The 2017 Summer School on Management of Creativity kicked off in Montreal last Wednesday June 28th, 2017. The programme has gathered 48 participants from nine different countries. After a week in Montreal, they will land in Barcelona on July 9th, 2017, where they will spend another week. Attendees are a mix of professionals in large international companies such as Cirque du Soleil, Ubisoft, Chanel and Torrot; master’s and doctorate students; and scholars from 10 different universities. The Summer School also enjoys a wide geographic distribution, with participants coming from Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Lithuania, Mexico and Spain.

The course is organised by the Entrepreneurship Chair at the University of Barcelona in collaboration with HEC Montreal at the University of Montreal. Researchers at the Faculty of Economics and Business at the University of Barcelona Jaume Valls Pasola and Montserrat Pareja-Eastaway are co-directors of the Summer School on the University of Barcelona side.

Participants of the Summer School will explore and compare two ecosystems in creative and innovative cities, Montreal and Barcelona, and will tap into new sources of inspiration on how to create environments that stimulate innovation. They will learn best practices on innovation through a privileged contact with influential leaders and thinkers, along the renowned creators, professionals and managers. This is achieved through company visits, seminars, interactive workshops and co-creation projects.

The closing session will be held on July 14th, 2017, at the Aula Magna of the Faculty of Economics and Business, with participation of Oriol Escardíbul, vice rector of Economy at the University of Barcelona, Miquel Àngel Essomba, commissioner of Education and Universities of the Barcelona City Council; Patrick Cohendet, co-director of the Summer School (HEC Montreal), Francesc Solé, professor emeritus at the Polytechnic University of Barcelona, and Alfons Calderón, acting director of the Québec Government Office in Barcelona.