Interdisciplinary Studies Journal, vol. 2, no 3, 2013. The theme of the 2012 Learning by Developing - New Ways to Learn -conference was Creativity in Higher Education. This topic was explored from two different perspectives: firstly, how can we increase the creative competence in our students and shareholder groups and secondly, how can we creatively develop higher education practices and organizations. The demand for the creativity of individuals is increasing. Our developed economies rely more and more on constant innovation, capability to invent and implement always better products, processes and strategies. Looking at the current international growth businesses, they are very dependent on experts with high skill levels, good motivation and capability for creative thinking. Thus it is an important question for higher education institutions how can we support the refinement of creativity in our students as well as our other stakeholder groups. The traditional learning environment with a lecturer speaking in front of a large audience is probably not the most effective solution for developing creative competence - what is, then? This first perspective was studied and discussed in two tracks: how to learn creativity, and how to teach creatively. Learning always depends on the learner, her own motivation and will to develop her skills. Thus it was studied in the conference how does a person learn to be creative? If creativity is required in working life and higher education institutions thus obliged to teach it, it should be something that students can learn and that can be measured. But is it in fact possible to learn creativity? And if it is, how do we measure and evaluate it? This track concentrated on the development of creativity in an individual student as well as on methods and tools for assessing the development. Despite the unquestionable importance of the learner, a good teacher supports learning very effectively. In the modern ways of competence development learning takes place in various forms. Teaching does not constitute just a teacher's monologue anymore but often consists of numerous creative activities. But how do we use creative techniques and learning environments to teach our students? This track concentrated on the delivery of curriculum, learning and teaching environments, methods and models that have the aim to teach in a creative fashion. The second perspective was also explored in two tracks: creative management in a higher education institution, and developing a creative region. With the current financial situation combined with an ever increasing need for higher skill levels of graduates, the higher education institutions will need to come up with very creative solutions. Creativity cannot be expected to prosper in higher education without the intentional and determined efforts of the institutions. Thus creativity should be visible also in the management of higher education institutions. Consequently, this track concentrated on creative management practices, strategies and guidelines as well as on the implementation and success of them. Regional development is one of the key aspects of many higher education institutions as well as private and public sector organizations. In educating the future innovators, higher education institutions also need the input of external stakeholders. What constitutes a creative region? Is there such a thing as a creative region? This track concentrated on the processes, methods and cooperation in developing a creative region. This conference was constructed in co-operation with an EU-funded multinational research project, Creative Actions in Learning for Innovation (CAL4INO). The project representatives produced several excellent workshops and abstracts that presented the latest scientific knowledge and practical tools in the topic of creative methods. CAL4INO also brought the scientific publishing house Emerald into the conference. We can all read the results in a special edition of “Development and Learning in Organizations” -journal (volume 26, issue 6). In addition to the excellent abstracts, presentations and workshops, the conference offered also a venue for creating new ideas. It was a pleasure to see how much expert discussions and new research project ideas were shared during the conference. Several new ideas have already been put into action and thus new knowledge on creativity in higher education will increase further in the near future. On behalf of Laurea University of Applied Sciences I wish to thank most warmly all the contributors of these conference proceedings and wish all the readers enjoyable moments with this publication. I believe that we all can find new thoughts and ideas to be further developed in our own context. Helsinki, 2012 Vesa Taatila Vice President Metropolia University of Applied Sciences