innovation lab by information labs

Innovation lab | The 5th Freedom: Enrico Letta (Jacques Delors Institute)

In collaboration with KnowledgeRights21, we proudly present the 5th Freedom project in our innovation lab! In our latest Innovation Lab, Enrico Letta, former Prime Minister of Italy and author of the Report on the Future of the Single Market, shares his vision for completing the Single Market by 2028. He highlights five priorities—three pillars of energy, financial markets, and connectivity, and two overarching goals: creating a 28th regime and introducing a 5th Freedom. Reviving Jacques Delors’ idea, Letta explains how this 5th Freedom—focused on the free movement of knowledge, research, innovation, and skills—is essential to make Europe’s economy more modern and competitive. Key quotes: 🗣️ “Without a truly modern 5th Freedom implemented everywhere in Europe, it will be impossible to have a Single Market that is really modern, efficient, or able to compete, or to make the European Union competitive with the rest of the world.” 🗣️ “Launching the 5th Freedom and being able to have the 5th Freedom at the very core of the relaunch of the Single Market is, in my view, the reason or the condition to consider successfully the implementation of the Single Market or not.” 🗣️ “I strongly believe, I strongly hope, that European Commission, European Council, European Parliament, the Member States, and the civil society first will be able to foster this idea and to use this flagship of the 5th Freedom as the way to successfully complete the Single Market by 2028.” 📌About Our Guest 🎙️ Enrico Letta | Jacques Delors Institute 🌐 enricoletta.it/ [http://www.enricoletta.it/]  🌐 linkedin.com/in/enrico-letta-ba060333 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/enrico-letta-ba060333]  Enrico Letta is the President of the Jacques Delors Institute and a leading European voice on integration and innovation. A former Italian Prime Minister, he continues to shape the EU’s agenda for competitiveness, sustainability, and economic renewal through policies that place knowledge and research at the heart of Europe’s future. Our bite-sized videos bring you: ↪️ Expert predictions on the future of Europe’s competitive edge in a knowledge-driven economy. ↪️ Crucial insights on what policymakers should (1) enable—bold investments in research and innovation—and (2) avoid—barriers that limit the free movement of ideas and talent. #5thfreedom

Innovation lab | The 5th Freedom: Stephen Wyber (Knowledge Rights 21 & IFLA)

In collaboration with KnowledgeRights21, we proudly present the 5th Freedom project in our innovation lab! In our latest Innovation Lab, Stephen Wyber, Director for External Affairs at the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), explores how the 5th Freedom can reshape Europe’s research ecosystem. He outlines three revolutions: valuing knowledge, shifting from closed to open systems, and making research a core policy goal—showing how openness can empower libraries, researchers, and innovation across Europe. Key quotes: 🗣️ “We’re seeing knowledge as something that matters.” 🗣️ “We need to move from a model where knowledge is closed, restricted by default, to one that’s open.” 🗣️ “Scientific progress is built on the possibility of access—the possibility to compare, to build on each other's work, to critique, to check.” 🗣️ “We can’t see research as an exception; we need to see it as a first-level policy goal.” 🗣️ “With this focus on the 5th Freedom, we have an opportunity to do something new—to do something better—for researchers.” 📌About Our Guest 🎙️ Stephen Wyber | KR21 and IFLA 🌐 https://www.knowledgerights21.org [https://www.knowledgerights21.org/] 🌐 https://www.ifla.org [https://www.ifla.org/] 🌐 linkedin.com/in/stephen-wyber-74192013 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-wyber-74192013]  Stephen Wyber is the Director for External Affairs at IFLA, leading efforts to ensure laws and policies support libraries’ mission to provide access to knowledge, research, and culture. Through the Knowledge Rights 21 program, he advocates for open access and champions Europe’s proposed “5th Freedom”—the free movement of knowledge—as key to fostering collaboration and innovation. Our bite-sized videos bring you: ↪️ Expert predictions on the future of Europe’s competitive edge in a knowledge-driven economy. ↪️ Crucial insights on what policymakers should (1) enable—bold investments in research and innovation—and (2) avoid—barriers that limit the free movement of ideas and talent. #5thfreedom

Innovation lab | The 5th Freedom: Justus Dreyling (COMMUNIA)

In collaboration with KnowledgeRights21, we proudly present the 5th Freedom project in our innovation lab! In our latest Innovation Lab, policy director, Justus Dreyling, explores how Europe can unlock the 5th Freedom—the free movement of research, knowledge, and education. From breaking down copyright barriers to ensuring open access to publicly funded science, this session highlights why the ERA Act is a once-in-a-generation chance to strengthen European research, boost innovation, and empower collaboration across borders. Key quotes: 🗣️ "We need the free movement of research, innovation, knowledge, and education in Europe." 🗣️ “Taxpayers pay twice: once to fund the research, and again to access it. That slows down science, keeps people out, and frankly, it doesn't make sense."” 🗣️ "Researchers should have the right to share their work openly without embargo periods, without having to file restrictive contracts." 🗣️ "Current rules are fragmented, outdated, and too narrow. The ERA Act should introduce a mandatory, flexible exception for research that applies across all of Europe." 🗣️ "If we make knowledge truly free to circulate, we can unlock the 5th freedom. That means faster progress in science, more innovation, and a stronger Europe on the global stage." 📌About Our Guest 🎙️ Justus Dreyling | COMMUNIA 🌐 https://communia-association.org/ [https://communia-association.org/] 🌐 linkedin.com/in/justus-dreyling-71a9b8173 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/justus-dreyling-71a9b8173]  Justus Dreyling works at the intersection of digital policy and knowledge rights. He focuses on how open access and flexible copyright rules can accelerate research and innovation in Europe. As part of COMMUNIA, he advocates for turning the European Research Area into a true Digital Knowledge Act, ensuring that the 5th Freedom becomes a practical reality for scientists, innovators, and citizens alike. Our bite-sized videos bring you: ↪️ Expert predictions on the future of Europe’s competitive edge in a knowledge-driven economy. ↪️ Crucial insights on what policymakers should (1) enable—bold investments in research and innovation—and (2) avoid—barriers that limit the free movement of ideas and talent. #5thfreedom

Innovation lab | The 5th Freedom: Dr. Paul Rübig (European Economic and Social Committee)

In collaboration with KnowledgeRights21, we proudly present the 5th Freedom project in our innovation lab! 🔎 In this Innovation Lab episode, Dr. Paul Rübig, a European policymaker and champion of the 5th Freedom highlights why knowledge must be treated as a human right and a strategic asset for Europe’s competitiveness. He explains how aligning national and regional research programs under FP10 can transform 27 fragmented ideas into one powerful European vision. This episode explores how Europe can move beyond funding gaps to create a genuine knowledge economy. Rübig’s message is clear: the 5th Freedom is not just about policy—it’s about building Europe’s future on innovation, education, and fairness. Key quotes: 🗣️ “Knowledge should be a benefit for the people. That’s why the 5th Freedom of research, knowledge, and innovation is so crucial for the competitiveness of the European Union.” 🗣️ “It’s not only a question of money; it’s a question of structure and political measures. The reduction of national barriers is quite important.” 🗣️ “It’s a human right to get access to global knowledge.” 🗣️ “For research and science, knowledge should be free of charge. But for commercial use, it should be a fair bargain.” 🗣️ “The creation of knowledge has a big benefit for those ready to put it to the market — but the people who created it must get a fair share.” 📌 About Our Guest 🎙️ Dr. Paul Rübig | European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) 🌐https://www.ruebig.eu/ [https://www.ruebig.eu/] 🌐linkedin.com/in/paulruebig [https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulruebig]  Our bite-sized videos bring you: ↪️ Expert predictions on the future of Europe’s competitive edge in a knowledge-driven economy. ↪️ Crucial insights on what policymakers should (1) enable—bold investments in research and innovation—and (2) avoid—barriers that limit the free movement of ideas and talent. #5thfreedom

Innovation lab | The 5th Freedom: Peter Spyns (Flemish Public Administration)

In collaboration with KnowledgeRights21, we proudly present the 5th Freedom project in our innovation lab! 🔎 In this thought-provoking Innovation Lab episode, we take a deeper analytical dive into the 5th Freedom—the free circulation of knowledge across the European Union. Through the lens of Peter Spyns, coordinator of international R&I policies at the Flemish Department of Work, Economy, Science, Innovation and Social Economy, we explore how the European Research and Innovation Area (ERA) provides the structural backbone to make this freedom a reality. Spyns introduces the concept of the “knowledge cube” to help map the production, diffusion, and absorption of knowledge across key actors—governments, academia, industry, and civil society. From researcher mobility to policy coordination, this episode breaks down how the 5th Freedom can move from abstract ambition to actionable policy. Key quotes: 🗣️ “The 5th Freedom is about the free circulation of knowledge in the European Union in a kind of single European knowledge market.” 🗣️ “The ERA is the context, the framework, the government structure, etc. that make the 5th freedom a reality.” 🗣️ “Once you have examined all the cells of this, what I call the knowledge cube, you can decide on priorities for actions and initiatives.” 🗣️ “In order to make the 5th freedom happen, you of course need to build on the four others, being the freedom of circulation of persons, goods, services, and capital.” 🗣️ “Mutual learning exercises are a way of circulating knowledge between governments.” 📌 About Our Guest 🎙️ Peter Spyns | Coordinator of International R&I Policies 🌐https://www.ewi-vlaanderen.be/en/contacten/peter-spyns [https://www.ewi-vlaanderen.be/en/contacten/peter-spyns] 🌐linkedin.com/in/peterspyns [https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterspyns]  A leading figure in European R&I governance, Peter Spyns brings a systems-level perspective to how Europe can unlock the full potential of its knowledge economy—by embedding the 5th Freedom in structure, strategy, and ultimately, law. Our bite-sized videos bring you: ↪️ Expert predictions on the future of Europe’s competitive edge in a knowledge-driven economy. ↪️ Crucial insights on what policymakers should (1) enable—bold investments in research and innovation—and (2) avoid—barriers that limit the free movement of ideas and talent. #5thfreedom