Europe Blog
Our views on the Internet and society
Bringing a fresh digital vision from “New Europe” to Brussels
Monday, December 8, 2014
While Old Europe ponders its approach to the digital future, New Europe is rushing ahead to embrace the web as a motor for growth and prosperity. This past autumn, together with Financial Times, International Visegrad Fund and Res Publica, we announced the
New Europe 100 list
of innovators from Central and Eastern Europe.This past week, many of
these entrepreneurs came to Brussels
to present their ideas to the European Parliament
The event featured real-life success stories :
The European Parliament New Europe 100 event
Kamila Sidor
, CEO, Geek Girl Carrots from Poland who runs a successful social innovation movement to encourage more women into ICT careers.
Michaela Jacova
, Investment Manager, Neulogy VC from Slovakia, who supports aspiring talented entrepreneurs by awarding grants and matching with VC investors.
Paul-Andre Baran
, Director, Biblionet from Romania, who helps provides free access to computers and the internet through public libraries.
Marcin Beme
, CEO, Audioteka.pl from Poland, who founded a successful mobile platform offering digital audiobooks in Poland, Czech Republic, Hunagry , Spain, FInland, Sweden, Russia, Germany, France and Romania.
Gergana Passy
, Digital Champion of Bulgaria, who advocates for a free access to the internet, e-skills and digital transformation across the society.
MEP Boni and Google's Vint Cerf
MEP
Michal Boni
, former minister for digitization in Poland, hosted the debate, which featured a keynote address from Vint Cerf, Google’s Chief Internet Evangelist. Policymakers from around New Europe attended, including MEP
Janusz Lewandowski
, former Polish EU Commissioner; MEP
Antanas Guoga
from Lithuania, and Prof.
Ziga Turk
of University of Ljubljana and Former Minister for Growth in Slovenia.
All listened to the entrepreneurs offering important lessons on technology-driven innovation. Apart from sharing personal passion for ICT-driven innovation, the New Europe called on the politicians to create a positive environment for innovation. Their proposed ingredients include accepting business failures, attracting more women in ICT careers, increasing access to the Internet across the society, and simplifying rules for trading across the borders. Together, these measures represent a positive recipe for creating a true European digital single market.
Posted by Sylwia Giepmans-Stepien Public Policy and Government Relations Senior Analyst, Brussels
Supporting New Europe’s digital advances
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
They threw off the shackles of communism. Now they are grabbing the reigns of the technology revolution. Together with Financial Times, International Visegrad Fund and Res Publica, we announced the
New Europe 100
list of innovators from Central and Eastern Europe who are leveraging new technologies to transform the region in business, media, culture, science and politics.
In announcing the project, the Financial Times noted: “central and eastern Europe say the combination of a high level of mathematical education, low overheads and a globalised, westernised young generation makes for a heady and successful mix.” We agree. The New Europe 100 winners show that this former communist region is fast moving away from its old traditional manufacturing industries. They range from “a Hungarian doctor who has created a medical advice website driven by social media, a team of Polish students who have built an award-winning robot that could operate on Mars, and a Slovak inventor of a flying car. “
Check out the whole list at
http://ne100.org/
and read more about the project and its laureates in the newest
Visegrad Insight.
Follow it on Twitter
@NewEurope100
and tag as #NE100 elsewhere.
The FT correctly notes that the the region still must overcome obstacles. Research and development activities is about one per cent of the region’s gross domestic product, according to McKinsey, the consultancy - half the rate in the western EU, and even behind 1.5 per cent in the Bric economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China.
Our hope that the New Europe 100 project will help raise the profile of the region’s innovators. Recognition from being included on the list will, we believe, bring the initiatives attention, investor interest - and perhaps even potential business partnerships.
Posted by Agata Waclawaik-Wejman, Head of Public Policy, Central Europe
Google Map Maker expands in Europe
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Google Map Maker
is an editing tool that enables you, and people around the world, to contribute knowledge and expertise directly to Google Maps. By sharing information about the places you know best, you can ensure that the map accurately reflects the world around you.
Today, we’re launching Google Map Maker in Bulgaria, Italy, San Marino and the Vatican. Share the delights of Bulgaria’s Black Sea Coast by adding all of your favorite destinations in the famed resort city of Golden Sands. Lend a hand by improving driving directions through the Italian Riviera, or trace the best hiking trails across San Marino’s Apennine Mountains. Your updates will be reviewed, and once approved, will appear on
Google Maps
,
Google Earth
, and
Google Maps for Mobile
for people all over the world to see.
before after
A map view of Tuscany, Italy before and after Map Maker users added details to the map
such as local sport fields and parks
We look forward to seeing the edits you contribute to Google Maps, as we work together to create a comprehensive, accurate and useful map of the world. To get started, join other mappers on the Google Map Maker
community forum
, explore the
Help Center
for tips and tricks, or watch mapping in real-time with
Map Maker Pulse
.
Posted by Nilesh Tathawadekar, Software Engineer, Google Maps
Expanding Street View in Europe
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Cross-posted with the Google Maps Blog
Today we’re announcing a major expansion of Street View to make our maps of Europe more comprehensive and usable. For the first time, people all over the world can see Street View imagery of Bulgaria. They’ll also have access to panoramas of almost 200 new towns and cities in Russia, and thousands of miles of refreshed imagery of the UK.
Bulgaria: from the mountains to the beaches
Nestled in the southeastern corner of Europe, Bulgaria is the 48th country for which immersive, street-level imagery is now available on Google Maps. This Bulgarian launch covers not only major economic centers such as
Sofia,
Plovdiv
and
Varn
a, but also historical and beloved towns like
Veliko Turnovo
and
Koprvishtitsa
.
Vizualizare hartă mărită
Nessebar is one of the most attractive tourist destinations on the Bulgarian seaside
Users around the world can also virtually experience the beautiful ski resorts of
Borovets
,
Bansko
and
Pamporovo,
and the stunning
Architectural and Museum Reserve Tsarevets
that sits on Tsarevets Hill in the old part of of Veliko Tarnovo. And of course, people can check out the
Black Sea coast line
, which is the heart of summer tourism in the country.
Vizualizare hartă mărită
The Architectural and Museum Reserve Tsarevets is a popular tourist site in Bulgaria
From Russia with love
Last February, the first Street View images of Moscow and Saint Petersburg – the major cultural and economic centers in Russia – became available on Google Maps. Now we’re thrilled to add Street View images of nearly 200 more Russian cities to Google Maps. Get familiar with
Sochi
, the venue for the 2014 Winter Olympics, or learn more about Buddhist culture by visiting the
Golden Abode of Buddha Shakyamuni
, the largest Buddhist temple in the Republic of Kalmykia.
Просмотреть увеличенную карту
The Golden Abode of Buddha Shakyamuni is a popular Russian Buddhist destination
Просмотреть увеличенную карту
Sochi: Enjoy the sea and the mountains in one place
Mind the Gap
In the UK we’re refreshing some imagery in major cities like London, Manchester, Glasgow and Cardiff, as well as filling in some of the gaps where we had no Street View coverage. For example, we’ve added brand new images to parts of the Scottish coastline, in pockets of East Anglia and parts of South Wales.
We hope this new and updated imagery makes it easier than ever to explore Europe, and we look forward to more additions in the future. And you can also check out Street View on your mobile device with the Google Maps app for
Android
and
iPhone
.
Posted by Ulf Spitzer, Street View Program Manager
Boosting startups in Eastern Europe
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
There’s a deep pool of entrepreneurial talent in Eastern Europe and we're keen to support it. That's why Google has launched a partnership with
Eleven
, an accelerator program based in Bulgaria, to help lower the barriers to entry for aspiring East European entrepreneurs
Eleven’s first class of 11 startups was picked from almost 500 applicants. Googlers will host tech talks and workshops that we hope will help many hardworking startups get to the next level.
Here are some exciting examples of winners:
Filement
is a platform for data management, accessible viа intuitive and easy-to-use interface usable on all kind of devices.
GrabaLanguage
is a media platform that uses Youtube and crowd-sourced content to teach foreign languages in a fun and effortless way. Imagine karaoke style learning.
La Koketa
is a digital wardrobe and a personal stylist that solves every woman’s problem what to wear on any occasion.
SoccerScout is a professional web based network for soccer players, coaches, agents and teams founded by former soccer player-turned entrepreneur Stilian Shishkov.
Thanks to the Internet, entrepreneurs can scale and deliver products fast. Accelerators like Eleven, which are investing in ideas and offering the networks and mentorship that young businesses need, play a vital role in transforming exciting ideas into successful, fast growing businesses.
Posted by Bridgette Sexton, Global Entrepreneurship Manager
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