A new pan-European partnership for cultural and creative industries
The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) supports dynamic pan-European partnerships through Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs), which are composed of:
- leading companies
- research labs
- universities
Each is dedicated to solving a pressing global challenge, from climate change to health to renewable energy. To date, the EIT has set up nine KICs, the newest one being EIT Culture & Creativity.
Why a new KIC dedicated to Cultural and Creative Industries (CCSI)?
They employ 7.6 million people in the EU (2019). However, Cultural and Creative Sectors and Industries have lost approximately 31% of their revenue (EUR 199 billion) in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic alone and face many structural issues:
- economic disruption, sector fragmentation
- a shortage of entrepreneurship
- cross-cutting skills, monetisation challenges
- precariousness
New globalised market and societal needs, rapid technological advances and digitalisation are also driving change in this sector. EIT Culture & Creativity will help CCSI recover and become more competitive, sustainable and productive.
The role of EIT Culture and Creativity
EIT Culture & Creativity’s mission is to inspire and facilitate collaborative innovation in the Cultural and Creative Sectors and Industries.
To run their activities, six Co-Location Centres (CLCs) will be set up, ensuring pan-European coverage and accessibility for innovators and creatives.
The CLCs will be located in:
- CLC North West: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- CLC North: Helsinki, Finland
- CLC South: Bologna, Italy
- CLC South West: Barcelona, Spain
- CLC South East Europe & ALPS: Vienna, Austria
- CLC East: Kosice, Slovakia
EIT Culture & Creativity expects especially to:
- Deliver mission-driven innovations leveraging the change-making power of CCSI to develop eco-systemic services and products rebuilding Europe after the COVID-19 pandemic as a carbon-neutral continent. EIT Culture & Creativity will provide experimental spaces to enable creative innovations stimulated through research and technology transfer and early adoptions in emerging high-growth global markets.
- Transform CCSI businesses through custom-fitting innovation support, incubation schemes, and novel investments and philanthropic financing connecting existing networks of 2 000 creative hubs, 3 000 cultural institutions and 300 000 entrepreneurs across Europe.
- Mainstream the impact and value of CCSI especially culture and heritage as an enabler for economic regeneration, and societal cohesion by supporting regions, cities and rural areas, to facilitate industrial and social changes including climate adaptation and mitigation.
The Policy Learning Platform is looking forward to supporting policymakers in their transformative efforts and creating synergies with EIT Culture and Creativity. We plan to deliver two webinars to the cultural and creative industries in January and February 2023. Stay tuned!
Other topical Interreg Europe resources
A time travel through the creation of creative hubs in Wallonia
Wallonia, a city where creativity and non-technological innovation are at the heart of a region’s development.
The booming market of the animation industry
The Policy Learning Platform brings you a story on the importance but also post-covid challenges and need for funding of the animation industry in Europe.
Webinar on creative hubs: support infrastructures for creative and cultural industries
Take a look at the replay of the webinar on how creative hubs are supporting infrastructures for creative and cultural industries.