A new twist in Europe’s history is just around the corner. The third industrial revolution is underway and our actions will determine Europe’s position in the emerging new economy. Joining the digital age is not just about adopting the latest technologies, but also about favouring risk taking, stirring faith in the future and supporting entrepreneurism. We need to reinstate the passion for progress that Europe once embodied, that very passion which drove Europe when she sent vessels around the world and invented the modern world. We also have to rethink education, from the way we learn to the way we think, work and live together. All of the above is within our grasp. We can do it. Europe is a principle zone of innovation in the world today as well as its largest source of scientific publishing. These unique assets are worth harnessing from a fresh perspective. We must rethink our culture which has grown too academic, too ridged and too centralised in order to be able to entrust the keys of our future to those who spend more time making the impossible come true than fine-tuning their next step. The digital era affords us a unique opportunity. Far from being limited to a particular technique, it is ushering in a brand new culture. You need only watch the ease with which certain entrepreneurs move from payment systems to booster rockets or electric cars to get the picture. This new culture is better accessed through learning about code and complex structures. This, together with agile and decentralised collaboration between stakeholders, will contribute to truly innovative forms of creativity.