The project’s binaural audio experience has been showcased at the fair

Möbius presented the project’s idea of renewing the book experience through cross-partnerships and its achievements at Frankfurter Buchmesse 2022, placed at the “Collective Stand of Innovation and European Projects (Hall 4.0, H 79) of the Frankfurt Book Fair with CONTENTshift, Aldus Up, STARTSPrize and creativeSHIFT. It has been a collective effort from the Möbius consortium, organized and supported by MVB.

During the book fair, hundreds of people could exchange insights with the consortium members, interact with the Möbius totem, and test the developed binaural audio technology, which is used to create more life-like listening experiences, in this case, in audiobooks. It will be part of the Möbius book experience through the Möbius Player. Using binaural reproduction, individual users will be able to use the Möbius app for immersive reading (text+ binaural audio) and enjoying the social interaction features. During the event, the technology was tested to highlight the important role of the user in the project.

Möbius, among the panellist, at the policy event about European cultural industries

Tomaso Greco, Founder of BookaBook and Thomas Van Dam, Junior Researcher at IMEC, both Möbius consortium members, participated in the policy panel “C”eative and Culture Industries (CCIs): transform and innovate to enable new business opportunities”.”Moderated by Simona De Rosa, a partner from DEN Institute, the session focused on current and future needs to boost CCIs.

Dr Christian Ehler, a European Parliament member and a member of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (EP), opened the panel with a Keynote speech on the EPEP’strategies to support the publishing sector. Dr Ehler mentioned the significant advancement reached for the industry in terms of budget allocation and new initiatives, taking the example of the EIT Culture and Creativity. Patricia Castillo, Interim CCO EIT Culture and Creativity, shared the latest inindustry’sission, its role in accelerating creative projects and how it will be structured. Arnaud Pasquali, Deputy Head of the Culture unit of the Education Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) of the European Commission in charge of the EU Creative Europe Programme, provided insights on the vision and opportunities shared by the EC for the creative sector.

STARTS Prize, Möbius and Media Futures, the three Horizon 2020 projects which supported the panel organization, shared through the voice of the coordinators and representatives their internal strategies to help CCIs access funds with a prize and open call. Programs and tools to improve skills and competencies were also introduced.

The future of Creative and Cultural industries in terms of EU funding schemes and the role of the arts and creativity in informing research and innovation were some of the many topics discussed during the panel. The main challenges faced by artists and creatives in accessing funds to support their projects and exhibitions and the instruments put in place by EU institutions to help CCIs were also debated throughout the session.

The Frankfurt Book Fair: the woworld’seading venue for printed and digital content

The Frankfurt Book Fair is the most important international trade fair for publishing and content. Experts from global publishing meet partners from the technology industry and related creative industries such as film and games. This year has received 180,000 visitors, 4,000 companies from 95 different countries, and 6,400 media representatives. Thus, it is the hub of the international rights and licensing trade and the starting point for new cooperations and business models.

This year’s edition was dedicated to exchanging ideas and understanding through and beyond languages and culture. The world’s biggest book fair illuminates the topic of “t”anslation” “n all its richness. Ideas, themes, and texts must be translated again and again: into other languages, into other media, into different contexts, and new thinking.

About Möbius

Möbius is an initiative funded under the European Commission Horizon 2020 programme that aims to modernize the European book publishing industry by remodelling the traditional value chains and business models. It trusts in uncovering the prosumers’ potential to deliver new enriched media experiences. For more information, visit https://mobius-project.eu/ 

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 957185.