The European Year of Creativity and Innovation has the objective to raise awareness of importance of creativity and innovation for personal, social and economic development, to disseminate good practices, stimulate education and research, and promote policy debate and development.

The Year addresses a wide spectrum of related themes such as:

• fostering artistic and other forms of creativity through pre-school, primary and secondary education including vocational streams, as well as non-formal and informal education

• maintaining engagement with creative forms of self-expression throughout adult life

• cultural diversity as a source of creativity and innovation

• information and communication technologies as media for creative self-expression

• ensuring that mathematics, science and technological studies promote an active, innovative mindset

• developing a wider understanding of the innovation process and a more entrepreneurial attitude as prerequisites for continued prosperity

• promoting innovation as the route to sustainable development

• regional and local development strategies based on creativity and innovation

• cultural and creative industries including design – where the aesthetic and the economic coincide

• innovation in public and private services.