In the present political and economic context, territories towards the boundaries of the ‘Ile de France’ region have been seeking to involve local stakeholders in new ‘bottom up’ partnerships to promote innovative approaches to local development. This began in autumn 2010, when a group of local people from the area known as ‘Brie’ (best known for its cheese) created a dynamic structure to promote inclusive and innovative development, largely based around the use of digital tools.
“Brie’nov” was founded on a vision for the local area, which combined a focus on creating cohesion and between networks of local people, with a pragmatism and reactivity responding quickly to local needs and ensuring good governance through consultation with its members.
The starting point was the creation of multi-functional resource centres: human, technical and economic which now provide both general& specialist services. Each centre is focused on providing services in a specific domain, but shares its skill/knowledge-base with the others, it also offers services managed by other participants in the network.
Brie ‘Nov is managed through the dynamic networking of these centres, involving all stakeholders in social innovation activities and by using digital communications and tools to widen horizons for each centre, their users and stakeholders.
Our most representative initiative has been the creation of a network of new work or third spaces/places –the Nomade Office project– which focus on providing :
– Cooperative management and inclusion of users in governance (flexible, democratic, egalitarian…)
– Local supply chains and ecologicial building materials and design for building materials (wood, hemp…)
– mulit-functional flexible spaces and working (remote working, co-working, training, education…)
– Improved accessibility to public, community and business services (on-site) including utilities, healthcare, business creation, education and social services…)
Other examples are
- the Tourist Information Office in La Ferté Gaucher,
- 4 railway stations ‘lent’ for by our national partner, SNCF (national railway operator) to undertake an experimental action to enhance suburban/near urban railway stations through adding mobility and smart work functions;
- a public access point in Trilport,
- a public internet & e-learning space in Doue,
All of these spaces are open to members of Brie’nov. Moreover, all these initiatives are designed to facilitate collaboration between public, private and community stakeholder this being another aspect of our innovative nature. Their planning and development are also opportunities to build and expand local partnerships and engage with local communities.
Learning & e-learning
Our initial work is focused on the setting up of training programs with traditional providers in the framework of an innovative individual approach based on his/her life-project and experience with support mixing presence on-site with distance work. One of the projects is based on the notion of re-equipping and skilling people to enter directly into the digital society, through e-working, for people who have dropped out of the school/university system or the world of work.
Brie’nov is working on the networking of various e-activity centres for whom e-working could be the core activity. The first spaces have been selected, their objectives and functions defined, the budgets calculated and operational plans developed. Training for facilitators for these spaces is currently being examined.
The creation of a Network of efficient health access ‘e-centres or spaces’, notably for permanent diseases such as diabetes is also a current focus. This difficult project is starting from a few simple, strong but complex ideas that are hard to put into practice: Regional planning, redefinition of providers & services, new health-related services. We have brought together a range of competences in order to innovate and promote new ways of access to expertise and everyday advices. As a result Pierre Simon (national expert in e-health), the Revesdiab network (which gather specialists, general practitioners, nurses…) have joined Brie’Nov on a project named Diabete 2.0.
Knowledge Tourism
‘Knowledge’ Tourism is one of the areas of innovation that preceded the setting up of Brie’nov. We are working with the network ‘Tourism in Brie’ which had already developed innovative activities in terms of human & technical networks. The idea is now to extend this network, both in terms of geography, in terms of its expertise (for example, regional design) & in terms of its members (to grow from 70 to 130). The other aspect of this project is to develop a form of tourism that uses digital technologies not only as an instrument for development but also as an ecosystem, or at least as a new part of the existing ecosystem – a supercharged local reality. The project has been eligible to a FEADER funds.
Living Lab
We are still too early in our development to have asked as yet for a Living lab’ label from Europe, Brie’nov was nevertheless based on that model, in particular on the idea of a Local Learning Living Lab’ (4L).
Culture – (digital & heritage-based in the broadest sense)
Our approach is to promote digital culture in areas and with people who have limited access. This is a very important part of our project, currently in its early stages. However, we have led several experiences, 12X12X12X12 and Mur de Brie which are joint proejcts undertaken by professionals and amateur photographers. We also collaborate with a collective of countryside artists ‘Des artistes en campagne’, and have participated several times at their local festivals.
Friday in Brie (VendreBrie)
Once a month, Brie’nov invites inhabitants of the area to share an aperitif or meal. It’s a moment to share ideas and thoughts on our region & on various themes, but especially the idea is to galvanize people into action for this idea of innovative co-creation.
Synthesis
Background
• Against a series of financial, economic, environmental, social and cultural upheavals
• A group of people and organisations who have decided to come together to collectively find solutions to meet local and rural needs
• Brie’Nov was created to unite these energies!
Labeled Living Lab in June 2012
Objectives
• Brie’Nov is an ecosystem of territorial and social innovation, both civic and digital
• It is a melting pot that brings together various stakeholders (important place is given to the users)
• The Living Lab label encourages research, development and collaboration
• The challenge of digital as an opportunity for opening up and re-socializing!
Philosophy
• Brie’Nov networks local resources to put forward and undertake development actions identified as priorities: P.P.P.P
• These actions respond to needs identified by local stakeholders;
• They also differ according to the local area and the stakeholders who are involved in the innovation process!
Some work in progress
Le Relais des Possibles
Multifunctional digital spaces acting as innovation and service centres, designed to provide work areas, to create and collaborate and accommodate services which are no longer provided locally
Telecommuting and coworking
Digital culture
Digital Photo exhibition for rural spaces : expo12.fr
« Memory in the pocket » to Savins
Doue XXII: an intergenerational project on the development of local life …
Mur de Brie : a new exhibition in rural areas ()
Health and e-health
- A consultative process with rural mayors (local and national).
- An alternative to nursing homes, the development of local ressources (Pierre Simon, renowned specialist)
- Broader thinking related to health prevention (with big companies Apivia, AG2R La Mondiale)
- Collaboration with Revesdiab, a county network gathering doctors, specialists, nurses dealing with diabetes pathology
Sustainable tourism
• An innovative collaboration with the tourism network « Tourisme en Brie »
• National project: « la Brie, a holiday destination favoured by Pensioners in Paris », an project of territorial design!
Digital enhancement of heritage and know-how
Technology
- Tools of communication and co-working undergoing long-term trials in Brie’Nov
- Teamlab
– Big Blue Button
– Various Mind maps
– Data Brie’Nov…
System under development for the Smart Work Centre Administration (management, booking, customer care…) - Research, innovation and development
Engaging research organizations and innovation to follow Brie Nov’ including assessing :
• Positive externalities and new forms of work (a Collaboration with Y. L’Horty)
• Malmo university, Périphéria project
• A collaboration with Barcelona Citilab
Local life and integration
Plus belle la Brie: a workshop of creative writing within a community (founded by the Ile de France Region)
School observatory: a tool to reduce truancy to curb dropout (with MSHE Besançon, IFIS – UPE MLV)
Telepresence through video-conferencing in the European framework program Périphéria Malmö, gigiving recognition to people through the exchange of their labor and expertise ..
Garden of Knowledge, a project with the Fondation de France and Insurance group AG2R La Mondiale, support for retired people in the four districts of the county of the ‘Seine et Marne’.