp.eu

TISP CONTACTS
Mail: network@smartbook-tisp.eu Linkedin Group: TISP – Technology Innovation for Smart Publishing Twitter @tispnetwork #tispnet

WHAT IS TISP
TISP (Technologies and Innovation for Smart Publishing) is the Thematic Network co-funded under the ICT Policy Support Programme of the European Union aiming to foster the meeting between publishing companies and ICT enterprises, in order to stimulate new partnership and business models.
TISP is a platform for sharing experiences, market analysis, business cases study. Publishing and new technologies can find, within an international network, room for a debate about innovation, where supply and demand can match to support the creation of innovative products and services as well as new technological solutions useful for the professionals of the book value chain.
To this end, several professional meetings will be organized (at least four each year) in occasion of the most important trade events in the two domains, and further networking activities will go on throughout project life with different communication tools and channels.
Started in January 2013 with an expected duration of three years, TISP is based on a consortium of 25 organizations from 12 countries, under the coordination of the Italian Publishers Association (AIE).
The consortium is composed by the umbrella organizations of the two sectors involved, the Federation of European Publishers and DigitalEurope, the organizers of the three world most important book fairs, Bologna Children’s Book Fair, Frankfurt Book Fair and London Book Fair, sixteen national trade associations and four research institutes.
The Smart Book – http://www.smartbook-tisp.eu/- is the informative resource which will gather online the material resulting from the network activities, as articles, reports of the events, market studies and business cases. It is open to consultation and is an instrument of update for professionals of both the sectors and a reference about subjects dealing with innovation in European publishing

Press release