The special issue on Economic Growth and Innovation in Multicultural Environments (ENGIME) collects a selection of papers presented at the multidisciplinary workshops organised by the ENGIME Network. The ENGIME workshops address the complex relationships between economic growth, innovation and diversity, in the attempt to define the conditions (policy, institutional, regulatory) under which European diversities can promote innovation and economic growth.This paper addresses the need to adopt common definitions in a sort of cross-disciplinary brainstorming.ENGIME is financed by the European Commission, Fifth RTD Framework Programme, Key Action Improving Socio-Economic Knowledge Base, and it is co-ordinated by Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM). Further information is available at www.feem.itengime.Workshops• Mapping DiversityLeuven, May 16-17, 2002• Communication across cultures in multicultural citiesThe Hague, November 7-8, 2002• Social dynamics and conflicts in multicultural citiesMilan, March 20-21, 2003• Governance and policies in multicultural citiesRome, July 2003• Trust and social capital in multicultural citiesAthens, November 2003• Diversity as a source of growthMilan, April 2004 Partners of the ENGIME network:• Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei, Milano, Italy• Psychoanalytic Institute for Social Research, Roma, Italy • Institute of Historical, Sociological and Linguistic Studies, University of Ancona, Italy • Centre for Economic Learning and Social Evolution, University College London, UK• Faculty of Economics and Applied Economics, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium • Idea Consult, Bruxelles, Belgium• Maison de la Recherche en Science Humaines, Laboratoire d’Analyse Socio-Anthropologique du Risque, Maison de la Recherche en Sciences Humaines, Université de Caen, France • Centre for Economic Research and Environmental Strategy, Athens, Greece• Institute of Higher European Studies, The Hague University of Professional Education, The Netherlands