Europe Blog
Our views on the Internet and society
Enriching Dutch Startups Together With The Next Web
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
Last night in Amsterdam, we celebrated a new partnership with
The Next Web
to bring
Google for Entrepreneurs
to the Netherlands. In the unfinished space at
Singel 542 in Amsterdam
, within a stone’s throw of the city's famous Flower Market, The Next Web shared their inspiring vision for the project,
called X
, which we expect to open to more than 150 Dutch startups in the first half of 2016.
We have a very clear goal for this unique partnership in the Netherlands: to further strengthen local entrepreneurship in the heart of the city. We know the startup scene in Amsterdam is a vibrant one--but we think X will cut through the noise of a buzzy ecosystem that’s been missing a physical center, something
research tells us
really matters for startups. At X with TNW we’ll be able to offer our local mentoring program and initiatives like demo days with international guests, global exchange programs and training sessions designed to help Dutch startups grow.
“The Dutch startup ecosystem is flourishing and new initiatives that empower the growth of startups are sprouting,” says Dutch Startup Envoy Neelie Kroes. “‘X’ contributes to this energetic scene by connecting players with global networks like The Next Web, Google, KPMG, ABN Amro and Booking.com that can offer the next growth step for startups.”
One thing’s sure: this isn’t our first rodeo.
Through the
Google for Entrepreneurs
network, we have 25 tech hub partners around the world, plus five
Campus
spaces we offer ourselves--in Tel Aviv, London, Seoul, Madrid and Warsaw--all sharing know-how and content to help new and fast-growing businesses do more. Members of X here in the Netherlands will have access to that
global community
and world class network of physical spaces and programming.
Boris Veldhuijzen van Zanten, CEO of
The Next Web
says that building X together with Google and other partners that include Booking.com and ABN-AMRO is “a dream come true” for the company. “Joining the Google For Entrepreneurs network not only makes sense for X but even more to the X residents who can instantly reap the benefits of this amazing global network to scale their businesses even faster.”
But why make this kind of investment in startups in the Netherlands? It’s pretty simple. Google began in a garage, and we remain a startup at heart. Because of that, we’re committed to supporting next-generation entrepreneurship across Europe and around the world. It’s the same reason we recently launched the
Digitale Werkplaats
in the Netherlands with
a goal of bringing digital skills to 30,000 Dutch entrepreneurs and independents to help them grow their businesses online, part of our greater efforts to show how Google can be a
Growth Engine
for all of Europe.
Posted by James van Thiel, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Google
Step on stage with the Google Cultural Institute
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
It takes years of practice to perfect the pirouettes. Months of rehearsal to get the crescendos just right. Multiple stories of lights, rigging and machinery to set the scene. At the world’s leading performing arts venues —like Carnegie Hall, the Berliner Philharmonie, the Bolshoi Theatre—artists, costume designers, musicians, stage crews and many more all come together to create the perfect moment on stage.
And now you can join them. In a
new virtual exhibition
from the Google Cultural Institute and more than 60 performing arts organizations, you can experience dance, drama, music and opera alongside some of the world’s leading performers—onstage, backstage and with a 360 degree-view of the action.
The new Performing Arts exhibition gives you a view that’s even closer than the best seat in the house. With 360-degree performance recordings, you you can choose a dancer’s-eye view of the crowd, or look down from the stage into the orchestra pit. At the Paris Opera, you can stand in the middle of the largest stage in Europe, surrounded by dancers performing choreographer Benjamin Millepied’s moves. Sit between the woodwinds and strings at
Carnegie Hall
with a full view of Maestro Nézet-Séguin. Don’t worry if you’re underdressed as you tour the
Berliner Philharmoniker
’s rehearsal performance of Beethoven’s
Symphony No. 9
with conductor Sir Simon Rattle—you’ll see the orchestra is not in black tie either.
Beyond the performance itself, new indoor Street View imagery gives you an all-access backstage pass to each venue. Wander through the wig workshop at
Brussels’ opera house
, look beneath the stage at the
historic underground arches
of the
Fundação Teatro Municipal in São Paulo
, or zoom in on ultra-high resolution Gigapixel
costume images
at France’s National Centre for Stage Costume, before browsing more than a hundred interactive stories about the shows, the stars and the world behind the scenes. If you’re lucky enough to be planning an in-person visit to one of these venues, you can be tour them in Street View first to see where you’ll be sitting, or how the view is from the balcony.
The Google Cultural Institute was founded in 2011 to bring the world’s treasures to anyone with an Internet connection. Starting in partnership with a handful of renowned museums, we’ve since joined forces with 900+ institutions to include
historic archives
,
street art
, and 200
wonders of the world
. Now you can also visit dozens of the world’s stages together in one place—across mobile, tablet and desktop at
g.co/performingarts
and on the
Google Cultural Institute
website.
Curtain-up, and let
Performing Arts
take the stage!
Posted by Amit Sood, Director of the Google Cultural Institute
IMAGE URL
Amit Sood
Director
Google Cultural Institute
Campus Warsaw: Central and Eastern Europe’s Digital Leap
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Last week I was in Warsaw to launch
Campus Warsaw
, a modern space for entrepreneurship, in a town that is postively pulsing with start-up talent. I am thrilled to see how Poland and the broader Central Eastern European region is making a big digital leap and I’m happy that Google can help fuel this growth.
Campus Warsaw
is a place for Poland’s and Central Eastern Europe’s entrepreneurs to gather, build companies, network, learn and share. The site provides everything necessary - from office and event space to training and mentoring programs and more - to help freshly-minted entrepreneurs thrive.
A year ago, Eric Schmidt discussed this project with Poland’s Prime Minister Tusk - as a way to strengthen Poland's and CEE region's innovation economy. Last week I was joined by political leaders and startup community leaders from Poland, thirteen European Member States and the United States, to celebrate the launch of this investment.
Campus Warsaw was opened under the Honorary Patronage of the President of Poland, Andrzej Duda. Mateusz Morawiecki, Deputy Prime Minister of Poland was joined by government officials and startup communities representatives from 15 countries at the inauguration ceremony. Everyone was excited to see how a strong focus on entrepreneurship can fuel economic growth in the CEE region.
Campus Warsaw is joining our similar investments in London, Tel Aviv, Madrid, and Seoul. Other Campus sites, like Campus London, which opened its doors just over three years ago, have been hugely successful, building a community of nearly 50,000 members. Startups there have created more than 1,800 new jobs, raising over US$110 million in funding.
Campus Warsaw is part of our Growth Engine effort for all of Europe -- Europe's entrepreneurship is growing and going global on digital -- strong entrepreneurship spirit (and a Single Digital Market) is what Europe needs the most to boost its economic growth and competitiveness.
Posted by Matt Brittin, President, Google EMEA, Business & Operations
Suffragette the movie - and the fight for equality
Thursday, November 26, 2015
Earlier this month, we co-hosted the Brussels premiere of
‘Suffragette’
, a film about female emancipation in the UK starring Helena Bonham Carter, Meryl Streep and Carey Mulligan. The film is directed by Sarah Gavron and is interesting for policy geeks since it is the first film in history to be shot in the UK Houses of Parliament. The film follows the struggles of several women fighting for the right to vote and for greater equality.
Even though we have made great strides in the fight for equality since the 19th century, the film is a reminder that we still have a long way to go. At Google, diversity and equality are big priorities. We think creating product and services for users --all users-- starts with having a workforce that reflects the diversity of people around the world. We’re not there yet, but we’re working on it. That’s why
we publish our data on diversity
-
it’s hard to address these kinds of challenges if you’re not
prepared to discuss them openly
, and with the facts.
Overall only 30% of Google’s workforce are women - a reflection of the picture in the tech sector and STEM education overall. We’re
working hard to improve this
, not only for Google but for our communities. We’re empowering Googlers to confront
unconscious bias
and to celebrate diversity in their teams. We offer internships to young people interested in pursuing a career in tech and programs encouraging girls to learn how to code.
We do all this because we want to move the needle on equality. With more and more
career opportunities in technology
, the fight for equality means encouraging young girls to study STEM subjects, improving representation of women in government and business and demanding equal pay for equal work. You can find out more about Google’s work on diversity
here
.
Posted by: Catherine Williams, Public Affairs Associate Google Brussels
Climate change affects the things we love #OursToLose
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
Cross-posted from the
YouTube blog
From seasons to octopuses and chocolate, environmental issues stand to impact the things we love. What if we could help change the way people discuss climate change, so that the issue and its consequences could become more relevant and tangible to people around the world?
Leading up to
COP21
, a conference which will bring leaders from around the world together to develop a global climate agreement, we’re encouraging the YouTube community to join the discussion by uploading their own videos that share their concerns about how environmental issues may impact the things they love. The conversation on YouTube will live through a simple hashtag: #OursToLose.
With the help of YouTube creators from around the world, including
Casey Neistat
(U.S.), https://www.youtube.com/user/JacksGap
(U.K.),
Golden Moustache
(France),
Jamie Curry
(New Zealand) and
Flavia Calina
(Brazil), we’re also encouraging people to
show further support by signing the Avaaz petition
, a campaign aimed at delivering clean energy worldwide by 2050.
Whether you’re questioning how global warming can impact your day-to-day life, curious about new sources of energy, or concerned about the melting Arctic, we hope that you share your ideas through #OursToLose videos to help make the climate conversation more accessible to people around the world.
The YouTube community can empower tremendous collaboration, advocacy, and creativity. Through #OursToLose, we hope to continue helping people to broadcast their message, empower their communities, and even catalyze a global movement to further action on climate change.
Posted by Marc Hertz, Programming Coordinator, and Aaron Taylor, Associate Product Marketing Manager, YouTube. Videos they watched recently include “
Misconceptions about Climate Change
” recently watched “
What’s Possible: The UN Climate Summit Film.
”
From Paris to Berlin: Getting Europe Growing, Digitally
Thursday, November 19, 2015
For us, this year has been all about getting
Europe trained up in terms of digital skills
. The follow-on from that is creating growth when European companies go global. We've been partnering with Politico to host a series of events across the continent exploring the roadmap for Europe's digital growth. Earlier this month we
were in Paris
, and last week
we took the debate to Berlin
, where guests included MEP Eva Paunova, Bundestag member Thomas Jarzombek and Poland's Undersecretary of State for Digital Affairs Jurand Drop.
Alwin Mahler from Google Germany kicked us off with
exciting research
Deloitte did on the German economy. Businesses using Google services generated up to EUR 30 billion in revenue, and support up to 500,000 jobs - in Germany alone. These aren't just the big names either -- Google has helped the small and midsize firms which make up the Mittelstand, the backbone of the German economy, expand into new markets worldwide.
"Let’s use the famous example of Lederhosen,” Alwin explained -- living near Munich, he knows all about the famous leather shorts. Until recently, many producers would only sell to people from their physical store in the Bavarian region. "Today they can advertise for this product in regions as far as Asia or Australia. Because Asians and Australians like “Lederhosen”, even if they only visit “Oktoberfest” once a year!" Given we hosted the event in the Kulturbrauerei, cheers to that!
It's not just Germany. Another 439,000 jobs in Europe are directly associated with the development of apps, which we support via Android. And that's a global market for European start-ups. A running app developed in Austria,
Runtastic
, has proven a huge hit in markets as distant as Brazil and China.
Then there's “
Weltweit Wachsen
,” roughly translated as "Growing Worldwide." This export initiative run by Google in partnership with DHL, PayPal and Commerzbank has already helped tens of thousands of German entrepreneurs to expand their horizons.
MEP Eva Paunova in conversation with Politico's Noelle Knox
Back to the European policy agenda. Ms. Paunova said there's a need for legislation to speed up, generally, starting with new legislation to end geoblocking. "For the past year and a half we’ve been saying what we want to see, but still no legislative documents have been passed on the topic,” the member of the Parliament's
Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection
told the audience.
We heard a lot of interesting things and people went home optimistically. As did Alwin Mahler, who said, "literally any European business can reach a global market using the Internet, even allowing a solo entrepreneur to become a multinational company."
Posted by: Mark Jansen, Corporate Communications Google Brussels
Friends Of Europe and Google partner to discuss education and skills
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Computers, the internet and smartphones are integrated into our daily lives in a way that was unthinkable a few years ago. How can we ensure the next generation have the skills necessary for working in this digital world? Tech smarts aren't an optional extra: the European Commission
predicts that by 2020
, there will be nearly 900,000 unfilled jobs in Europe because of the digital skills gap.
Friends of Europe and Google
teamed up
this week to discuss this urgent issue. In Brussels, we brought together experts from around the world including Esther Wojcicki, Vice Chair of
Creative Commons
and author of
‘Moonshots in Education’
, Jos Bertemes, Director at Luxembourg's Ministry of National Education and René Tristan Lydiksen, Managing Director of
LEGO Education
Europe.
Before speaking with educators, we did our homework. We commissioned research by the Economist Intelligence Unit, titled "
Driving The Skills Agenda
," which looks into digital skills levels worldwide. (The report definitely gets an A+ grade). They describe how education systems around the world are changing. We kicked off the discussion with the report's author, Irene Mia, telling us about her findings.
The report draws on data from global surveys of senior business executives, teachers and two groups of students, aged 11 to 17 and 18 to 25 -- and is a must-read for anyone interested in the future of education. For example, 51% of executives say a skills gap is hampering their organisational performance and only 34% claim to be satisfied with the level of attainment of young people entering their company.
The research didn’t only look at general skills, but also at digital skills specifically. Teachers know this is an issue -- 85% of teachers say that technological advances have changed the way they teach, but only 27% claim to be very confident in developing digital literacy in their students. Technology could ultimately level the playing field, by giving students access to tools and teaching from around the world and broadening their horizons.
An overview of the ideas discussed at our event, captured by
Somang Lee
Of course, experts and policymakers can discuss these issues for hours -- but what really matters is hearing from young people -- in their own words. That's why we invited
Google Science Fair
European finalists, a global online competition open to young kids interested in science, technology, math and engineering.
Their award-winning projects might one day change the world:
Krtin Nithiyanandam
, from the UK, has worked on a molecular-level 'Trojan Horse' which can be used as a sensitive method for earlier diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease. His fellow global finalist,
Laura Steponavičiūtė
from Lithuania has been experimenting with how nanoparticles affect nature. And
Matthew Reed
is developing a lightweight, cheap open-source satellite standard that will be free for anyone to use and develop.
Google Science Fair finalist Krtin Nithiyanandam and other participants using LEGO to make learning fun
Skills for the future is a topic that’s relevant not only to young people. As a digital company with hundreds of millions of users in the EU, Google is
dedicated
to ensuring Europeans have world-class digital skills. We're working on everything from giving entrepreneurs the tools they need to set up their own business, to
putting Europe's top galleries online
so everyone can enjoy their cultural treasures. And all of
these projects
need digital skills -- which is why it's so important the next generation learn them now.
Posted by: Liz Sproat, Google’s Head of Education for Europe, Middle East and Africa
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