... for Innovation. URBACT II Thematic Network BASELINE STUDY. October 2012
... Culture and creative industries – a source of growth, jobs and innovation . ......
Improved effectiveness in the public sector/services and governance models.
Creative SpIN – Creative Spillovers for Innovation URBACT II Thematic Network BASELINE STUDY October 2012
Table of contents I. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4 II.
INNOVATION, CCIs AND CREATIVE SPILLOVERS: STATE OF THE ART AT EU LEVEL ........................................... 5
1.
Innovation and the new economy ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 5
2.
Culture and creative industries – a source of growth, jobs and innovation .......................................................................... 7
3.
Defining “creative spillovers” .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 8
Concept....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 8 Typologies ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 8 4.
Creative spillovers for economic and social innovation ........................................................................................................................... 10
A premise................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 10 CCIs’ innovation features ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 10 CCIs’ contribution to economic innovation... .........................................................................................................................................................................11 ..and social innovation .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 12 5.
The role of territories to stimulate creative spillovers ............................................................................................................................... 13
6.
Challenges to fostering cross-sector collaborations .................................................................................................................................. 14
7.
Existing initiatives to stimulate spillovers: a short European overview .................................................................................... 15
8.
EU policies calling for creative spillovers ................................................................................................................................................................. 16
9.
CCIs for a smart, sustainable and inclusive Europe ......................................................................................................................................... 19
III.
PARTNERS’ PROFILES: ASSETS, CHALLENGES AND EXPECTATIONS........................................................................................ 21
BIRMINGHAM .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 21 ROTTERDAM ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 27 ESSEN.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 32 BOLOGNA ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................36 KORTRIJK ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 40 MONS...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................44 WROCŁAW..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................49 KOŠICE ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 54 TALLIN........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................58 ÓBIDOS .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 62 2
IV.
CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 66
1.
CCIs – an asset for the new economy ...................................................................................................................................................................... 66
2.
Partners’ vision, challenges and strengths ..............................................................................................................................................................67
3.
Creative SpIN – themes to be tackled, method, approach and expectations .................................................................. 69
4.
Added value of the network ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 73
V.
BIBLIOGRAPHY ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................75
ANNEXE I – Partners’ profiles in brief .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 78 ANNEXE II – List of people visited ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 88
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I. INTRODUCTION URBACT is a European Programme which aims to foster the exchange of experience among European cities and the capitalisation-dissemination of knowledge on all issues related to sustainable urban development. Creative SpIN is a new URBACT Thematic Network which aims at defining and testing tools and methods to connect culture and creative Industries (CCIs) with other sectors of the economy and public/social services in order to stimulate “creative spillovers” and contribute to innovation. Its ultimate purpose is to trigger creativity in businesses and organisations by encouraging artists, creative professionals as well as cultural and creative industries to engage with other sectors to share their competences, creativity, skills and services. The fundamental assumption is that culture-based creativity is a source of innovation. Culture-based creativity is linked to the ability of people, notably artists, to think imaginatively or metaphorically, to challenge the conventional, and to call on the symbolic and affective to communicate and innovate1. Through the exchange of knowledge and practices, Creative SpIN’s partners (Birmingham City Council, Rotterdam City Council, Mons City Council, Wrocław Agglomeration Development Agency, Bologna City Council, Essen City Council, Kortrijk City Council, Tallin Creative Hub, Košice 2013 European Capital of Culture and Óbidos City Council) will identify beneficial complementarities between economic sectors and develop tools and processes to support cross-industrial collaborations. As a result, Creative SpIN is expected to take cultural policy beyond heritage preservation, thus introducing disruption in traditional cultural governance and challenging sectoral approaches. Under the request of URBACT, this Baseline Study has been developed as a preliminary research to the development of Creative SpIN with the aim to create a common understanding about “creative spillovers” within the project consortium and further define the scope of Creative SpIN based on the specificities of the partners. It summarises the work undertaken by Philippe Kern, Lead Expert of Creative SpIN, in collaboration with the city partners during the first 6 months of the project (May 2012 – October 2012). On the one hand, it is based on desk research looking into the indirect effects of CCIs on other sectors of the economy as well as into the main initiatives undertaken in Europe to stimulate these effects. On the other, it builds on the Lead Expert’s visits to the partners aimed at understanding and analysing their socioeconomic profile, policy vision and main challenges in relation to CCIs’ spillovers. This report is divided into three main chapters:
An assessment on the state of the art (Section II), particularly at European level, of the topic of creative spillover. It includes a review of the existing knowledge, policy actions and the most remarkable experiences undertaken to stimulate spillovers. The partners’ profiles (Section III) to better understand different starting situations, ways of approaching the project theme and expectations on the project. Finally, a synthesis (Section IV) bringing together the issues arising from analysis of the situation in the partner cities and the “state of the art”, resulting in a clear definition of the theoretical framework of the project and in the selection of a number of preferential sub-themes for partners to work on through focused local action plans.
1
KEA European Affairs. (2009). The Impact of Culture on Creativity – Study prepared for the European Commission – DG EAC, Brussels.
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II. INNOVATION, CCIs AND CREATIVE SPILLOVERS: STATE OF THE ART AT EU LEVEL
1. Innovation and the new economy Today’s economy is innovation-driven. Functional products and services need to be high quality, to embed symbolic values and to provide meaningful experiences in order to satisfy an increasingly sophisticated demand from users, both in the private and public realm. Innovation is very much needed also to face social challenges such as social integration, ageing population and climate change, to name just a few. Furthermore, competition has increased, with new important players coming from Asia and South America. Innovation is traditionally defined as the introduction of new goods (product innovation) and methods of production (process innovation), or as the “rearrangement” of existing resources and equipment in novel ways with a commercialisation purpose2. In the XXth century, technological innovation was at core of capitalist competition and mainly aimed at increasing productivity. This is not the case anymore. Production may request excessive use of natural resources and have negative impacts on the environment. With the emergence of new theories about sustainable development, a different concept of innovation has emerged with a view to contribute to a new production model. This should be respectful of present and future generations and answer the needs of more educated users. In other words, companies use technological innovations to increase productivity, but rely on non-technological innovation to communicate social and cultural values (e.g. their respect for the environment) or to make users part of their “production function” (for instance by testing products with users in open labs before launching them into the market). In the public sector, too, it is a priority to design more effective policies and services, especially in a time of austerity and public budgets cuts. The Oslo Manual of the OECD3 has therefore broadened the definition of innovation, in a similar way to what the European Commission’s Green Paper on Innovation4 had done ten years earlier. This document distinguishes between product, process, marketing and organisational innovation. As creativity is at the core of innovation, broadening the concept of innovation implies enlarging the scope of creativity, intended as a process of interactions between technological, scientific, business and culture-based creativity. Together, these can help better address societal needs5:
2
Schumpeter, J. (1934) The Theory of Economic Development, Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press. OECD (2005), Oslo Manual: Third Edition, OECD Publishing, in: Http://www.oecdbookshop.org/oecd/display.asp?sf1=identifiers&lang=EN&st1=922002081p1. 4 European Commission (1995), Green Paper on Innovation, Brussels. 5 KEA (2009), Ibid. 3
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Culture-based creativity is a new concept stemming from cultural activities and artistic interventions which nurture innovation, going beyond artistic achievements or “creative content” and feeding business strategies, new technologies (broadband networks, computers and consumer electronic equipments) or even social goals such as community integration, urban development or well-being (see also next infrasections on culture-based creativity’s contribution to economic and social innovation). This culture-based creativity is linked to the ability of people, notably artists and creative professionals6, to think imaginatively or metaphorically, to challenge the conventional, and to call on the symbolic and affective to communicate. Culture-based creativity has the capacity to break conventions, the usual way of thinking, to allow the development of a new vision, an idea or a product. The nature of culture-based creativity is closely linked to the nature of artistic contribution as expressed in art or cultural productions. The spontaneous, intuitive, singular and human nature of cultural creation enriches society. Such enlarged concepts of innovation and creativity are suitable to nurture the so called “new economy”, which is characterised by7: New forms of consumption with features including:
New forms of organisations of economic activities:
Speed: the product life cycle is shorter (in particular in the ICT sector). As a consequence, products and services can be introduced at a very fast pace to the market. In order to face an increased and fast competition, it is important to differentiate products and range. Collaboration in R&D is essential to share the costs and innovate more quickly and effectively. Customisation: products now are individualised in order to reach a variety of market segments – often characterised by a sophisticated demand. This requires strategies to differentiate goods and services. Intangible values (meanings, experience, aesthetic, user interface) are given as much importance as the functionality of the product. The cultural value of a product is, in some cases, becoming as important as its economic value. - Equal importance is given to access and ownership/people attach as much or more importance to sharing than to selling (e.g. the internet economy is a clear example). - Pre-eminence is given to the expression of talents in the organisation of companies by valuing freedom and autonomy as well as divergent thinking.
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We make a distinction between artists, intended as those working in the so called “core arts” fields (performing arts, visual arts) and creative professionals as those working in the cultural and creative industries (audiovisual, music, video games, publishing, crafts, design, advertising and architecture) which cover a variety of culture- and art-related professions, such as film makers, musicians, architects, advertising professionals, etc. See also definition of CCIs in the next pages. 7
KEA European Affairs (2009). The Impact of Culture on Creativity - carried out for the European Commission – DG EAC. Brussels.
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2. Culture and creative industries – a source of growth, jobs and innovation Culture and the creative industries (CCIs) are difficult to grasp. Due to the broad meaning of culture and creativity, different definitions have been proposed and a standardised one does not yet exist, not at European or at international level. In this report we use a definition which aims at providing a comprehensive understanding of culture as an asset as well as an output and an input to creation in the so called “creative sectors”8 and which can be illustrated as follows:
RELATED SECTORS CREATIVE SECTORS Consumer Electronics
Education
Crafts
CULTURAL SECTORS Film and Video
brands Performing Arts User Generated Content
Books and Press Tourism
THE ARTS
Advertising
Visual Arts Heritage
Video Games Telecommunications
Luxury
Music
Television and Radio
Fashion Design
Design
Software
Architecture
Industrial Design
Small (less than 10 employees) and micro businesses as well as self-employed/free-lancers essentially dominate the sector. On average, those companies employ not more than five persons. Nevertheless, the sector has proved to importantly contribute to the economy, both in European countries9 and abroad10. In Europe, the sector represents almost 3% of the EU GDP and 6 million jobs in Europe. It turned over more than € 654 billion in 2003, which is more than car manufacturing.11 CCIs also contribute to an environmental-friendly economy as they mostly make use of human capital as a main resource with little or no impact on the environment. However, quite apart from their economic importance, CCIs are an attractive source of culture-based creativity, linked to the ability to artists and creative professionals to challenge conventional thinking thus providing new content and ideas to innovating firms. The emphasis is put on people (artists and “creative
8
Cultural and creative industries include: the “core arts” (visual arts, performing arts and heritage), the cultural industries (film and video, television and radio, video games, music and books and press), and the creative industries (design, architecture and advertising) KEA (2006). The Economy of Culture in Europe, Study prepared for the European Commission- DG EAC, Brussels. 9 National studies on the topic are numerous. The most recent ones include: Unioncamere, Fondazione Symbola (2012). L’Italia che verrà - Industria culturale, made in Italy e territory; Kurt Salmon (2012). Culture et Economie : Enjeux et opportunités pour les entrepreneurs culturels et créatifs en Belgique; Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (2010). Culture and Creative Industries in Germany 2009 - Monitoring of Selected Economic Key Data on Culture and Creative Industries; The Work Foundation (2007). Staying ahead: the economic performance of the UK’s creative industries. 10 UNCTAD (2010). Creative Economy Report 2010. 11
KEA (2006). The Economy of culture in Europe. Study prepared for the European Commission – DG EAC, Brussels.
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professionals”) more than on companies as these are the main source of creativity: without such talents cultural and creative industries would not exist. There is by now evidence of creative professionals and companies contributing to creativity and innovation. Cultural content has stimulated the development of new technological devices (e.g. iPod). Designers provide products and services with a new aesthetic and meaning, beyond their functional value. Artists are increasingly called to create collaborative working environments that stimulate creativity, just to name a few examples. However, the way CCIs contributes to innovation remains a new topic.
3. Defining “creative spillovers” Concept Creative spillover is a concept referring to the ability of artists, creative professionals and companies to indirectly contribute to innovation processes “by generating spillovers that benefit the wider economies (of the places where they are located)”12 13. Generating creative spillovers is therefore about enabling culture-based creativity to interact with other forms of innovation and processes (which may be scientific, technical or commercial) with a view to break silos between disciplines, thus introducing intuition and imagination in business or organisational processes to innovate. Typologies Creative spillovers can be distinguished in different types14. NESTA identifies three, namely knowledge spillovers15, product spillovers16 and network spillovers17, which can also be distinguished in agglomeration and cluster spillovers18. The table below shortly defines the three types of creative spillovers (what), how they take place and the potential effects which other sectors can benefit from.
12
CHAPAIN, C. Et al. (2010): Creative Clusters and Innovation. .Putting Creativity on the Map. NESTA. UK While maintaining this definition provided by NESTA, we propose considering as creative spillover any innovative effect which CCIs can generate on other sectors, independently of the fact that such spillovers imply or not a reward for the cultural and creative sectors (while NESTA only includes effects which do not foresee compensation for the sector). 14 Chapain C, Cooke P, De Propris L, Macneill S, Mateos-Garcia J. (2010). Creative clusters and innovation. Putting creativity on the map. NESTA. London, UK. 15 Knowledge spillovers occur when new ideas and technologies developed by creative businesses are fruitfully applied elsewhere: for example, through the use of social networking features originally developed by digital media companies to manage communications in businesses, or when open and collaborative models are applied in other sectors, or when creative professionals are employed outside the creative industries/start spin-off companies in a different sector, or when a sophisticated demand (from CCIs stimulates new products and services (‘demand pull’ effects). 16 Product spillovers take place when creative goods and services increase demand for complementary goods in other sectors are adapted to other markets: the widespread availability of online music increases the attractiveness of iPods, or a Disney film generates additional revenues through the sale of merchandise and toys. 17 Network spillovers occur where the mere presence of creative businesses in a given place benefits other local firms. Spatial concentration seems to be essential to generate processes of “creative eclosion”. The existence of spatial spillovers and their effects on innovation has been widely recognised (Capello 2006). The logic is that creative industries produce externalities that are transferred to other industries in the same geographical space. This generates higher revenues for the companies working in the region and, into, into higher levels of income in the region. Spatial concentration seems to be essential to generate processes of “creative eclosion”. Furthermore, Florida’s ‘Creative Cities’ noted how a thriving cultural scene attracts knowledge workers, who can then be employed by other local businesses (or indeed bring in foreign investment from companies attracted by the strong local talent pool. 18 Agglomeration spillovers occur when individuals are attracted to a place because firms have located there or when the image of a place changes because of the concentration of firms. Cluster spillovers when firms share ideas thanks to their geographical proximity. (Frontier Economics (2012) Creative Industry Spillovers – understanding their impact on the wider economy. Report prepared for DCMS). 13
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Type of spillover Knowledge spillovers
Product (and service) spillovers
Network spillovers
What
How
New ideas, know-how (for instance on processes and collaborative working models) and technologies developed by creative actors providing benefits to other sectors.
Employment of creative professionals in other sectors (labour flows) Tacit knowledge transfer (on product ideas, management of creative talents, culture of innovation, marketing tools, governance models, organisational models etc.) in other sectors via B2B linkages or other informal contacts Creative professionals opening a start-up in another sector Sophisticated demand (from CCIs) triggering new products in other sectors (e.g. new software for animation movies/art works) Firms in other industries develop of complementary goods (e.g. iPod) Firms in other industries adapt goods and services to develop differentiated products and services (e.g. fashion design applied to other sectors such as airlines, cars, etc.) Thriving cultural scene attracts knowledge workers, who can then be employed by other local businesses or bring in foreign investment from companies attracted by the strong local talent pool/ improved image.
Creative services benefits sectors.
goods and providing to other
Benefits which firm can obtain by grouping together: -
-
Attraction of individuals/creation of a more attractive image (agglomeration spillovers) Sharing of ideas between firms (cluster spillovers)
Potential benefits for other sectors
Increased productivity, competitiveness and innovation in other sectors through the development of: -
new products, services or marketing tools. working environments conducive to creativity and innovation new organisational models (less hierarchical for instance and more flexible)
Emerging of new companies (impact on entrepreneurship)
Improved effectiveness in the public sector/services and governance models (culture integrated horizontally in different public policy fields).
Increased innovation and productivity/ competitiveness in other sectors through the development of complementary/differentiated products or services.
Adoption/retention/increase of sales of new technologies thanks to the attractiveness of content.
Indirect impact on regional growth through its positive impact on employment, innovation, entrepreneurship, investments and territorial image/attractiveness.
Improved effectiveness in governance models due to the horizontal integration of culture in different policy fields in a way that the contribution of culture to local development can be maximized.
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Creative spillovers benefitting CCIs While CCIs, artists and creative professionals can contribute to other sectors’ development, innovation and growth, the creative community, too, can differently benefit from the collaboration with other sectors through: -
A better understanding of the “market”; Getting closer to a new public (which does not necessarily access culture goods and services) Being less dependent from public subsidy (bound to decrease at a time of financial crisis) Considering new forms of entrepreneurship and innovation; Enlarging the domain of CCIs activities/identification of new markets; New employment opportunities19.
4. Creative spillovers for economic and social innovation A premise Knowledge, product and network spillovers may overlap in day-to-day practice. Knowledge spillovers can results in products spillovers, while network spillovers can also have a direct effect on knowledge spillovers thanks to territories’ capacity to attract talented and skilled workers. For this reason, in the next sections we will present CCIs’ contribution to innovation according to the “innovation purpose” (economic or social) rather than in relation to the typology of spillovers.
CCIs’ innovation features Operating at the frontline of the experience and networked economy, many businesses from the cultural and creative industries can be considered as role models when it comes to understanding how to run a creative organisation. However, creative professionals such as film makers, designers, advertising executives or games producers also often provide creative and innovative services to companies operating outside the cultural and creative industries and are increasingly considered as playing an important role in stimulating change in society. Such a notion is derived from two distinct characteristics of businesses which operate in the creative sector. Firstly, it relates to the common practice of cultural and creative independent professionals as well as enterprises of operating in highly collaborative, networked and people-centred environments in which, intuition, imagination, originality and risk are key. These factors are increasingly characteristic of businesses operating in the new economy. Secondly, it relates to the idea that progressive companies and public institutions make increasing use of cultural and creative services across the value chain, in areas such as R&D, marketing, communication and human resources. The ways in which creative industries further creation and innovation varies according to the sector but they often depend on artists, creative professional and CCIs’ ability to: 1.
Generate new ideas and disruption : –
on the basis of specific requirements or technical constraints (design, advertising, TV production, computer animation),
19
Employment of creative people also has some drawbacks. “Flexible” creative personnel working on single projects normally have precarious working conditions. This issue has been studied by an increasing number of researchers, some of whom refer to the need to further develop and apply the notion of “flexicurity” (SOSTENUTO, 2012).
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–
through individual creation (literary or music authors, visual artists, songwriters, film directors, screenwriters, games developers, fashion designers etc).
New ideas can be generated “in-house” (design in car manufacturing, fashion design, a play in a theatre company) or outsourced (in which case, creative are not employees, but can be exclusively contracted with a company (artists in music, independent designers, visual artists). 2. Identify and nurture talent. This is the ability to identify and trust talents and to network with the talent community whether creators, independent producers or managers (“schmoozing”). The creative industries are people-based businesses. Creation is not “managed”, creation is rather supported, encouraged and promoted. 3. Understand the investment value of creative ideas. The ability to provide budgeting and forecasting that relates the amount invested in creative projects to its market potential (both for production and distribution). This involves the willingness to take and accept risks as creative ideas can never guarantee success. The ratio between success and failure is rather high in the creative sector which implies the need for a long term vision and the tolerance of failure in creative output.
CCIs’ contribution to economic innovation... Today’s economy is challenged by the need to find new forms of innovation, communication, and skills. CCIs’ ability to generate creative spillovers – thus contributing to such a need - can be “internalised” in companies’ competitive strategies with a view to contribute to innovation and improve their economic performance. More concretely, both manufacturing and service companies can use culture-based creativity to differentiate products and communication strategies, as well as to nurture creative thinking both at management level and among workers:
The Wheel of Creative Strategy
M a na ge m e nt (integrate creato rs)
V a lue s (art to pro mo te ethical values)
P ro duc t D e v e lo pm e nt (invo lve creato rs at pro duct develo pment Goals stage) - Product differentiation - Creative workforce - Creative Management
H um a n R e s o urc e s (use art to stimulate) B ra nding C o rpo ra t e S o c ia l R e s po ns ibilit y .
Business strategies can therefore draw on the interaction between business and culture-based creativity at different levels:
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Operational level a. Culture-based creativity in the management of human resources: - for competence development – leadership, - to develop team spirit – bonding, - to stimulate creativity amongst the workforce. b. The integration of creative functions at board/management level.
Strategic level a. Culture-based creativity in relation to: - product development, - communication and branding, - corporate social responsibility. b. The development of programmes/activities that associate the company’s values and image with arts and culture.
..and social innovation Culture-based creativity plays a key role in the generation of social innovation, which refers to new strategies, concepts, ideas and organisations which meet social needs of all kinds - from promoting new skills for new jobs, improving working conditions/workplaces and education, fostering longer and healthier life, and promoting gender equality to (sustainable) community development, fight against crime, social exclusion, to well-being improvement - and which strengthen civil society as well as social integration. The concept can also be related to social entrepreneurship. Sometimes it may coincide with innovation in public policy and governance. Social innovation can take place in any context (from government, to the for-profit and the nonprofit sector), but it is distinct from economic innovation inasmuch intended purpose and objectives differ. Notwithstanding, outcomes (e.g. improving economic performance) may overlap. At the most basic level, a creative solution in social contexts may simply involve a novel approach taken by linking a culture-based intervention with a social policy objective, as is the case with public art in urban regeneration. Secondly, incorporating cultural or artistic elements in existing social interventions can help develop completely new approaches – as is the case with the healthcare when it integrates cultural and artistic activities in order to create a more welcoming environment for patients. Where individual behaviour is the target, cultural activities can lead to a change in self-perception and to the development of new skills which can both help people to break with former ways of thinking or perceiving the world. Creative activity can also help determine new policies by developing and negotiating shared understandings of policy challenges and mapping out new solutions. Although it is often difficult to differentiate clearly between types of social impacts (cohesion can be for instance promoted via social capital formation, and new approaches in public services can be used for crime prevention), we try to distinguish artists, creative professionals and companies’ contribution to social innovation in relation to: -
-
Promotion of social cohesion through social capital formation by contributing to new ways to cement groups of like-minded people or link groups of individuals with different levels of power of social status. Cultural participation can indeed promote linkages across generations, social classes, ethnic or religious groups, thus strengthening the social fabric of communities. Urban and community regeneration when culture-based creativity integrated in local regeneration strategies with a view to renew urban areas and/or integrate local communities – often marginalised. A cultural offer and improved cultural participation contribute to a place’s attractiveness as well as to social capital formation and cohesion. Culture also contributes to strengthening social ties among communities thereby nurturing selfesteem and, ultimately, well-being. Culture can also help the past (memory) and future (contemporary creation) creating the condition for a socially sustainable development. Innovation of public services (healthcare, criminal justice, etc.) by helping bring certain public services closer to their constituents. Some public services have pioneered new methods of collaborative feedback and decision making by means of integrating creative media innovations – online discussion fora, social 12
-
-
networking sites and online petitions allow the public to interact more easily with public services. Some public services are also able to promote participation and involvement, often of marginalised groups – the development of community media and community arts, more generally, are good examples of this. Art and culture are also often used in prisons or hospitals with a view to create a more welcoming environment for patients, prevent crime and re-integrate people former prison detainees. Education and learning for creative skills by fostering “flexibility, openness for the new, the ability to adapt or to see new ways of doings things and the courage to face the unexpected.” Artists and creative professionals can contribute to imagination, divergent thinking and intuition in schools, universities and further education providers (including vocational training institutes). Activities with artists and creative professionals can be (and have been) set up to stimulate creativity among pupils but also among future managers. Public policy governance – reaching socioeconomic objectives in new ways by helping policy departments breaking silos and creating a collaborative working environment. This can led to new policies and governance models integrating culture in a broad range of fields with a view to make the most of culture’s innovative potential to face economic and social challenges. Culture can be integrated in public policies relating to the economy and R&D to stimulate new forms of innovation, entrepreneurship and jobs, in urban development to find new ways to strengthen local cultural identities, territories’ image as well as social cohesion, in education to help students develop creative skills for new jobs, etc.
5. The role of territories to stimulate creative spillovers The mere presence of CCIs is not a sufficient condition to generate creative spillovers (NESTA). Territories play a crucial role in stimulating creativity and innovation. Creativity, in general, and culture-based creativity in particular indeed comes from different combinations of ability and environment – in other words, personal predisposition and a social context. The main sources of culture-based creativity can be thus identified in: -
Creative forces represented by “creators and creative professionals”, cultural and creative companies and institutions as well as creative social networks. Territories, as expression of identities, playing a vital role in fostering the different and the creative20; Society, which nurtures a creative ecology conducive through creativity through regulation, education and investment in technology and culture. Territory: Europe’s cultural diversity and its regional distinctiveness increase the Unions creative capacities Society: Openness, Human Capital, Regulation, Technology, etc. Creative Forces : Individual Artists and Creative Professionals
Creative Social Networks
20
Creative Companies and Institutions
Florida, R. (2002). The Rise of the Creative Class. New York: Basic Books.
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The existence of network spillovers and their effects on innovation has been widely recognised21 and it is indeed at the local and regional level that CCIs’ innovation potential is best witnessed22. Spatial concentration and proximity allows knowledge exchanges. Creative industries produce knowledge and ideas that are transferred to other industries in the same geographical space. This generates higher revenues for the companies working in the region and higher levels of income in the region. Policy has a crucial role to play in setting the appropriate conditions to break the “silos” between different visions and mind-sets for interdisciplinary interactions to happen and innovation to flourish. Regions and local authorities are the primary institutional partners for SMEs in the creative sector, they take decisions about investment priorities, contribute to the setting up the education system (more and more decentralised) as well as of the regulatory framework conducive to economic development. Furthermore, regions and particularly cities have long been important arenas of cultural production. They very well know their cultural heritage and actors and have a role in fostering cultural products, with a strong local identity. The evolution of a global, service-oriented economy has placed culture at the very centre of urban development and has shifted traditional notions of culture as art and heritage to a view of culture as an economic asset23. Cities have historically been the places where much innovation has occurred. The size, density and compactness of urban centres foster interpersonal interaction and create greater opportunities for enhanced information flows24. Firms that produce creative goods and services are located in close proximity to benefit from stronger linkages with creative companies as well as with companies in other sectors. Cities are the best placed to trigger “Creative SpINs” as they know very well their cultural assets and creative companies established locally, very often micro-enterprise. They are in a unique position to set the ecology fostering interactions as their size facilitates exchange and learning. They are best positioned to act as a testbed to experiment creative spillovers to generate new source of wealth and innovation. Areas of creative spillovers will depend on the assets of a city, its development strategy and socioeconomic challenges.
6. Challenges to fostering cross-sector collaborations Several challenges can be identified to the proper interaction of CCIs with other sectors. At policy level, there is a need to mainstream CCIs as an economic sector, while now CCIs (especially the visual and performing arts and heritage) is often still considered as a subsidised sector. Cultural policies are therefore often isolated from other policy departments dealing at city level with foreign investment, economic development or social affairs including education). The generation of creative spillovers implies going beyond traditional culture, enterprise, social and innovation policies and get different administrations and policy departments to collaborate. The challenge then also relates to developing new policy languages on creativity and socioeconomic innovation as well as to designing policy tools able to encourage and facilitate cross sectoral interactions and ensuring their sustainability both within the public and private sectors.
21
Capello R. (2006). Regional economics.. Routledge. Power, D., Nielsen, T. (2010). Priority Sector Report: Creative and Cultural Industries, Europe Innova Initiative. Brussels: European Commission. 23 Raymond E. Miles, Charles C. Snow, Grant Miles (2000), TheFuture.org Original Research Article Long Range Planning, Volume 33, Issue 3, 22
June 2000, Pages 300-321. 24
European Commission. (2010a), European Competitiveness Report 2010 Commission staff working document SEC(2010) 1276 accompanying document to the Communication — An Integrated Industrial Policy for the Globalisation Era: Putting Competitiveness and Sustainability at Centre Stage (COM(2010) 614) (SEC(2010) 1272). Brussels..
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At industrial level, a better understanding of different approaches and views in creative and “non-creative” sectors should be developed. As CCIs are passion driven while other sectors are normally profit-driven, communication is often challenging. Investors are not familiar with CCIs’ economic potential, often have ex-ante prejudices and may lack the capacity to “absorb” innovation coming from CCIs, because too costly or simply because it is not understood. On the other hand, the cultural sector itself is reticent often concern by the risk of instrumentalisation for commercial gains. Furthermore, people involved in CCIs are often not “equipped” with the necessary business skills that are required in other business sectors. At social level, the role of culture in delivering social objectives is a contentious one as often considered as “bad for the arts”, on the hand, and subject to instrumentalism rationales on the other. In the social field, a specific challenge concern education systems. These currently provide little support to break silos and very little connections exist between creative and other businesses, increasing dialogue and communication remains an open challenge.
7. Existing initiatives to stimulate spillovers: a short European overview Initiatives to stimulate “creative spillovers” are now starting to emerge across Europe. Interactions are usually stimulated by ad hoc projects and public policy measures which make use of the following tools to stimulate cross-disciplinary exchange: Workshops/seminars to stimulate or incubate new ideas Open calls for innovative ideas and meeting with investors Training programmes for artists to consult companies on creativity and direct artistic interventions in companies/workplaces Multidisciplinary teams working on specific assignments (e.g. to solve problems of small companies) Clustering of companies to promote together creativity/design as a tool for innovation Training programmes on the application of design in companies Stimulation of user-driven innovation and application of results to companies A selection of concrete examples follows: Workshops/seminars to stimulate new ideas NanoArt (2011) is the name of a initiative from GU Holding, an holding company of the University of Gothenburg (Sweden), and Nano Connect Scandinavia. The workshop gathered people from the art, design and nanotechnology fields, providing researchers with creative inputs and helping them turn the knowledge coming from the academic world into something useful for the society. Creative City Challenge (INTERREG IVB North Sea Region, 2009-2012) is another initiative which uses interactive seminars to bring artists and creative professionals closer to the business and policy making worlds. In a seminar held in Falköping (Sweden), the Dutch Artist Thuur Caris gave a lecture to inspire new ways to make cities more attractive. Open calls for innovative ideas KiiCS (2012-2015) is an FP7 project aimed at setting up incubation processes gathering artists, creative professionals and scientists. These are supposed to work together in order to generate innovative ideas having economic or social value. One of the partners (IDIS-Fondazione Città della Scienza) has set up a Smart Lab 15
Incubator which issued a call for innovative ideas to foster sustainable development. People with artistic and scientific background will be selected in order to develop together these ideas. Training programmes for artists and artistic interventions in companies/workplaces Kunstgreb (2008-2011) was an EU funded project (ESF) focusing or artists’ contribution to innovation. It provided artists with a training programme to enable creative people bring innovation in the business sector. Kunstgreb carried out 63 projects for 53 firms. Multidisciplinary teams working on specific assignments (e.g. to solve problems of small companies or to make a location more attractive) Multidisciplinary teams to better understand the market and address consumers’ needs are proposed by one of the partners of the project Creative City Challenge (INTERREG IVB North Sea Region, 2009-2012) – the city of Bremen. Bremen’s project aimed at developing new business structures and innovative products by giving companies from the manufacturing, logistics and trading incentives to collaborate with creative talents. The Summer Design Office has developed a similar concept but together with companies and students in order introduce design to companies via students from different disciplines (industrial design, marketing, etc). A Summer Design Office generally consists of 4-8 students who work on short, concept-oriented assignments, primarily for small companies. Clustering of companies to promote together creativity/design as a tool for innovation The Barcelona Design Innovation Cluster is an initiative aiming to pool together innovative companies seeking or offering design services, as well as supporting organisations and public bodies in order to increase competitiveness in sectors where design is a strategic element and a driving force for innovation. Clustering is supposed to help design SMEs speak with one voice and better communicate their creative potential to other sectors. Training programmes on the application of design in companies The Design for Business Programme has been developed by the British Design Council with focus on SMEs in various (”non-creative”) sectors. The Programme aims to demonstrate the practical benefits for businesses of taking greater advantage of design and creative skills. Integration of user-driven innovation in companies’ products Electronic Arts (EA), developer of the game of the Sims 2 game (which simulates aspects of life), developed a partnership with H&M in 2007. The partnership took the form of the Sims 2 H&M Stuff Pack, which allowed Sims players to design an H&M store and dress their avatars in H&M clothes. H&M sent a group of stylists to work directly with the Sims team to help and develop a new collection. A useful insight on tools and methods can be drawn from this overview (which does not take into account experiences in partner cities – these will be presented in the city profiles). However, there is a lack of knowledge about which one works best and in which sectors.
8. EU policies calling for creative spillovers EU policies have recently moved towards a broader understanding of culture. The European Agenda for Culture first and subsequent policy documents in the field of regional and innovation policy have recognised the complex nature of culture and the role culture-based creativity plays in generating new forms of innovation 16
contributing to companies’ competitiveness and entrepreneurship, but also to urban regeneration, attractiveness, tourism and social integration. Cultural policies The “Communication on a “European Agenda for Culture in a Globalising World”25 (EC 2007a) adopted by the European Commission in 2007, for the first time clearly spells out the main European goals in this field:
Foster intercultural dialogue to ensure that the EU’s cultural diversity is understood, respected and promoted;
Promote culture as a catalyst for creativity in the framework of the Lisbon Strategy for growth and jobs and its follow-up "EU 2020";
Promote culture as a vital element in the Union's international relations.
The European Commission’s Cultural Agenda goes beyond the value of culture in its own right. It acknowledges its instrumental value vis-à-vis Europe’s broader development goals, thus paving the way for the mainstreaming of culture in other policy fields, from innovation to international trade. As a follow-up to the Agenda and to firmly harness the potential of culture as a catalyst of smart, sustainable and inclusive growth (Europe 2020’s goal) across different sectors, the European Commission has issued a strategy document that aims at tapping into culture and the creative sectors’ potential for development26 (Green Paper on “Unlocking the potential of cultural and creative industries” (EC 2010f)). The Green Paper provides that cultural and creative companies play a greater role in national and regional innovation systems than has previously been recognised by policymakers and that they offer real potential to achieve the EU 2020 Strategy by “boosting local economies in decline, contributing to the emergence of new economic activities, creating new and sustainable jobs and enhancing the attractiveness of European regions and cities”. It also invites regional and local authorities to take into account the distinctive role played by CCIs in regional and local development when designing policies and support instruments at all levels. As a follow-up, the Commission has recently released a concrete strategy for the sector27 which a series of actions to face challenges such as digitisation, internationalisation and access to finance. The document recognises CCIs as high growth sector but also as a catalyst for innovation as well as a key element in global competition and soft power. The Council backed these positions stressing that the full development of the potential for innovation and creativity built on European culture are key factors for Europe’s success in a globalised world28 . The Conclusions on Culture as a Catalyst for Creativity and Innovation29 consider culture and creativity to be inextricably linked and to be at the core of the innovative capacity of citizens, organisations, businesses and societies. The Council, therefore, called on the EU and Member States to better foster synergies between the cultural sector and other sectors of the economy and to mainstream culture in local and regional development policies30, thereby further contributing to “push” culture within the scope of regional and innovation policies. Also, the Council highlighted
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European Commission (2007), Communication on a European Agenda for Culture in a Globalising World, Brussels. European Commission (2010b), Green Paper on “Unlocking the potential of cultural and creative industries”, Brussels. 27 European Commission (2012), Communication on Promoting cultural and creative sectors for growth and jobs in the EU, Brussels. 28 EU Presidency. (2008). Conclusions on the Launching the new cycle of the renewed Lisbon Strategy for Growth and Jobs. (7652/1/08). Brussels. 29 European Council. (2009). Conclusions on Culture as a Catalyst for Creativity and Innovation. 2941st EDUCATION, YOUTH AND CULTURE Council meeting. Brussels. 30 European Council. (2010). Conclusions on the Contribution of Culture to Local and Regional Development. 3013th EDUCATION, YOUTH AND CULTURE Council meeting. Brussels 26
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the importance of acquiring cultural and creative competences to boost all forms of innovation, mainly nontechnological and social innovation (Council 2011a)31. This comprehensive approach to the sector is also embraced by the Creative Europe programme draft regulation for 2014-2020 as it states that “beyond its direct contribution to jobs and growth, these sectors trigger spillovers in other areas such as tourism and content for ICT”32 (EC, 2011a) European policy-makers are keen to make innovation policies more “open-minded” and effective and to grasp all the contribution that CCIs may bring to other sectors. Innovation policies As a follow-up to the Lisbon Strategy, the EU 202033 has given a new strategic framework to Europe to boost smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. Concretely, the Union has set targets to be reached by 2020 in areas such as innovation, but also education and social inclusion. The Europe 2020 Strategy’s flagship initiative “Innovation Union”34 asserts that the creativity and diversity of European citizens and the strength of European creative industries offer huge potential for innovation. It therefore proposes a broad concept of innovation encompassing new products and processes but also services, marketing, branding and design methods or new forms of collaborative arrangement. Europe is invited to develop its own distinctive approach to innovation focusing on “innovation in business models, design, branding and services that add value for users and where Europe has unique talents”. Such an approach to innovation is also echoed by the proposal for a new European research programme 2014-2020, Horizon 202035. The European Commission's Communication on “An integrated industrial policy for the globalisation era”36 , another flagship initiative of the Europe 2020 Strategy, recognises cultural and creative industries as important drivers of economic and social innovation in other sectors. Furthermore, the annual European Competitiveness Report37 attached to the Communication highlights that cultural and creative industries are not only innovators themselves but have also been important drivers for innovation as they bring inputs into the development of other sectors. Indeed, it reports that the creative industries had a positive and significant effect on the growth rate of local GDP per capita in 2002-2007, according to recent findings. DG Enterprise - the initiator of the Innovation Union policy initiative – has set up ECIA in 2012. The European Creative Industry Alliance (ECIA) is a platform gathering together policy makers and regional agencies specialised in culture, creativity and innovation. ECIA members will test pilot actions in the fields of clustering, access to finance and creative spillovers with the aim of delivering policy recommendations about policy measures through which CCIs can best contribute to the new economy. The same DG is also launching the European Creative 31
European Council. (2011), Conclusions on cultural and creative competences and their role in building intellectual capital of Europe. 3128th EDUCATION, YOUTH, CULTURE and SPORT Council meeting Brussels, 28 and 29 November 2011. 32 European Commission. (2011a). Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on Specific provisions concerning the European Regional Development Fund and the Investment for growth and jobs goal and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1080/2006. Brussels. 33 European Commission. (2010b), Communication: Europe 2020: a strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth COM (2010) 2020. Brussels. 34 European Commission. (2011b). Communication: Horizon 2020 - The Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, COM(2011) 808 final, Brussels. 35 European Commission. (2011c). Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down common provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund for Rural Development and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund covered by the Common Strategic Framework and laying down general provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund and the Cohesion Fund and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006. Brussels. 36 European Commission. (2011d). Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the European Social Fund and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1081/2006. Brussels. 37 European Commission. (2010c), European Competitiveness Report 2010 Commission staff working document SEC(2010) 1276 accompanying document to the Communication — An Integrated Industrial Policy for the Globalisation Era: Putting Competitiveness and Sustainability at Centre Stage (COM(2010) 614) (SEC(2010) 1272). Brussels.
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Districts initiative to support traditional industrial regions in their transition from a traditional to a sustainable and innovative economy through culture and creativity. Regional policies The Communication on “Regional Policy contributing to smart growth in Europe”38 clearly points to creativity and skills of people to help Europe recover from the crisis and states that cultural and creative industries are in a “strategic position to link creativity and innovation. The Communication highlights their potential to boost local economies, stimulate new activities, create new and sustainable jobs, influence other industries (spillovers), enhance the attractiveness of regions and cities as well as to act as a catalyst for structural change in industrial zones and rural areas, thus rejuvenating their economies, strengthening social cohesion and contributing to a change of the public image of regions. The Communication clearly calls for an integration of culture and the creative sectors into regional development strategies in order to ensure an effective partnership between civil society, businesses and public authorities at regional, national and European levels. In this context, the Commission has developed the policy rationale of "smart specialisation", a new concept for regional innovation policy. In a nutshell, smart specialisation is about placing greater emphasis on innovation and having an innovation-driven development strategy in place that focuses on each region’s strengths and competitive advantage. The EC has developed a Guide to help regions set up such strategies (Platform on RIS3 2012). It includes a specific section inviting Member States and regions to place culture and the creative industries within such strategies in order to stimulate new forms of innovation and sustainable growth39.
9. CCIs for a smart, sustainable and inclusive Europe We live in a phase of transition from the industrial economy to the experience and sharing economy. Technological innovation is not sufficient anymore to be competitive. There is need to experiment new business models and explore other forms of innovation. Europe needs to find its way in order to remain competitive and overcome the current economic crisis. Effective ways to improve attractiveness, retaining talents, creating new economic activities and jobs while ensuring cohesion have to be explored. The challenge for Europe is to remain competitive and to make use of its creative assets to add value to its products and services. A number of policy documents – in cultural, regional and innovation fields - call on Europe (and particularly on cities and regions) to make the most of their cultural resources for socioeconomic development, growth and innovation. Artists, creative professionals and cultural and creative companies have the ability of challenging conventions and stimulating new ideas, which is at the core creativity and innovative thinking. The EU 2020 strategy has given a new framework to Europe to boost smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. Europe is invited to find its way to create new and better jobs, while respecting present and future generations and improving social cohesion across Europe. Culture and creative industries have the potential to contribute to the EU 2020 strategy, notably by contributing to:
38
European Commission. (2010d), Communication: Europe 2020 Flagship Initiative Innovation Union COM(2010) 546. Brussels. Smart Specialisation Platform. (2012). Guide to Research and Innovation strategies for Smart Specialisation (RIS3). European Union Regional policy, Brussels. 39
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Smart growth - nurtured by CCIs’ contribution to innovative jobs, products, services and processes within CCIs and beyond, both in the public and private sector, but also to territories’ image and attractive potential; Sustainable growth - facilitated by CCIs’ low impact on the environment, but also by its ability to link the past and the future - building on past cultural heritage to create new ideas nurturing the new economy; Inclusive growth - stemming from CCIs’ capacity to regenerate territories, create a sense of belonging and shared identity and encourage art and cultural consumptions and process of co-creation, thus facilitating dialogue between communities and social cohesion.
Some initiatives have been undertaken across Europe to try to better link CCIs with other sectors which do not normally work together. However, efforts should be made to identify the best tools and methods to stimulate spillover effects in the most effective way across Europe. Existing initiatives mainly create opportunities for people with different backgrounds and profiles to meet, but other challenges that impede CCIs’ innovative potential to be fully exploited remain to be addressed, and in particular the reticence to collaborate from both sides, the lack of understanding of the CCIs from investors, the “gap” between the needs of the new economy and a “silod” education system, little knowledge about good practices, and the few existing examples of integrated cultural policies.
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III. PARTNERS’ PROFILES: ASSETS, CHALLENGES AND EXPECTATIONS BIRMINGHAM 1.
Socioeconomic profile
Birmingham has a total population of just over 1 million residents (1,073,00040), most of whom are young people (nearly 46% are younger than 30 compared with the England average of 38%). The history of the city, which is only 200 years old, is linked to the industrial revolution. Its economy has focused on manufacture of metal goods and motor vehicles (it is the city of Jaguar and Land Rover, now merged). Today, wholesale, retail trade and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles still represent 15,1% of employment (with similar proportions shared at national level), followed by the public sector (8,8%), manufacturing (8,6%) and financial and insurance activities (5,6%)41. Birmingham is the largest local authority in Europe with about 50,000 employees.
Jewellery Quarter
Custard Factory
The decline of UK manufacturing industries in the 1970s and 1980s had a devastating impact on Birmingham. Employment declined by 200,000 between 1971 and 1984. However, automotive, manufacturing and engineering sectors remain the main providers of jobs in the city (the unemployment rate has recently decreased from 12% to 11%). Furthermore, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is probably amongst the largest R&D spenders and is putting considerable investment into plants and training in the city. Nowadays the focus is on R&D to make progress on new materials, clinical trials/translational medicine and green energy. The Aston Science Park, hosting over 90 companies, has been designed as a “science park without walls” where companies work together to drive forwards the city’s most innovative ideas. Key ICT companies attracted to the city include Microsoft and Cisco, which has a communication technology demonstrator based at Aston Park. 40 41
2011 Census figures. Source: Workplace based employment data from the 2010 Business Register and Employment Survey (BRES).
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CCIs have become another key sector for local development in the last decade. They account for around 20,000 jobs – 4% of the city’s workforce – thereby employing more people than construction or the manufacture, sale and repair of cars42. The city has built its reputation as an exhibition venue since the development of the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in 1976 near Birmingham Airport, and of complimentary conference facilities right in the heart of Birmingham to improve the associated leisure facilities (bars, restaurants, hotels, theatres, etc) and provide an environment where business people would visit (as well as stay and spend). European regional funding was accessed to physically transform the city centre. Efforts to recover the economy, however, have to face a poorly skilled workforce, having low aspiration and ambition and entrepreneurial spirit. The Brummies are modest, self-effacing and self deprecating. They are not really aware of the strengths of the city, which suffer of a relatively poor image. Manchester is perceived as more attractive. Dating back to the industrial revolution, Birmingham has been seen as a welcoming city - attracting people from many different parts of the world (South Asia, Africa, China, etc.). More recently this has presented its own challenges for the city, especially during difficult economic times when there are fewer employment opportunities. Improving social cohesion is a key priority for Birmingham, especially in the wake of the riots experienced in Birmingham but also London, Manchester and some other English cities in 2011. The educational offer is considered an important asset for the city. This includes the Birmingham City University (BCU) – which is strong in technical professions and which is currently building a € 70 million new campus for the Institute of Arts and design (BIAD) in the creative quarter of Eastside to be ready for 2013, an Academy of digital media and drama, a School of Acting, the School of Fine Arts at the University of Birmingham. The Birmingham Conservatoire is a regional centre for music with a particular emphasis on music technology. The Aston University features an important educational offer in science, technology and engineering. 2. Cultural profile Cultural offer Birmingham has amongst the strongest cultural offer in England outside London. Its cultural facilities include some which are amongst the finest in the world - such as Symphony Hall, the Library of Birmingham (designed by the Dutch architect Francine Houben to be a new architectural landmark in the city and due to open in 2013), the Birmingham Museum of Art (home to one of the best and most comprehensive collections of Wedgwood pottery) and national companies with international reputations such as Birmingham Royal Ballet, Birmingham Opera Company and City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Simon Rattle, who is now directing the Berlin Philharmonic, is the former director of the Symphony Orchestra and was a real icon for the city. Birmingham is home to an extraordinary range of arts and cultural companies of all sizes and disciplines including Europe's premier black arts centre, the Drum, the recently refurbished Midlands Arts Centre in Cannon Hill Park, the Ikon contemporary art gallery, Birmingham Rep producing theatre, and the UK's busiest single theatre Birmingham Hippodrome. The famous British reggae/pop band UB40 was formed in 1978 in Birmingham. UB40 sold over 70 million records all over the world43. Cultural offering, however, remains thin (especially in some fields such as visual arts) in relation to the potential of the city, very culturally diverse and with a strong industrial past. Cultural and creative industries 42 University of Birmingham, The Development of the Creative Industries in Birmingham, 2006. 43
Sherwin, Adam (2008-04-30). "UB40 reveal new lead singer: Ali Campbell's brother Duncan". Times Online (London)
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Birmingham welcomes a wide variety of digital culture and creative businesses44 active in sectors such as design, advertising, video games, film, and publishing. The most important growing sectors are identified as being serious games and digital media. Successful companies include Rare, a British video game developer acquired by Microsoft in 2002 and counting 90 employees; Maverick Television, a new TV/media company; Hotbed Media producing commercials, branded entertainment and documentaries; and Big Button Media, specialised in making films, videos, motion graphics and online videos. Birmingham has a strong tradition in industrial design. The Birmingham Made Me Design Awards 2012 has shortlisted the UK-based company AGA, who has build a reputation on its iconic design (it invented the famous AGA cooker, a heat storage stove and cooker) in the Best Innovation & Radical Design Categories. Building on such tradition, the city would like to create a Birmingham Center of Design. The CCI sector today is more visible and better structured thanks to the raise of clustering areas. The Digbeth quarter, for instance, is an old industrial area currently being restructured as part of the Big City Plan45 to host apartments, offices and arts facilities. It welcomes the Custard Factory, initiated by a private initiative and hosting over 300 companies in the field of digital media, design and fashion, and the Fazeley Studios, a work space for digital and creative businesses. Punch, one of the UK’s leading music development agencies working on cultural events, touring and artist development, has settled at the Custard Factory. The video games company Rare has opened a new facility in Fazeley Studios. The Jewellery Quarter builds on Birmingham’s craft tradition. It incubates 20 jewellery design companies and overall it hosts over 400 jewellery businesses. The software, publishing, animation, graphics, films, and advertising are also on the edge thanks to support initiatives such as the Creative Advantage Fund (investing especially in these sectors) and the Science Park hosting software, digital media and gaming companies. 3. Policy vision and measures Birmingham’s vision for the future focuses on improving the city’s image, attracting/nurturing talents and highly skilled people, providing new and more jobs, making local companies more innovative and competitive, as well as on reducing social tensions for better cohesion. Birmingham is amongst the eight biggest cities in England which have been devolved new powers from the central government (the so called “City Deal”) in the field of transport, education and infrastructure building in order to better invest in growth, provide skills and jobs, support local businesses and improve infrastructure. ICT, science, creative industries are of major interest. The City Centre Economic Zone was identified by the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP)46 Greater Birmingham and Solihull to support clusters such as Digbeth, Birmingham Science Park Aston and Jewellery Quarter. The city has supported a Science City strategy to specifically link university research and spin out companies. The new City Deal includes the creation of the Institute of Translational Medicine which would help the city become a global centre for life sciences. Other measures include creating broadband services. Over € 12,5 million is planned to be invested in the Jewellery quarter and other areas of the zone to create a fibre based infrastructure as part of past plans. Digital Birmingham was established in 2006 as the driving force to spread the benefits of digital and new emerging technologies. Digital Birmingham is now driving forward Birmingham's Smart City approach, which aims at integrating technology into all mainstream city initiatives in the areas of mobility, economy, people, living and 44
DCMS definition: Advertising, Design and Visual Arts, Architecture, Performing Arts, Publishing, Film and video, Radio, Crafts, Software, Graphics and animation, Music. 45 A major development plan for the city centre of Birmingham: http://bigcityplan.birmingham.gov.uk/ 46 http://centreofenterprise.com/
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governance. A Smart City Commission has been established. Birmingham has also been selected to partner with IBM on the Smart City agenda. The ambition is to develop Birmingham as a smart city by supporting SMEs and the development of new applications. To improve the city’ image and attract investment, Marketing Birmingham, the city’s strategic marketing partnership, operates the city’s leisure and business tourism programmes - Visit and Meet Birmingham - as well as its inward investment programme, Business Birmingham. The city believes that CCIs too can have a big role in developing a service economy, in making the local industry more competitive thanks to creative inputs such as design, in improving the city’s image attractiveness as well as in retaining graduates and addressing social problems (e.g. by creating “cultural encounters/meeting places”)47. Several initiatives have been launched in the last 10-15 years In order to position Birmingham as a leading regional capital for the creative industries. The city has set up the Creative Birmingham Partnership Board (chaired by Jerry Blackett, Director of Birmingham Chamber of Commerce) to assess the needs of CCIs. Looking for new markets was identified as one of the main priorities. Birmingham ‘Creative City’ – a Greater Birmingham and Solihull LEP project – has recently been launched to explore new funding opportunities for CCIs, in collaboration with the private sector. Furthermore, from 2001 until 2005, a very successful Business Support for Creative Industries programme was in place (co-financed by ERDF). This resulted in 424 new jobs, against the target of 327, in 608 safeguarded jobs against the targeted 191 and in over € 10 million safeguarded sales against over € 3,6 million. Ah hoc financial engineering tools have also been created such as the Advantage Creative Fund, the Creative Industry Fund or the West Midland film fund (absorbed now by Creative England). A strong tradition has therefore been developed in supporting investments in CCI. The city is increasingly moving to a new phase - away from specific support measure in order to encourage spill over. CCIs are not seen as a standalone sector and have been increasingly integrated in policy actions linked to a variety of fields going from business support to urban planning. Cultural and creative companies have been supported as part of achieving entrepreneurship and sustainable development objectives, in line with the priorities of the West Midland Operational Programme 2007-201348: -
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Promoting Innovation and R&D which has focused on health and medical technologies; energy; digital media and ICT; transport technologies; and advanced materials/nano-technology. Stimulating Enterprise Development, through which 10 key clusters have been supported including one on “Screen and New Media for Education and Entertainment”, “Interiors and Lifestyle” (including sectors such as ceramics, jewellery, glass and clothing) “Tourism and Leisure”(including leisure goods and presentational arts); Achieving Sustainable Urban Development, through which the regeneration of economically deprived areas hosting creative companies to improve their image (e.g. Digbeth).
The City Council leader (Albert Bore) - very active at EU level via Eurocities and the Committee of the Regions is convinced that CCIs can contribute to a more innovative and competitive Birmingham, against cities like London or Manchester. Barcelona could be an interesting benchmark as an example of industrial big city investing in culture, innovation and new technologies to rethink the economy and rebrand the city at national and international level.
47
Such view is for instance reflected by the report “Why The Creative Industries matter to Birmingham: An Analysis of the City’s Creative Economy” by BOP Consulting (2010) commissioned by the Creative Birmingham Partnership Board. 48 Regional Competitiveness and Employment Objective 2007 – 2013. West Midlands European Regional Development Fund Operational Programme, available at: http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/regeneration/pdf/2105400.pdf 24
The main sectors the city would like to target to test spillovers are health/medical, automotive and green energy, some of its strongest sectors. Better use of technology can also help develop communities and cross fertilisation and support interoperability. Social media is for instance another area of interest to test spillovers. 4. Assets to stimulate creative spillovers The city is very interested in exploring creative spillovers. Its long lasting interventions in the field of CCIs, on the one hand, and on new technologies on the other, combined with a strong industrial tradition, provide the basis to establish new forms of collaborations between growing sectors that can mutually benefit each others. Enthusiasm was raised by the stakeholders met, although the city is challenged to involve also the core cultural/artistic sectors. There is a huge number of assets the city could build on to stimulate creative spillovers: -
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Creative Birmingham Board, with priority is job creation and enterprise; Digital Birmingham, its support to the Smart City approach and its Hello culture Conference, a one day conference with a series of keynotes, panels and workshops exploring how those in the cultural sector can work with digital technology (the next is planned in October 2012); Creative Advantage Fund (CAF) and the Creative Industry Fund (CIF) to fund business start-ups and growth; Custard Factory, a single contact point to involve creative companies but still to be better connected to the rest of the city; Jewellery Quarter, very successful but with greater potential to exploit to improve the city’s image (it is close to the city centre); Aston Science Park and its “Without Walls”49 project as a tool to stimulate interactions / a networking place BCU, which specialises in technical fields and design, Birmingham University and its school of Fine Arts, and Aston University; Birmingham City Council – Business Development and Innovation Team Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP) leading Creative Birmingham; Chamber of Commerce Group, head by the Creative Board’s chair. Birmingham Business Hub, a single location which will provide integrated expertise and support for businesses based in the city or looking to move there.
5. City’s expectations and potential contribution to the project Birmingham is challenged by the new government guidelines adopted to reduce the budget deficit, under which there is a greater need to match public funds with private ones. Through this project, the city expects to better connect the main actors in the city to let them work together, fund innovative ideas and projects as well as create new jobs, especially among young people. Furthermore, as CCIs policies have not be fully absorbed, especially at policy level, there is a need to enlarge the scope of innovation objectives as to ensure that cultural and creative companies can play their role in developing a more innovative, competitive and cohesive city. The city expects to benefit from the project in this sense. The LAP is thus likely to focus on: 49
access to finance graduate retention
http://bsp-a.com/about/science-park-without-walls/
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-
incubation
The city expects to benefit from the new structure to negotiate SF (decentralised thanks to the new City Dealthe city can now have its own SF programme) in order to plan actions on these 3 topics to be funded by EU regional funds 2014-2020. The LAP will be drafted with the help of the ULSG which covers a broad range of stakeholders, going from universities, to business to third sector’s representatives. Birmingham can differently contribute to the success of the project. It has taken part to numerous international projects focused on issues similar to those addressed by Creative SpIN and it is therefore used to work cross border and exchange experience, it has an extensive experience in the field of CCIs as well as great assets in the field of education, access to finance and other support tools/agencies who could contribute to the identification and testing of tools and methods to stimulate spillovers.
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ROTTERDAM 1.
Socioeconomic profile
Rotterdam is the second largest city of the Netherlands, situated in the south west of the country. It counts around 617,855 inhabitants, many of whom are young people from outside Holland (more than 50%). Rotterdam hosts about 173 nationalities (almost high as New York). Suriname is the biggest group followed by Turkish and Moroccan and people from former colonies such as China. In 10 years, it is estimated that more than half of the population will have an ethnic background.
The city has suffered considerably during WO II resulting in the necessity to rebuild most of the city center. Choices made from the 40s until the 80s still influence the architectural and social structures of the city. There is a great need to revive both the inner city center as well as post-war neighborhoods. As these were intended for working class residents, middle class inhabitants and companies have mostly moved to the periphery and the numerous buildings left empty in the city centre need to be given a new function. Rotterdam is known at national and international level to be an entrepreneurial city and an attractive place for businesses. Health (including University Hospital), harbour/transport and the Creative Industries, particularly architecture, animation and serious games are strong sectors. Health, service and harbour/logistic sectors are the main providers of jobs. However, Rotterdam suffers from a quite poor image among the local inhabitants. It appears that the residents of Rotterdam use the city to advance on the social ladder, also known as the 'lift function'. Once they have achieved a higher 'rung' they will be more inclined to leave the city. Rotterdam is challenged to retain and attract higher educated residents, thus strengthening its social and economical basis. Rotterdam devotes great attention to the educational offer, which includes the renowned Erasmus University Rotterdam (hosting a large university hospital), Delft University of Technology, the largest and oldest Dutch public technical university, and the University of Leiden, very strong in Art and Humanities, featuring a very good international reputation. Rotterdam is also well positioned in the field of “creativity” with its Architecture Institute 27
Rotterdam (AIR). Creative studies also play an important role at the RDM Campus (design) and within the Berlage Institute (architecture, cooperation with Technical University of Delft). The city also houses the conservatorium Codarts. As from 2013, the city will also host the national institute for CCIs (with focus on architecture, e-culture and design). 2. Cultural profile Cultural offer The city of Rotterdam has an important cultural offer which is mostly appreciated by “Dutch connaisseurs”. The Rotterdam Philarmonic Orchestra, the Scapino Ballet modern dance company (also internationally well-perceived) and the RO Theatre Company are very much known by a niche audience following the Dutch cultural and art scene. Rotterdam has been very successful at establishing an international cultural offer, too. The Rotterdam Film Festival is the biggest in the Netherlands and the fourth international film festival after Cannes, Venice and Berlin. The International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam or the North Sea Jazz Festival are also very well known and visited. The Dutch city of Rotterdam has been ranked Best Festival City of the World 2010. Rotterdam has also given birth to big names such as the artist Willem de Kooning or the architect Rem Koolhaas who have, however, lived abroad most of their life and are rarely associated to the city. Cultural and creative industries50 Cultural and creative industries is a strong sector to develop in the Netherlands and more particularly in Rotterdam, as shown by the different reports produced to quantify the contribution of the sector to the economy51. Rotterdam is the forth city at national level for CCIs. The CCI sector represents 9,500 jobs, more than the ICT sector (8,000), and 24% of national employment. The city has a strong tradition in architecture. Most of the architectural offices of the country are located in Rotterdam. Together with architecture, serious gaming and eCulture/New Media, music (pop, jazz, world music, classical), audiovisual media and film and festivals are the sectors where the city has identified the important growth potential and where it would like to invest as a matter of priority. Several creative venues and institutions - such as the Jazz stage BIRD, Creative Factory and Schieblock (incubators/hubs) - or successful companies including CCCP TV Rotterdam (media production), Revolver (media production), Ranj, Proskope and Beinvolved (serious gaming), OMA (architecture/urban planning) or RTV Rijnmond (television production, regional broadcaster) have contributed to making of Rotterdam a creative hub with an important development potential at national and international level. 3. Policy vision and measures For the years to come, Rotterdam wants to facilitate and promote a more knowledge-based local industry. 50
CCIs in the Netherlands are defined as follows: “companies and organisations that make up the Creative industries as a sector carry the title ‘creative’ in their name. CCI’s are driven by the power to create and produce that is incorporated in individuals, groups, companies and organisations. Intellectual property rights are an import part of their (production) capital”. They divide CCIs into three categories: 1) The arts: performing and visual arts, cultural heritage and cultural events 2) Media and entertainment: film, AV sector and literature 3) Creative services: design, fashion, architecture, new media and games, advertising 51 "Rotterdam maakt werk van Creativiteit, Gezamenlijk advies EDBR/RRKC", August 2006 (Combined advise to City Council on Creative industries by Economic Development Board Rotterdam and Rotterdam Advisory Board for Arts and Culture). "Evaluatie programma Creatieve Industrie in Rotterdam", Research voor Beleid, May 2011. "Creative Sector, EDBR advies", Economic Development Board Rotterdam, November 2011.
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Its policy vision focuses on developing/promoting/attracting (creative) talents and companies, creating new jobs, educating and empowering its culturally diverse population, and improving quality of life both to retain local inhabitants and attract highly educated people, especially to the inner city. In other words, Rotterdam wants to become an attractive working and living location. Building bridges is considered as an important tool to reach such objectives. According to the vice-mayor, new partnerships are needed today in order to be competitive in a quickly changing world (“it is not only about the crisis, it is about the new economy which needs new jobs, but not all the sectors are aware”, she said). Rotterdam sees in CCIs an important ally to the local development policy. Creative companies can contribute to jobs and innovation and culture be a pull factor to attract creative, high skilled people and create an innovative urban atmosphere. In the vision of the city, these industries provide numerous chances for our young population to develop en exhibit their talents, thus providing access to clime the social ladder. CCIs provide innovative models and products for other sectors to innovate. Indirectly the sector has a positive influence on city attractiveness through the products it makes and the way it presents such products in the city. The city has been investing in CCIs from an economic perspective during the past 15 years. From 2008-2012 a specific action programme (Creativity starts here) has been implemented by the Economic Department. It aim is to rise jobs, improve the visibility of the sector and stimulate cross overs. The programme resulted in the creation of the MEDIA Commission (put in place to boost the media sector, also by putting it in contact with non-creative sectors), creative housing (Schieblock, Creative Factory) and promotional campaigns. When evaluated, the direct economic effects were smaller than expected in terms of jobs. However, the city realised that the added value of the sector lies more in its indirect effects on social, economic, cultural and spatial development, although cross overs remains hard to measure. Rotterdam’s vision for the future includes better linking CCI policy with other policy fields, from spatial policy/urban planning to entrepreneurship to education policies (with the creation of the national institute for CCIs), access to finance (a long term subsidy scheme for cultural sector is to be established in Rotterdam). The link wants also to be made with national policies, in relation to which Rotterdam could become a centre of excellence for architecture. Rotterdam is already involved in the national network for CCIs “CLICK//NL” as commissioner for Architecture. For the city dealing with CCIs is not simply about industrial policy but mainly about how to integrate them into development policies. With such view in mind, a new CCIs programme is currently being elaborated52. Effects are 52
CCI working programme (in progress). Streamline education, training, profession Talent development Growing fase Icons Create housing (living and working) Wants and needs of creative class Look and feel of spatial development Gentrification Support networks and organisation Cross over (i.p. harbor/logistics, health care) Stimulate funding and investments Monitoring, evidence, fact and figures Universities National institutions International institutions and networks
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expected at cultural (entrepreneurship), social (demographics), physical (Innercity, heritage) and economic (cross sectoral innovation, jobs) level. The city would also like to explore the link with social innovation. During the national Open Innovation Festival coming in November 2012 Rotterdam will focus on social innovation and set up a programme line on CCIs’ spill overs on social aspects and policy. Encouraging spillovers was already a priority for the city in its 2008-2012 CCIs’ programme. Now Rotterdam would like to specifically test these on the port and health sectors in order to make these sectors more innovative and competitive but also to make jobs in these sectors more creative and attractive to young people. 4. Local assets to support creative spillovers Rotterdam features a very interesting combination of policy, industrial and cultural assets which can potentially create an environment conducive to exploring creative spillovers. The good political environment at local as well as at national level (CCIs is a national priority) combined with a long lasting CCI policy (taking into account the recent raise of policies in this field) which focus on cross overs, a dynamic art sector (more business oriented than in other parts of Europe), and “traditional” sectors such as the medical and health sectors quite open to new collaborations (some companies have already worked with the creative industries) are part of such favourable setting. Rotterdam’s CCIs policy has contributed to the emergence of very dynamic local stakeholders who could greatly contribute to this project (many of them have already expressed interest and would like to further reflect on possible concrete outcomes): -
The upcoming national institute on CCIs, to explore ways to stimulate cross overs in and through education; Institute for Architecture Rotterdam (AIR), to make CCIs/architecture part of urban planning policies; MEDIA Commission, which has organised events gathering people from different fields, e.g. 7th Art; Creative Factory and Schieblock, offering a physical networking platform; WORM, an arts organisation very much open to new forms of collaborations; Communication Platform Rotterdam, interested in creating new bridges between communication professionals and traditional sectors; The Erasmus University and the Universities of Delft and Leiden, who strongly collaborate with the Creative Factory in order to create a link between the academic world and highly skilled students wishing to start a creative business.
Rotterdam can also count of some previous initiatives on the topic, such as the Zorg ontbijt / Health breakfast53, a cross over meeting organised between health care professionals and creative IT-companies to stimulate innovation in the health sectors, the MEDIA Commission’s multidisciplinary events and collaboration put in place between health companies and serious gaming companies to apply games in medical centres so that doctors can learn how to better interact with patients. 5. City’s expectations and potential contribution to the project Through Creative SpIN, Rotterdam expects to generate more spillovers between its three top sectors (port, medical and CCIs) as well as to identify state-of-the art methods to create spillovers in other fields such as 53
http://www.rotterdam.nl/netwerkontbijt_zorginnovatie
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tourism, access to finance, technology and new media, thanks to the transnational exchange with the other partners. The city also expects to learn about measuring spillovers and policies supporting them. The LAP will therefore focus on: - Creative Spillovers between CCIs and two of the key sectors in Rotterdam: o Medical Sector o Ports & logistics industries - Partnerships between CCIs, educational institutions and governmental bodies. The mission of the ULSG will be to transform Rotterdam’s ambitious goals into concrete programmes and activities that fit the needs of the local actors in all sectors involved. This calls for a diverse ULSG with a balance between representatives from CCIs, other business sectors (mainly Medical and Ports), educational institutions and governmental bodies. The ULSG now consists of a small group of about 10 persons, but will be connected to a much larger group of peers through a Round Table. Members of the Round Table will act as an informal Advisory committee: they do not have an official seat in the ULSG but do have the opportunity to influence the LAP and to insert their programmes and activities into the Action Plan. The ULSG will slowly grow into a group of around 20 people by the end of the project period. The city will contribute to the project’s learning process by sharing with the other partners its experience in the field of CCIs policies as well as the results of previous tests on creative spillovers and efforts to measure the results.
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ESSEN 1.
Socioeconomic profile
Essen lies in the heart of the Ruhr Metropolis, where about 6 million people live and work. This makes the Ruhr Metropolis the third largest conurbation in Europe after London and Paris. With 570,000 inhabitants, Essen is one of Germany´s nine biggest cities. After being an ecclesiastic principality for over 1,000 years, in the last century the city gained fame as a neuralgic centre of coal and steel production in Germany. Industrialists played a major role in shaping the city and the economic growth brought also a growth in population about in the whole region: 500,000 migrants mainly from Poland and Eastern Europe were attracted during the 19th century. With a heavy demand for coal and steel, the region was centre of the German economic miracle in the 1950s/60s (annual econ. growth rate 9%% ). Being target for allied bombing in WW II (during which Essen had a large production of weapons), 90% of the centre and 60% of the suburbs were destroyed and rebuilt in the 50s. Today, no more weaponry is produced, but the old industrial enterprises remain large employers (e.g. Germany's second-largest electric utility RWE AG, the ThyssenKrupp industrial conglomerate, parts of the corporate headquarters of Schenker AG (the logistics division of Deutsche Bahn), Germany's largest construction company Hochtief AG, as well as Deichmann (Europe's largest shoe retailer) and E.on-Ruhrgas (Germany's largest gas company)). However, the unemployment rate today is 12.4% and reaches 18% in the north of the city (against Germany’s 54 national unemployment rate of 5,5% ). The city has lost around 120,000 inhabitants in the past 30 years, from 690,000 to 570,000. Foreigners (which mainly include Libanese, Turks and people from South Europe represent) represent 12,1% of the population but this percentage is estimated to increase. Also, although the city counts around 40,000 students, the population is ageing: 57,9% are older than 40 years and 42,4% are more than 50 years old. Essen and the Rurh are pointing to culture as a tool to regain attractiveness, stop the migration, as well as stimulate new economic activities and growth. “Change through culture – culture through change” is the theme that nowadays characterises the entire region in a process of transformation from the industrial past to the economy of the future. Essen along with the Ruhr District indeed won the title of European Capital of Culture 2010. Since then, the city has launched a creative and urban regeneration strategy which includes the creation of a Kreativquartier North Essen right at the north of the city centre. Essen would particularly like 54
http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/statistics_explained/index.php?title=File:Unemployment_rates,_seasonally_adjusted,_August_2012.png&filetimestamp=201 21001121813
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to make the city attractive for the students attending the different educational institutions present in the city, among which the most renowned are the Folkwang University of the Arts for music, theater, dance, design and academic studies (1,500 students with a new campus of the Design Faculty for 1,000 students opening in 2013 at Zollverein Coal Mine industrial complex), and the University of Duisburg-Essen (37,000 students) having urban systems (i.e., sustainable development, logistics and transportation) among its primary research areas. Another university in Essen is the private Fachhochschule für Oekonomie und Management, a university of applied sciences with over 6,000 students. 2. Cultural profile Cultural offer Cultural creation is a priority for the city of Essen, which spends about 4% of the city budget every year (about € 60 million). Internationally known contemporary cultural icons are from the region, such as the dancer Pina Bausch, the photography Tim Rautert and the sculptor Karl Wolf. Large international exhibitions on contemporary art at (Volkwang Museum has recently hosted one on the architect Chipperfield) as well as yearly important international events on dance (International Tanz Festival and Deutsche Tanz Prize) take place in the city. Interestingly, most of city’s cultural events and exhibitions are sponsored by large industrial complexes (such as the Thyssen Foundation of the Thyssen Group, Rewe, Eon, Krupp). Major cultural institutions in the city are the Aalto Theater, an opera house and major performing arts venue designed by the Finnish architect Alvar Aalto and opened in 1988, and the Lichtburg cinema (a popular name for cinemas in Germany) which was built in 1924 as part of an urban regeneration plan. Cultural and creative industries Essen is home to the WAZ Media Group, Germany's third largest newspaper and magazine publisher with a total of over 500 publications in eight countries, also publishing the Ruhr area's two most important daily newspapers. Additionally, the TV and radio station Westdeutscher Rundfunk has a studio in Essen. Also, industrial design is an important “flagship” of the city. red dot is a comprehensive initiative which aims at identifying, awarding and promote excellent design. It includes, among the others, an international competition for the best business design, conferences, lectures and a Design Zentrum. 3. Policy vision and measures The city’s priority is to develop attractiveness through artistic interventions with a view to “kick start” a creative ecology. Essen wants to build a talent pool which could contribute to urban and economic regeneration and sustainability as well as being a factor to retain (young) people. Essen started a culture-led regeneration process with the ECoC events which had an important impact on the image of the city and the Ruhr. Essen is now developing new artistic and creative spaces to foster creation and entrepreneurship in the sector. “Atelierhaus” was opened in January 2012 by the Culture Department of Essen in co-operation with the Kunsthaus Essen to host a dozen artists to help them reach the art market (cheap rent and free business advice is offered). In September 2012, the Culture Department of Essen also organised the event “Art Walk” involving more than 20 different venues in the City Nord showing the diverse art scene in one weekend. Already in 2004 a wealthy businessman, Mr R.Wiesemann, set up the “Unperfect house”, a unique place for creative people to meet, eat, drink, organise conferences and work. The place is open to visitors. 600 artists and creative professional have used the facility (5,000 m2 – 7 stores). The same business man opened the “Generation- Kult House” a place with co-working spaces and rooms as well as apartments to be rented by 33
younger and older generation in a kind of community living space where facilities are shared. He also invested in an abandoned building to set up the “City Messe Halle” (city art fair hall) for young artists. All these investments are part of the regeneration plan of the north area of the city (where many empty buildings are available) aimed at creating the Kreativquartier North Essen which is situated in a strategic location, very close to the University Duisburg-Essen and proving good accessibility to the Folkwang University, to the free academy of fine arts in Essen-Kupferdreh and to the center of design at Zollverein – UNESCO world culture heritage site. The setting up of the quarter pursues some of the more general objectives of the city strategy“Essen.2030” (to be implemented as from 2013), in particular ensuring high quality of life for all citizens, forming, attracting and retaining (young) talent, increasing competitiveness and attractiveness as a business location, and improving the image of the city. On the same vein, Essen is implementing the project “Grüne Mitte Essen” - an urban renewal project aimed at making the university district more attractive for students as well as companies - and a support scheme for individual artists (offering studios and advice) aimed at retaining artists in the city and at creating an “urban art space”.55 Art in education is another important theme for the city which supports the funding programme “Culture and School” integrating artists in educational processes. The city is also working on the concept of “industrial archeology” by organising visits to industrial sites as part of the cultural tourism offer. Zollverein is emblematic of this reallocation of industrial places. Increasing visibility is another important topic for the city. Essen aims to build long-term relations to cities in Europe to open local markets for creative industries entrepreneurs and access new markets. Furthermore, since 2011 Essen has also tried to become a visibility platform for CCIs in the region. Its Economic Agency is promoting a Creative Stage / Showcase and a Regional Creative Class Network to generate contacts between creative SMEs and bigger companies beyond the city. Spillovers is a new topic but of great interest given the important industrial basis present in the city, on the hand, and the willingness to invest on creative talents, on the other. The two could particularly work together in the field of urban development/green energy/climate and manufacturing. 4. Assets to stimulate creative spillovers Essen has a good mix of political willingness to invest in culture and local assets which are likely to contribute to the setting of a favourable environment to stimulate spillovers. Relevant resources and features certainly include: -
-
-
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Urban regeneration (through culture), the stablishment of creative “milieus”, support to artists and the establishment of a Kreativquartier as priorities in Essen.2030; Strong cultural offering (especially in contemporary art) and expertise in cultural management; Interesting recent investments which build on the idea of co-working to support creativity and innovation – Atelierhaus, Unperfecthaus, GenerationKult Haus. The Atelierhaus is identified as a suitable place to experiment “spillover activities”; The Zollverein Coal Mine offering spaces for local activities, transnational events and where the new campus of the Design Faculty will be located; Local university of fine arts (Folkwant universität der Kunste) which could facilitate interactions with and involvement of artists and creative professionals; Strong links exist with important business players such as Thyssen-Krupp or the entrepreneur Reinhard Wiesemann founder of the hubs “Unperfekthaus” and “GenerationenKultHaus” – this can help create interaction between CCIs and other sectors of the economy; Collaborations with more than 50 cities developed on the occasion of Ruhr for Essen 2011.
http://www.essen.de/de/Kultur_und_Bildung/kulturbuero/kreativwirtschaft_3/kreativwirtschaft_startseite.html
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5. City’s expectations and potential contributions to the project The project should participate to local urban generation, attractiveness and new forms of entrepreneurship. It should help the building of the cluster in the north district of the city by encouraging collaboration and initiatives in place since a couple of years. The Local Action Plan would contribute to create a model of a creative quarter in a deprived district, where spaces for all creative talents would be available, education for and from all creative talents and creative entrepreneurs supported, and contacts between small entrepreneurs and international networks (in different sectors) established to access the markets. In addition, the Local Action Plan would look into the development of digital and online tools for the creative cluster. In the end, the LAP is expected to stimulate creative entrepreneurship and retain local talent. To this aim, a number of stakeholders will be involved in the USLG, namely creative industries from Essen-North, the career centre for Folkwang, the State University Essen, Chambers of Commerce as well as Real Estate Owners, investors & foundations from the visual arts and design sectors (e.g. Thyssen-Krupp Foundation). All these stakeholders are part of the Creative Masterplan for Essen-North since 2011. On the other hand, Essen has a lot to share. It has experience with international collaborations and projects in the context of Essen for the Ruhr 2011, it has several facilities where methods for spillovers can be tested, has already links in place between the local industry and businessmen and the cultural world on which to build on and normally hosts several international events which can be associated to Creative SpIN both for dissemination or experimentation purposes (e.g. red dot).
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BOLOGNA 1.
Socioeconomic profile
Bologna is a medium-sized city (375,000 inhabitants) located in the northern part of Italy. It is the capital of Emilia-Romagna, a region featuring an important industrial tradition (machinery automobiles, footwear, textile, engineering, chemical, printing and publishing industries, as well as a strong financial, insurance and commercial activity) and a large number of very dynamic, internationalised and creative SMEs (essentially family companies),
little affected by delocalisation. In Bologna, manufacturing (27,50%), trade (18%) and construction (8,10%) are the largest providers of jobs. The city also counts a large number of cooperative organisations (the so called “cooperative economy” is very well developed in the entire region). Bologna went through an important period of cultural and economic prosperity during the 13 th, 15th and 16th centuries. Its historical centre and its 42 km of arcades, despite having suffered considerable bombing damage in 1944, is still very well preserved and contains important Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque artistic monuments. Bologna is a city without any major problems – it has an excellent cultural offer for a medium sized city, including a large network of bookshops (54 in the city alone56), theaters and cinemas, it is the 1st city in Italy for quality of life and cultural consumption57, it is a crucial node of connection between North and South (Bologna is well connected with major cities in Italy and abroad through railways, motorways and the city airport), provides good quality health care, pre-school educational, social, cultural and sport services and is actively involved in several international projects. However, old demographics, the passage to the new economy, the need to create new jobs, retain creative talents (many prefer going to Milan after graduation), face the rise of unemployment rate (6-7%) due to the crisis and the low level of nativity58 are challenges the city has to deal with. The city also has to face its long lasting competition with Modena as economic capital of the region. Bologna needs to shape a new, attractive identity to 56
Carolfi V, Coretti C., Giusti E., Lodi M., Moretti F. (2012), Guida alle librerie indipendenti di Bologna, NdA Press, Rimini 2012. http://www.ilsole24ore.com/speciali/qvita_2011/home.shtml 58 In 2010, there were 3,124 children born. In 1977, there were 3.177. Since then, the nativity rate has been decreasing: http://www.comune.bologna.it/iperbole/piancont/noterapide/popolazione/Natalita/Nati_Studio2011.pdf 57
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attract a new generation of young talents. The rich pool of 85,000 international students at the University of Bologna represents a precious source of creativity and innovation. Emilia-Romagna’s capital has also an important tourism potential, but until now it has mainly been city of passage between major tourist destinations. However, the situation is changing also thanks to the presence of Ryanair at the airport - very close to the city centre. Congresses and fairs (Exposanità on healthcare is an important one) may also become a significant area of development in terms of attracted visitors. The city is now working on a new strategy under the edges of the new Mayor elected one year ago (Virginio Merola). Development of CCIs is identified as a priority both in the Strategic Plan and in the triennial Economic Development Plan of the region in order to initiate a “Manufacturing Renaissance”. Creative sectors are indeed important for the city (especially arts, audiovisual, publishing and creative food industry) and develop high quality contents. However, they have no reached an industrial dimension and no link has been developed with the traditional economic sectors. Bologna features an attractive educational and entertainment offer for university students. It hosts the oldest university of the Western world (the University of Bologna founded in 1088) and about 80,000 students live in the city. Its University hospital (Policlinico S. Orsola-Malpighi) has a good reputation. The University of Bologna was the first to establish a degree course in Art, Music and Show Disciplines (DAMS) which today offers courses in four sectors: Art, Cinema, Music and Theater. As for music, the G.B. Martini Conservatory is one of the oldest Italian conservatories, and the first state school in the field. Finally, the Academy of Fine Arts is a relevant center for teaching and experimentation of design, artistic and visual arts. Bologna also hosts Cineca, the Italian largest computing center, one of the most important worldwide. With more 400 employees, it operates in the technological transfer sector. 2. Cultural profile Cultural offer Bologna, which held the title of European Capital of Culture back in 2000, features one of the best cultural offering in Italy, including several cinemas, theatres, libraries and museums and numerous cultural events (Arte e Scienza in Piazza, ArteLibro, Biografilm Festival, Future Film Festival, BilBOlbul - International Festival of Comics, etc.). The Cineteca (Film Archive) is an internationally renowned institution established in the ‘60s and dedicated to the promotion of cinema and cinema culture as well as to film restoration. Every year it hosts numerous festivals. The city also welcomes a contemporary art museum of 9,500 sqm (MAMbo) inaugurated in 2008 with a view to better link the city to contemporary creation and promote local talents. Both are located in an urban area which has been renamed “Manifattura della Arti”. Next to the city centre, this was a neuralgic centre of the cultural, economic and social life in the past and has now been recovered to become a lively arts district thanks to the joint involvement of the Municipality, the University and the funds of Bologna European City of Culture 2000. This area also hosts the Department of Communication, Music and Performing Arts Laboratories of the University, thus being a truthful audiovisuals’ “citadel”. The Municipal Theater of Bologna is one of the greatest Opera and Symphonic Foundations in Italy. The theatre programs an opera season, while the nearby Manzoni Auditorium Theatre offers a symphonic season and permanently houses the activity of Orchestra Mozart, an orchestra artistically directed by the famous director Claudio Abbado. The Civic Museums Institution manages a network of seven museums, among which, the Archaeological Museum, one of the most prestigious Italian archaeological collection.
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Moreover, a private local bank foundation has recently created a new network of museums called Genus Bononiae, a cultural and artistic path telling Bologna’s history through restored ancient buildings of the town centre. The city is strong training institutions in music (G.B. Martini Conservatory) and cinema (DAMS). However, young talents quickly leave the city because of the gap between offer and demand of jobs. Cultural and creative industries According to a recent research59 regarding the creative industries in Emilia-Romagna, the region of Bologna, the ICC sector in 2008 ranked 32,000 enterprises (or 7,9% of the region) with 78,000 employees (or 4,5% of the region). In particular, the city of Bologna has developed many different CCI sectors such as live arts (especially music: Bologna was appointed Unesco City of Music in 2006 together with Seville, Ghent, Glasgow and Bogota as part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network); audiovisual (it features a vibrant scene of independent production and a very important and innovative Film Archive hosted by the Cineteca), publishing (Bologna hosts renowned publishing houses, such as Il Mulino, Zanichelli and Cambridge International Press Italy); commerce and distribution of artistic and crafts products; creative food industry. Bologna offers important visibility platforms to international cultural and creative players. Major fairs indeed in the city relate to CCIs, among which the International Children Book Fair (the largest in the world in the topic), and Cersaie on ceramics. 3. Policy vision and measures Culture has been traditionally high in Bologna’s local policy agenda. The budget for the sector represents 5% of the local budget. Today the city would like to go a step beyond traditional cultural policy and introduce support measures which can enable the economic potential of CCIs to fully develop. Bologna wants to position itself as the city of entrepreneurs and in the field of culture/cultural management (as opposed to Firenze which focuses on cultural heritage). The city’s Strategic Plan, which is currently being prepared, will focus on 3 three main issues which include several references to culture and creativity: -
Manufacturing renaissance (to associate better production with design and internationalisation support); Creative industries and ICT ; Innovation for enterprises to grow.
The city hopes to benefit from a new administrative structure which will operate as from 2014 (the Metropolitan area). This will replace the provincial level but its degree of competence is yet unknown. Such change is considered important for the city as this could enable the development of sustainable policies to foster entrepreneurship and innovation on a wider territory and, possibly, give the area a more critical size and visibility. Several tools already exist to support entrepreneurship and SMEs, such as EmiliaRomagna STARTUP, a regional network the growth of start-ups through innovative instruments, and ASTER, a Consortium led by EmiliaRomagna Regional Government, various Research institutions and Entrepreneurial Associations aimed at supporting research and technology transfer throughout the territory and with experience with CCIs project (Creative Growth – INTERREG IVC). However, no special industrial policies or tools to support CCIs exist right now
59
Regione Emilia-Romagna, Cultura&Creatività – Ricchezza per l’Emilia-Romagna, 2012.
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- apart from IncrediBol (a newly established programme to support creative entrepreneurs). The aim is to create a guarantee fund to support investments in CCIs and link the sector with the regional business angel network (BAN). The city is very much interested in the topic of creative spillovers, especially in relation to manufacturing (to bring innovation in the traditional industrial basis) and education (to nurture creative and interdisciplinary minds in learning contexts). In collaboration with the University of Bologna and the Forum d'Avignon, the Municipality of Bologna has carried out a survey among companies in the metropolitan area to find about internal business roles covered by creative professionals and understand their impact on business’ success. This research will be continued in the frame of the project, and the model could be used for and by other partners. 4. Local assets to support creative spillovers The city can count on a number of assets to stimulate creative spillovers: -
Strategic Plan’s priority on CCIs and innovation in industries through design Strong cultural offering and sound expertise in cultural management Innovative and dynamic local enterprises, especially SMEs Regional network of Business Angels (BAN) IncrediBol and selection of innovative creative entrepreneurs ASTER which has experience with “spillovers”(intended as technological transfers) and CCIs Strong local university
5. City’s expectations and contributions to the project Bologna has expressed great willingness to test and experiment creative spillovers as part of implementation of the Strategic Plan. The project should contribute to the economy of the future, which includes innovative companies building on creative inputs and more business “equipped” cultural and creative professionals. The city wants to break silos between disciplines, especially at university and in companies, and use the project for people to work together across disciplines to find new economic and social solutions. The LAP will support creative spillovers with focus on: -
business training for the creative sector innovative connections between CCIs and traditional economic sectors creating opportunities for the students in innovative and creative fields after their studies
In its ULSG, Bologna will gather economic departments of the City, Province and the Region as well as ASTER (which can provide good connections with the local industry), the University and the project IncrediBol to identify interesting creative companies which could be involved in the project. Bologna is ready to share its strengths in order to best contribute to the international exchange and learning, notably: -
-
Its strong cultural offer and expertise in cultural management. Visibility opportunity and international links: thanks to the strategic position, the deep cultural tradition, the presence of very important Fairs, and the presence of the University, Bologna has a very strong creative environment and can offer an important international stage for the project and its partners. Survey model to explore the use of creative inputs and skills in traditional companies
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KORTRIJK 1.
Socioeconomic profile
Kortrijk is a medium-sized city of 75,000 inhabitants as well as the central place of a conurbation of 280,000 residents. Located in the Flemish-speaking part of Belgium, not far from the French border, Kortrijk is also part of the rising metropolitan area around the large city of Lille in Northern France which counts about 2 million inhabitants.
Importantly expanded after World War I thanks to increased mobility and traffic infrastructure works (motorway and ring), Kortrijk is a wealth city, with a low unemployment rate in spite of the crisis (between 2% and 3%). Its economy is industry and service-based, with a long history in the industry of textile and building materials (bricks and tiles). Local SMEs have shown strong flexibility and capacity of conversion and innovation during the different (textile) crises and the city has been able to convert its tradition of adaptation into a policy of innovation, design-led. However, the city is outside the central “Flemish Diamond” of Gent, Antwerp, Brussels and Leuven, where the lion’s share of the economic development takes place. As a provincial town, it suffers from an ongoing brain drain and therefore an ageing population. The secondary sector (textile and building materials) is still important but the tertiary and quaternary sectors are less developed than in the Flemish Diamond. Kortrijk is challenged by the passage to the new economy. The design sector is strong but the city needs to strengthen the local CCIs as a whole to obtain sufficient critical mass, to support talent becoming new businesses, to improve R&D’s capacity of local SMEs, to optimize the creative potential of its inhabitants, students, high schools knowledge-centers and businesses as well as to co-ordinate the various initiatives in support of creativity and innovation in a coherent local strategy and action plan, supported by all stakeholders. 40
Kortrijk is a strong educational centre for the region, hosting a campus of the Catholic University of Leuven and two schools of higher education. The School of Higher Education West-Flanders offers Bachelors in Multimedia and Communication Technology, Industrial Product Design and Embedded System Design. 2. Cultural profile Cultural offer Kortrijk has a strong artistic tradition. The art centre Limelight, the dance studio Dans in Kortrijk and the visual culture festival Beeldenstorm are Kortrijk’s three main arts organisations located at Buda island (very close to the city centre). They have attracted dancers and artists for residency activities and also extensively collaborated with famous dance companies and schools such as P.A.R.T.S. – Anne Teresa de Kersmaeker’s school in Brussels, internationally renowned. Active since the 80s, the three organisations have recently merged into the artcentre BUDA, a five-building workspace for artists, festival organizer and art cinema. artcentre BUDA promotes collaboration between artists and companies in order to explore how they can mutually influence and innovate their practices. Cultural and creative industries If the concept of CCIs is pretty new for the city, design has been integrated in local industrial activities since the early 20th century. (Interior) design activities were required to stay ahead of global competition. To provide exposure to the strengths of the region in design, in 1968 the first Design Bienniale Interieur was organised in Kortrijk. Today it has become a top event in the world of interior, product and service design. Kortrijk has become a design hotspot in Europe. Digital media and gaming are other key sectors the city would like to develop. 3. Policy vision and measures Kortrijk has been little affected by the economic crisis, but it wants to be in advance of the times anyway. The Flemish city wants to be a pioneer among small cities in Europe and launch a new way of thinking and of connecting the arts and economy for sustainable urban development. It also wants to build on its strong industrial basis and further strengthen its innovation and competitiveness potential by investing in creativity and its design tradition. Since 2002 the city has developed an urban renewal program to turn the Buda-island (an ex-industrial area in the inner city that was dismantled in the 80s and 90s) in the inner-city into a breeding nest for culture, creativity and artists. It was especially thanks to an “organic process” of urban regeneration combined with artistic interventions at Buda Island led by local arts organisations that the local policy makers have gradually understood arts and creativity as an asset for urban regeneration, economic innovation and support to young people. In the last years the policy focus has thus moved from a separated strategy for culture on one hand and design and innovation on the other, to a “spillover strategy” combining culture, creativity and economy. The Budafabric, a renovated former factory, is the mayor project in the new strategy. Opened in September, it will interlink designers, product developers, entrepreneurs, students, artists and academics in order to enhance cross-pollination for innovative products, applications and new materials. The new facility has got substantial support from the city and EU regional funding for a total amount of € 2,435,955, € 974,382 of which is funded by ERDF. Many other initiatives had, however, been undertaken before the opening of Budafabric. Kortrijk has a long design tradition, featuring several tools to support design and creativity in its local industry. The consortium Designregio 41
Kortrijk, for instance, has been created in collaboration with Interieur Design Biennale, Howest (TU), Chamber of Commerce and the inter-communal Development Agency Leiedal to introduce design-thinking in the SMEs and the society. It is recognised as the regional HUB of the Flemish Design Platform. The city celebrates a week of design, during which schools and professionals show newest innovations in the business sector and work of graduates. Kortrijk also works on a periodical publication to promote the best 50 design products of the year from local designers. Several competence centers are located in Kortrijk such as Flanders in Shape (product design), Flanders Knowledge-center for new materials, Microsoft Innovation Centre and the Incubation and Innovation center. New materials and e-health are key sectors for the city to develop. A Center for Entrepreneurs also exists, where start-ups gets all kind of support, and the city supports a regional program to strengthen four business clusters, combining universities, research centers and leading companies. In order to make its design and innovation tradition known abroad, Kortrijk successfully became a member of a European network for the organisation of the European Innovation Festival with focus on open innovation, cocreation and user-centered design. The target group is not only professionals and businesses but all citizens, especially young people. The city has also established the network Kortrijk IN, gathering decision makers in all fields (government, business, and academy) in order to facilitate dialogue and shared policies. Spillover is a new concept for the Kortrijk but its local development strategy clearly wants to promote a spillover approach. The city is particularly interested in testing spillovers in the manufacturing sector. 4. Local assets to support creative spillovers The city can count on a number of assets to stimulate creative spillovers, including: -
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Budafabric and its mission to encourage cross-pollination as well as spaces where to test spillovers; Designregio Kortrijk, to link creative people and traditional companies; Kortrijk IN, to gather different stakeholders on the theme of spillovers; Design Biennale Interieur, as a possible platform where to host local actions or where to disseminate the results of the project. Several competence centres and local schools and universities (Flanders in Shape (product design), Flanders Knowledge-center for new materials, Microsoft Innovation Centre and the Incubation and Innovation center, Catholic University of Leuven and two schools of higher education) for their engagement in innovation and where spillovers could be tested; The Center for Entrepreneurs where innovative start-ups (resulting from creative spillovers’ processes) could find support or where spillovers’ methods could be tested.
5. City’s expectations and potential contribution to the project Kortrijk expects to collaborate with international partners and experts in order to effectively implement its local development strategy which already tries to promote a spillover approach to art and culture, especially to the benefit of urban regeneration and business innovation. The LAP is expected to focus on: -
Creating an atmosphere and attractive environment for creativity and innovation in the city Support innovative spinoffs and start-ups from the high schools and universities Stimulating spillovers between education, artists, creative industries and the local SMEs and companies. The work of Budafabric as brokerage infrastructure will be key in this sense. 42
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Keep introducing design-thinking and open innovation in SMEs Obtaining a critical mass by clustering universities, research centers, creative industries and local companies
The city also expects to gather the different existing initiatives on creativity and innovation under the Local Action Plan in order to create better coordination, to the benefit not only for the city, but of the entire agglomeration. On the other hand, the city is ready to share its experience on local policies and strategies aimed at enhancing creativity and entrepreneurship. Budafabric will also offer spaces and facilities to create spillovers, including a fablab in order to test and learn about spillovers during the whole project period. The city has also an extensive experience with EU projects and has organised the European Innovation Festival thus gaining experience in bringing the public close to fablabs, user-centred design and open innovation concepts.
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MONS 1.
Socioeconomic profile
Mons, the Mayor of which was the current Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo until last year, is a small city of the Wallonia region (south of Belgium) counting about 93,000 inhabitants and up to 250,000 in Mons agglomeration. Mons would like to create a Eurodistrict of 1 million inhabitants including the French cities of Valenciennes, Maubeuge, similarly to the one created by Lille, Courtrai et Tournai in 2008. As in many Western countries, the city faces an aging population, partially offset by the presence of 3,200 students60. Most of the population has Italian or French origins. About 7,000 are Americans (8% of the population61) as the city hosts a NATO basis (SHAPE). Originally a city of garnisons, Mons has a strong industrial past. From the XIXth century until the 1970s, the Mons region was a land of coal extraction thanks to which at the time Belgium was amongst the 5 world richest countries in the world. The city then entered a (still ongoing) deindustrialisatio n process. Today the public sector and tourism are an important source of revenues and employment. Mons counts nearly 70,000 visitors per year and this number has been growing in the last few years62. The third sector is however the most important in terms of employment, representing 90% of jobs in the city, mainly provided by the commercial complex of the Grands Prés area63. This hosts a commercial space with several shops (from travel agencies to hypermarkets), the cinema complex Imagix and the park Initialis (hosting about 1,000 people and about 30 new technology oriented SMEs), located in an area which has been labeled as the “Digital Innovation Valley”. The city would like to make of this area its industrial and economic heart in order to face its high level of unemployment which remains above the national average. The city has been very good in attracting large scale foreign investment in this area over recent years, from IKEA to H&M, Google, Microsoft
60 61 62
Ville de Mons, MONS 2015 – Vers un projet de ville, Ensemble, 2005.
Ibid.
http://statbel.fgov.be/fr/modules/publications/statistiques/marche_du_travail_et_conditions_de_vie/arrivees_et_nuitees_touristiques.j sp 63 Ville de Mons, MONS 2015 – Vers un projet de ville, Ensemble, 2005.
44
(which has established the Microsoft Innovation Centre), IBM, Cisco and Hewlett-Packard. Mons is also investing on green technologies through the new research centre Euro-Green IT. Structural Funds have been extensively used to create a new economic infrastructure and to revitalise the economy, from the scientific park Initialis to large scale infrastructure projects to differently brand the city. The Spanish architect Calatrava has designed the new train station, currently under construction and expected to be finished by 2015. A Palais des Congrés by the American Daniel Libeskind will be ready by 2014 in order to position itself in the field of business tourism.. It will cost about € 28 million, 90% of which is financed by the ERDF. The city is definitely looking to the future with ambition. Its good quality of life and more affordable prices than bigger cities like Brussels have attracted people back to the city. Mons’ population has increased since the exodus from rural areas since the 80’s. The cultural offer is considered as an important asset to further improve the image and attractiveness of a city with a strong industrial past but increasing cultural participation is a challenge in a city where the GDP per inhabitants is quite low (below the European average, 68%of the average European GDP). In spite of its small size, Mons also counts on a good educational offer provided by three universities (the Facultés Catholiques de Mons, the University of Mons – which includes the School of Architecture - and the Ecole des Arts Plastiques et Visuels de la Communauté française - ESAPV), 4 research centres and several other training centres, some of which have been recently created in order to answer the demand of new skills and competeces. These include Technocité (training centre for digital media) and Numediart (Institute for New Media Art Technology). 2. Cultural profile Cultural offer As the official Cultural Capital of Wallonia since 2002 and the future European Capital of Culture in 2015, Mons city counts on a rich cultural heritage. It appears four times on the UNESCO World Heritage List of for its Belfry, the Neolithic Mines at Spiennes, the Doudou Festival and, since recently, the Grand Hornu ancient coal mine. The Doudou festival is a real icon for the city. This very popular event is deeply-rooted in local and religious traditions exactly as the Procession of the Golden Coach, dating from the 14th century, and the legendary Combat named «the Lumeçon» with St. George fighting against a dragon in front of around 50,000 spectators each year on the Trinity Sunday. Important cultural institutions enrich the cultural scene. Le Manège is Mons’ “bras armé” for cultural activities. It has a budget of € 9,7 million per year and counts 105 employees. It was created in 2012 is order to overcome the traditional sectoral approach to culture and better connect 8 main cultural spaces and institutions in Mons64.
64
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Théâtre royal de Mons Site des arbalestiers/maison Folie (comprenant l’Espace des Possibles, la salle des arbalestriers et la Margin’halle) Médiathèque et l’auditorium Auditorium Abel Dubois (RTBF) Théâtre le Manège La Grande Triperie (salle de répétitions de Musiques Nouvelles) Rue de la Seuwe (Passeurs de cultures) Carré des Arts (un plateau dédié à l’administration centrale et à la cellule Mons 2015)
45
In recent years, several other cultural infrastructures have been created to enhance the local cultural offer, such as the exhibition area Les Anciens Abattoirs dedicated to design and new technologies, and the Museum of Contemporary Arts (MAC’s), located at the Grand-Hornu (part of the Mons’s agglomeration), one of the main industrial sites in Europe. It is visited by 80,000 visitors per year. Another abandoned coal mine has also been chosen to host the PASS, a museum aimed at spreading scientific culture through exhibitions and events. Mundaneum is another cultural institute with great visibility potential. Founded as an archive to test a new classification system and to host all the “world’s knowledge”, it can today be considered as the predecessor of Internet and Google. It is one of the richest archives in Europe. Six new museums are also being built on the occasion of Mons 201565 for a total budget of € 30 million, most of which is financed by the ERDF. Cultural and creative industries Although the concept of culture and creative industries is quite new in Mons, it is a matter of great interest for the city. Mons has commissioned a mapping of the sector (to be finalised at the end of the year) and will assess the impacts of Mons 2015 on CCIs. From preliminary results, architecture seems to be the most important in terms of number of enterprises and turnover. Other promising sectors are cinema, theatre, design and especially multimedia, and video gaming / serious gaming, as successful local companies such i-Movix (slow motion), Vetasoft SPRL (video games) and Fishing Cactus (video games) (which has developed a video game then applied in the medical sector) and Virtualis, an association of companies involved in digital media prove. Some of these companies have been supported by regional support agencies having their headquarters in Mons, namely Wallimage (the successful support fund for cinema of the Wallonia region) and St’Art (a regional investment fund for CCIs). 3. Policy vision and measures Mons’ policy vision is mainly focused on technology, entrepreneurship development as well as attracting of foreign investments. The priority is to build on the successful experience of the Initialis Park (an extension is currently being built as the park is now entirely occupied by companies and research centres) and to further exploit the potential of the Digital Innovation Valley. In the last few years, and especially under the impulse of the mayor Elio di Rupo, Mons has developed an important interest in culture as an asset to rebrand the city and attract tourists. The city became the cultural capital of the Wallonia region in 2002 and in the same years it prepared the successful application to become European Capital of Culture in 2015. Mons has invested in the reorganisation of its cultural assets. Le Manège – a unique tool for a relatively small city and a great asset to rethink and strategically market Mons’ cultural offer, also outside the national borders. The challenge is to integrate Mons’ cultural assets in its economic development vision focusing on technology and innovation. Culture is still perceived as art and entertainment as well as a tool to address social issues. It is only partially understood as a means to economic development and is not yet integrated in the city’s economic vision.
65
At the Spiennes’ mines, the “artothèque”, the Beffroi interpretation centre, the historium of the Maison Jean Lescarts, the interpretation centres of Saint-Georges and the Dragon and the museum of military history.
46
“Il faut un regard économique sur les projets culturels66”, as said by Xavier Roland, public official at the Department of Culture of the municipality of Mons, well summerises the current situation. There is a large degree of skepticism in the cultural milieu towards creative spillovers which are considered as a utopia. The title of European Capital of Culture has the potential of changing this vision and the Creative SpIN can offer a platform to test the most effective tools to facilitate new interactions between culture and other priority sectors in the city, from tourism, to new technologies, new materials, multitel and energy/environment. There is therefore a great interest in Creative SpIN that could complement the “interdisciplinary” nature of Mons 2015 - the slogan of which is “When technology meets culture”. The objective of the city is to explore the interactions between information technology and CCIs. The city foresees to invest about € 75 million in order to re-launch Mons’ culture and its image, support the local economy, in particular tourism, and reinforce social cohesion. 4. Local assets to support creative spillovers Great enthusiasm was perceived in relation to creative spillovers mainly among the business world than cultural players. The challenge is to overcome the scepticism of the cultural milieu and build on the willingness of the business sector to test new collaborations. Mons is supported by a strong political leadership that wants to invest in technology but also believes in the importance of culture and creativity and is interested in exploring new ways to capitalise on the city’s cultural assets, especially through Mons 2015. There is a strong interest to combine the potential of Mons 2015 with the learning and exchanges activities to be promoted within Creative SpIN. Furthermore, Mons can count on: -
-
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3 university poles and 4 research centres Established local institutions such as La Maison de l’Entreprise, la Maison du Design and Le Manège. Important policy tools such as leader investors financing growth companies (Microsoft, Cisco, etc.), a dedicated investment fund for creative businesses (St’Art) and a support agency for the audiovisual sector (Wallimage) Interesting initiatives on which to build on: o Numediart o Technocité (training centre on digital media) o Microsoft Innovation Center o Euro Green IT o Virtualis o Initialis park o Mundaneum Successful creative companies such as Fishing Cactus, Videosoft and i-Movix Mons 2015 as a platform to test interactions between art, culture and new technologies The evolving brand “Digital Innovation Valley” Le Manège as a tool to connect the cultural sector in Mons
There are also some experiences on which the city could take inspiration from to test tools to stimulate creative spillovers:
66
“You need an economic viewpoint on cultural projects”.
47
-
-
-
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The Maison de l’Entreprise has organised workshops to stimulate creativity in businesses. The Maison de l’Entreprise is currently located at the School of Economics (University of Mons) but it wants to start collaborating with other schools and students from architecture, science, etc. UNIMEDIAR is an initiative of the University of Mons to stimulate innovative actions in enterprises, especially in the field of performing art. Thanks this initiative, engineers, architects and artists have developed a 3D visualisation of the city. Led by Le Manège, Transdigital is an INTERREG project aimed at setting up a dynamic network between research centres, hi-tech enterprises and partners in the art field who take digital technology as their common ground. The Maison du Design is partner of the INTERREG project 3pode which aims at helping designers connect with companies.
The city is also exploring possible collaborations with Google to make UNESCO sites able to visit online. It is also working on ARTOTECH, a physical and virtual place where artistic and cultural heritage will be gathered. 5. City’s expectations and potential contribution to the project The City of Mons wants to generate new economic opportunities and creates employment. Culture is considered as an important tool to regenerate the city and attract companies and tourists. Cross-sectoral collaborations are taken into account as a way to boost the new economy, in line with the slogan of Mons 2015 “when arts meet culture”. The city expects the exchange with cities with similar features (such as Wrocław) and with cities with longer experience in the field of CCIs to be particularly important to identify appropriate tools supporting creative spillovers. Mons 2015 will be also an important test-bed. To make the most out of Creative SpIN, however, the city needs to work on a new and harmonised vision of culture. Cultural participation is still below its potential as people still consider culture as a luxury. The city wants to people to feel part of Mons 2015 and communicate them a new understanding of culture as a tool of social and economic regeneration. Such understanding should reach also the cultural sector itself. Cultural actors such as Le Manège are not sufficiently integrated in economic development reasoning. A new vision of culture should also nurture an appropriate CCIs’ policy. Apart from some initiatives linked to design, policy measures for the development of the CCIs sector have yet to be adopted. Mons’ LAP is expected to focus on concrete projects with the academia and brokerage actions in the field of tourism, design, ICT (e.g. Café Europe, a Mons 2015’s concept gathering together people with different skills to deal with topics of common interests). To this aim, the ULSG, who will contribute to the LAP, will be composed of representatives of a broad range of stakeholders, going from the city, to the education to design and high tech fields).
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WROCŁAW 1.
Socioeconomic profile
Wrocław is the fourth largest city of Poland, counting a population of about 636,650 inhabitants amongst which 130,000 are students attending the 22 higher education institutions established locally.
The city has a very distinctive past. In turn Czech, German, Polish have lived there but today’s population is not attached to its past as it was forced to settle here after the Second World War. Wrocław was destroyed during the II WO by the mostly German population before the arrival of the soviets. It was then completely repopulated by Poles coming from Ukraine and Bielorussia. For a long time the citizens of Wrocław lived in temporary shelters as they were not sure whether the settlement would be definitive67. The level of population is stable now and immigration is very low but citizens are leaving the city center to leave in outskirts. The city needs to attract citizens back to the city centre. Wrocław has undergone strong economic shift from the once industrial and manufacturing pillars towards a knowledge-based economy. Since the 90s Wrocław is one of the fastest growing cities in Poland. Wrocław has heavily invested in quality of life: € 2,5 billion has been spent in infrastructure, mobility (airport, motorway), cultural, business and sport venues. The city has become a significant business destination in a number of fields: shared service centres, bio- and nanotechnologies, and software 67
Norman Davies tells the history of the city in his book “Microcosm”.
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development. The development of a strong service economic city has allowed the city to compensate its overreliance on industry and manufacturing, however the challenge is how to make the most out of the existing situation. The city has shown a strategic interest also in the field of scientific innovation, technology and finance. Its core investments include the Wrocław Research Centre EIT + (€ 140 million) and the Technical Library for innovative economy (€ 25.25 million). Very important investments have been directed to nanotechnology and biotechnology in the EIT + Wrocław Research Center with € 27,6 million Structural Fund invested in relation to the biotechnology programmes. The ambition is to invest in R&D to attract companies ready to outsource such research and share investment costs. Wrocław has been successful in attracting world leader investing in the city such as Nokia, Siemens, Microsoft and Google, IBM, Hewlett Packard, as well as in nurturing its own network of SMES thanks to the establishment of a Technological Park. As a result of such big investments, the level of unemployment is quite low (5,4% % against 12,8% in Lower Silesia, the region where Wrocław is located) and poverty remains a residual issue confined to some well defined areas of the city. The city is the 3rd biggest academic centre in Poland (after Warsaw and Krakow), known for its large and growing student community and its technical university Politechnika Wrocławska. Strong emphasis is put on biotechnology and IT in relation to business support for students. The city also owes a very strong social life because of this young population. The Wrocław Academic Hub (WAH) has the objective of achieving a culture of innovation by tapping into the intellectual potential of its academic world. WAH fosters integration and cooperation between the Wrocław Research Centre EIT Plus (representing the world of science), the Wrocław Agglomeration development Agency (supporting businesses). 2. Cultural profile Cultural offer The city of Wrocław wants to incite the population to more cultural participation by offering a richer cultural offer. Culture investment is seen as a way to improve quality of life and make the city more attractive to talents and investments. The city is investing € 75 million investment in the European Capital of Culture 2016 project. This is enriched by a cospicous investment in new cultural infrastructures (such as two new concert halls - Teatr Muzyczny Capitol/Capitol Music Theatre and Narodowy Forum Muzyki/National Music Forum - counting 500 and 1,500 seats) co-financed by the ERDF. The new stadium, inaugurated this year, welcomes mega concerts and entertainment events. Performing arts are one of the target sectors of such “cultural renaissance”. Wrocław already hosts an Opera House, 3 public theaters (one puppet theater) and some small alternative theaters, and would like to better brand the recently modernised Ludwik Solski State Drama School in Wrocław, today hosting new facilities. The only architecture museum in Poland is based in Wrocław . Important archives in architecture and on painters (one of the most important collection in Europe) can also be found in the city. Other notable cultural institutions include the Godrowski Institute (inspired to Polish theatre director Jerzy Grotowski, important contributor to experimental theatre), the VRO Art Center (Piotr Kraiewski) and the Kahan Foundation. 50
In the field of fine arts, the city welcomes a Street Art Festival and a poor district (Nadodre Distric) is being rehabilited to host new spaces for artists. The city also hosts a Fine Art School (ASP - Akademia Sztuk Pięknych). There are plenty of social amenities (bars and restaurant) driven by the student culture, but the cultural offer remains to be improved. Cultural icons date back from the German period of the city with Wilman (Renaissance painting) and Otto Muller (expressionist). Cultural and creative industries The city hosts an important film festival, “New Horizon” - the director of which Roman Gutek is opening a new art house cinema with 9 screens, and two jazz festivals: the Jazz nad Odrą/ Jazz on the Oder Festival and the Ethno Jazz Festiwal. Apart from these events, CCIs remains a new phenomenon in Wrocław . The sector has never been mapped out. Estimates suggest that the sector represents approximately 500 jobs and, as everywhere, is populated by small and micro companies. For the years to come, focus is on creative industries, essentially in new, interactive and kinetic media, mobile phone application, software development and games. Companies such as Aduma, Pilab and Mobile Factory are still at incubation stage but are growing fast. More mature companies include Move UP (game developer), Tequila mobile (game developer claiming 14 million users in 80 countries and 35 employees), Xantus (animation 3D studio counting 45 workers since its opening in 2007), Can’t stop the game (game developer with 40 employees and 14 years of business). At the moment it is difficult to recruit locally graphic designers and specialists in animation. Training is therefore key in small creative companies, but there is specific creative fund or other measures to help the growth of these companies, apart from a small cinema fund (€ 1 million). The sector believes it could rapidly and provide 4,000 jobs if properly supported (through the provision of space, financial mechanisms and training in artistic/creative skills). In terms of spillovers, the interest lies in the possible connection between CCIs and IT-related sectors. 3. Policy vision and measures Wrocław has clearly identified the economic and social challenges it needs to address to invest in the future. The city has to find ways to retain talents and improve quality of life in order be internationally attractive and competitive. The city’s first policy priority is innovation and economic development strategies to make the economic fabric more sustainable. The local authorities want to provide support to develop entrepreneurship and retain talent by creating high skilled and stable jobs. Support to businesses (local and foreign) and incubation with technology parks are a priority. Wrocław would also like to further invest in its internationalisation strategy, better connect the business world to the academy and finance opportunities (with focus on venture capital). Financial services and ICT sectors are the main target of its economic development strategy. However, the city’s strategy is holistic. Wrocław wants to invest in the future in a broader sense. It wants to improve life’s quality and build the self esteem of the local population. Cultural participation is a mean in this sense and improving cultural participation is also one of the main objectives of Wrocław 2016. 51
The awareness of the development of CCI is very recent (one year), but interesting companies are developing in Wrocław . CCIs have therefore started to be seen as important in the development of the future economy. At the moment, policy measures for CCIs have not been put in place, but there is growing demand from CCIs who are demanding same treatment as the ICT sector in term of spaces and financial incentives. The programme Creativro68 has been launched recently to strengthen creative companies’ identity and credibility on global markets, supplying talented educated people and facilitating partners’ access to private funding. The project aims at establishing a cluster of multimedia companies working in the fields of computer games, interactive entertainment, digital animations and special effects. City authorities are willing to test and experiment creative spillovers especially in the field of ICT/new apps and education, hence the participation to Creative SpIN. The city has developed a programme of incentives for academic institutions to integrate more with businesses and understand business needs. It hopes that academic institution will evolve with time and break such silod approach to the external world and the business field, which could create a favourable environment to encourage cross-sectoral collaborations. 4. Local assets to support creative spillovers The challenge is mainly to identify people from different sectors willing to consider creative spillovers. There was a genuine interest during the site visit on the concept. Great enthusiasm was perceived at business level (notably from creative industries and ICT sector) as well as at policy level. However, the city will have to test the creative spillover concept with cultural institutions (the meeting with representatives of Wrocław 2016 served to identify important cultural players and institutions in the city who could potentially be involved in the project). The city features great assets which could be used to promote spillovers effects: -
An incubation technology center Creative VRO, a newly created association of creative industries gathering 20 companies in the field of animation, gaming, video and lifestyle Wrocław Capital of Culture 2016 as an opportunity to test a new meaning of culture Wrocław Agglomeration Development Agency (ARAW) to identify and gather key stakeholder around the project EIT + Wrocław Research Center, who has expertise dealing with VC funds for technological investment. Universities – 6 large public universities in the city with technical excellence
5. City’s expectations and potential contribution to the project Wrocław expects the project to contribute to local economic development and help the city apprehend the new economy. The city wants to break silos between disciplines and use the project to encourage people to work together across disciplines to find new economic and social solutions. It strongly believes that innovation is not merely technological and wants to develop intangible assets.
68
http://www.creativro.pl/
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The city is looking to exchange with cities which have more experience on CCIs (Rotterdam and Birmingham in particular) in order to further define the concrete actions to be put in place as a result of this project. With the support of a ULSG gathering representative from the education, cultural and economic fields, its LAP will focus on: -
culture & technical knowledge, which includes support to creativity in vocational schools and prevention of old industrial buildings from decay; industrial design and entrepreneurship for product and innovation management; mobile applications and software solutions in a variety of fields.
Wrocław has great assets to offer to the network, starting from corroborated tools and methods to share investment costs of research and the benefits of innovative research as well as to link the academia and the business world.
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KOŠICE 1.
Socioeconomic profile
Košice is second largest city in Slovakia as well as the economical, social and cultural center of Eastern Slovakia, where the city is located - not far from the borders with Hungary (20 km), Ukraine (80 km) and Poland (90 km). It has a population of about 238,000 inhabitants.
Created in the 13th century and later on formerly part of the Austrian empire, Košice grew during Soviet time as a large centre of steel production. The largest employer is U.S. Steel which bought the local steel factories after 1989. Attracted by the new employment opportunities, the population expanded quickly, tripling in the space of 30 years (from the 50s to the 80s). However, the situation has changed and the number of employed people in the steel sector has recently decreased from 30,000 to 14,000 due to the current economic crisis. ICT is the second most important sector after the steel industry. The city is very much counting on the development of this sector to build the future economy and face the high unemployment rate (20%). The sector employs 5,000 people in total. Major companies are T-system (subsidiary of Deutsche Telecom), which employs 2,000 people, and the Israeli Ness Technology, which provides jobs to 300 software developers. Foreign companies are attracted by the good trained workforce (thanks to the Technical University of Košice) and low labour costs (the average salary is € 800 per month). The cost of living is also very cheap in the city. The IT Košice Valley has been set in order to further attract investment and cluster IT companies established locally.
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In the last years, Košice has started a transformation process from post-industrial city into a creative one aimed at making the city an important hub between the East and West in social, political and cultural terms. It is not by chance that city has applied to become a European Capital of Culture. It won and will hold the title in 2013. The city had a large Hungarian and Jewish population before the war, while today the majority of the population is not originally from the city as it came from abroad attracted by employment opportunities in the second half of the 20th century. Košice’s population also includes more than 10,000 gypsies (against 5,000 Hungarians), which can sometimes be a source of social tensions. Raising a common “history” and memory building on the city’s multicultural spirit is a challenge to face. Košice is an important source of entertainment and education for a population of around 1,5 million inhabitants, including those from neighboring countries. It hosts 3 universities (Technical University of Košice including a Faculty of Arts, University of Veterinary medicine and Pharmacy, and Natural science university o Pavol Jozef Safarik), 30,000 students as well as many social amenities like bars and restaurants for young people. No other big cities whether in Poland, Hungary or Ukraine offer equivalent level of education and other major cities and education centres like Bratislava or Budapest are 400 km away. Košice’s Technical University is particularly well known. It has a strong emphasis on IT. 2. Cultural profile Cultural offer and icons Several cultural institutions and infrastructures are located in the city (theaters, concert halls, museums, etc.) and others have been renovated on the occasion of Košice 2013 (for instance the Kunsthalle, a building which had not been used for many years and that will now become a multi-functional centre - € 60 million will be invested in total on Košice 2013). Also, the hockey stadium is used for mega concerts and entertainment events. In the city there are many art and music festivals, such as the Nuit Blanche and the non-traditional music festival Summer in the Park. The local cultural icon – the Hungarian writer Sandor Marai who was born in Košice - has just been rediscovered. He authored more than forty books, mostly novels, and was considered by literary critics to be one of Hungary’s most influential representatives of middle class literature between the two world wars. Košice has also an important craft tradition which is now being promoted at Hrnčiarska street – a street which has been entirely dedicated to craft exhibitions with the aim to maintain the history and tradition of craftsmanship in the city. Cultural and creative industries Košice is a pioneer in CCIs in Slovakia. There is little at the moment in term of cultural industries but a strong desire to develop this sector (especially media arts, visual arts, design and architecture) and stop the brain drain toward cities like Bratislava where technical equipment is available, especially in the audiovisual field. A PhD student is currently working on a major first mapping exercise of CCIs collaboration with 4 Slovakian universities. 55
3. Policy vision The policy priority is on innovation and attractiveness. The city wants to provide general business support to develop entrepreneurship and retain talent by creating high skilled and stable jobs. The ambition is also to improve quality of life, including through cultural participation, thus avoiding the brain drain. Developing infrastructures to improve national and international mobility is another prior challenge that the city wants to address. Although Košice is strategically located (it is at centre of Eastern Europe), it is indeed still difficult to access. ICT and CCIs are the sectors of major interest to stimulate innovation and develop the future economy. However, if some measures are in place for the ICT sector (e.g. the IT Valley), no specific policy tools yet exist for CCIs. Nevertheless, a structure has been created to oversee CCIs development as part of Košice 2013 – European Capital of Culture. The city wants to exploit Košice 2013 as an exceptional chance to cluster CCIs and accompany sustainable development in the cultural field and digital content industry. A master plan for CCIs is indeed being developed. Košice 2013 is also seen as an opportunity to foster the local art scene. In collaboration with the European Creative Business Network (ECBN), a network of creative centres of which Košice’s Kasárne/Culture Park is member, Košice 2013 is running an international Artist-in-Residence programme (K.A.I.R.) for emerging artists from all over the world who are likely to collaborate with local artists69. Furthermore, Kasarne’s new multimedia and interactive centre will be established in former army barracks in cooperation with several partners from Coalition 2013+, an association of public and private stakeholders (such as U.S. Steel Košice and the Technical University) actively promoting the European title. The project, which has important focus on art, science and new technologies, includes the opening of a Centre for Supporting Culture and Creativity (CSCC) – for companies, civil groups and artists. The initiatives in Kasarne are part of a regeneration plan involving a large quarter of Košice close to the city centre. The city is animated by the willingness to test and experiment creative spillovers (especially in ICT), hence the participation to Creative SpIN. Košice particularly wants to develop entrepreneurship in CCIs on the back of the faculty of arts’ activities. The Faculty of Fine Art trains designers, architects, fine arts and new media students (250 in total). As this Faculty is part of the Technical University, synergies have started to be tested. For instance, the Faculty of Economics offers courses on cultural management and IP rights. New media is a discipline that the Faculty wants to further develop. Košice believes that the most of the interest on CCIs being expressed both by the city and the Region of Košice is to be made. This means creating the bases for an integrated approach at local and regional level on CCIs’ policy issues (still missing at the moment). 4. Local assets to support creative spillovers Businesses and trade representatives as well as cultural institutions gathered in Coalition 2013+ seem prepared to support CCIs and test creative spillovers. Great enthusiasm has been raised for the project at business level, notably among creative and ICT industries, as well as at policy level. A series of institutions have interest in taking part to the project:
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http://ecbnetwork.eu/event_detail/1057
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Košice 2013 and especially its department/agency dedicated to development of CCIs; The Faculty of Fine Arts due to its affiliation with the Technical University and its interest in developing entrepreneurship in creative fields; The currently being established multimedia centre of the Kasarne Culture Park/Creative Factory, which is piloted by the Faculty of Arts with a view to encourage young people to engage with science and new technologies through the arts; The upcoming Centre for Supporting Culture and Creativity (CSCC) to support creativity at all levels and from different people and organizations; The region due to its interest in CCIs and proximity of local and regional authorities (the city hosts the seat of the Košice Region) The 3 local universities featuring technical excellence
The priority sectors to test spillovers are ICT, manufacturing and tourism (including agriculture, wine and traditional crafts). 5. City’s expectations and potential contribution to the project The project should participate to local economic development and help the city apprehend and foster the new economy through the setting up of multilevel policies and entrepreneurial support (financial /nonfinancial tool), education bridges and cluster policies. The city wants to break silos between disciplines and use the project for people (from the industry, education hubs and policy makers) to work together across disciplines to find new economic and social solutions. It strongly believes that innovation is not merely technological. Exchange with cities which have more experience on CCIs (Rotterdam, Essen and Birmingham) is very valuable for Košice. The ULSG, which will gather a number of stakeholders from the education, business and cultural fields, will have the mission to identify stakeholders to be involved in spillover actions, support platforms for transdisciplinary collaboration and promote good practices. The LAP will have to link with the local master plan for CCIs and focus on: -
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Mapping projects in order to find potentials, gaps and opportunities for creativity to help companies’ maximise their economic and social returns – through costumer care, marketing, CSR, R&D, HR, etc. The Arts and Business programme which will be launched as part of Košice 2013. This could be used to test new projects, to offer artists training on business plans and strategies, to organise artists’ events involving business people - special social events, open cafés, Pecha Kucha Night, etc.; to create trans disciplinary workgroups, meetings, workshops and test new approaches for problem solving, to launch crowdsource platforms to find investors for innovative ideas. Benchmarking activities/report.
On the other hand, the city offers visibility to the project in Eastern Europe thanks to its strategic location. Furthermore, Coalition 2013+, Košice 2013 and the Creative Factory with its new spaces offer opportunities to test new projects with the contribution of different stakeholders in the city, from companies to education institutions.
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TALLIN 1.
Socioeconomic profile
Tallin, a city with a strong tradition and history (the first known traces of the local population date from 3,500 years ago) is the capital and largest city of Estonia, situated in the northern coast of the country. 417,741 people live in the city. Tallin North
Kultuurikatel
The city is a real main magnet in a country with 1,5 million inhabitants and is spreading out quickly. Tallinn concentrates foreign investments in the country and is the most important and largest centre for services, commerce and finance in Estonia. It contributes to 51% of the national gross domestic product. The proportion of Tallinn in Estonian export is over 40% (especially of foods, machinery and wood70) and about 2/3 of the volume of the sold goods and services takes place in the administrative territory of the city. Major employers are the manufacturing (39%), wholesale and retail trade (30,4%), transport (18%); construction (15,7%) and education (14,7%) sectors. Furthermore, as a port city of longstanding duration, Tallin has become an important bridge between East and West. Shipbuilding still provides a large number of jobs. 70
See Tallin development plan available on www.tallin.ee
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Tallinn’s cheap and well educated labour force and low taxes create an important attractive potential in the city which has indeed been able to attract companies and develop the ICT sector. Tallin is ranked as a global city and listed among the 10 top digital cities in the world. Skype is one of the best-known Estonian start-ups, still growing out of the country. CCIs is another strategic sector for the local and national economy. The city hosts more than 50% of Estonian CCIs and strongly believes that the sector can contribute to the development of the future economy. Tallin, which was European Capital of Culture in 201171, has also a rich cultural offer and a well preserved cultural heritage. Its picturesque Old Town, within a five-minute walk from the city centre, is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Cultural tourism is of great interest for the city, which would like to make other areas of the city more attractive (such as the port area) and attract new visitors. The city and the country are however confronted with high emigration to neighboring Finland (due to better salaries and quality of life). Brain drain is particular a problem among young, active and qualified workforce. The local unemployment rate is 13,5%72. The city centre should in particular regain attractiveness towards local inhabitants which tend to go outside of Tallinn (suburbs) and bring more value into the centre of Tallinn through civil society activism. The civil society, very proud of the conquered independence from Russia, has started to mobilise thanks to Tallin 2011, notwithstanding the difficulty to mobilise citizens after a communist past. The Estonian capital features a good educational offer including three main institutes: the Tallinn University of Technology (TUT), the only technological university in Estonia and Estonian flagship for engineering and technical education; the Tallinn University Baltic Film and Media School (BFM), one of Europe’s largest – and Northern Europe’s only – English-language film and media school which offering hands-on university degree courses in Film Arts, Crossmedia Production, and Audiovisual Media to over 400 students from more than 20 countries worldwide; and the Estonian Arts Academy, the only public university in Estonia providing higher education in fine arts, design, architecture, media, visual studies, art culture, and preservation. 2. Cultural profile Cultural offer The city has an excellent cultural offer for a medium sized city, including theaters, cinemas, museums (among which the recently open Maritime Museum), a large number of book publishers, etc. and a strong tradition of cultural participation. The budget for culture represents 7% of the city budget. Major cultural institutions in the city are the Opera house, the Kumu art museum and the new contemporary theatre NO. The city is strong in training in audiovisual (BFM) arts education (Fine Arts Academy). Cultural and creative industries Based on an assessment by the Estonian Institute of Economic Research, in 2007 Estonia’s creative industries sector comprised an estimated 3% of Estonia GDP. More added value was created in Estonia’s creative industries than in any other branch of industry, including energy or financial brokerage73. 71 72
The impact of cultural capital 2011 will be released in November 2012. http://www.tallinn.ee/est/ettevotjale/g2606s51066
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Most of Estonia’s CCIs are located in Tallin. As the capital and largest urban area in Estonia, Tallinn is attractive for both creators and consumers. Approximately 80% of music companies, for instance, operate in Tallinn. Tallin hosts particularly important companies – active internationally - in the field of advertising (The Division (Division), Adell Taevas (Taevas Ogilvy), Tank Group (DER Tank), Kontuur LB (Kontuur), Age Reklaam (AgeMcCann), etc.) and design with the Baltika Group, counting 17 designers and four different brands – Ivo Nikkolo, Monton, Mosaic and Baltman (Baltika’s 2009 sales turnover was € 51,13 million, with 75%earned from exports). In the field of new media, the main employer and Estonia’s largest exporter of entertainment software is Playtech Estonia OÜ, which exports 100% of its production (€ 9,59 million in 2007) and employs approx. 90% of those working in the Estonian entertainment IT sector. 3. Policy vision and measures Tallin’s priority is to improve international visibility, stop the brain train, attract talents and develop new forms of sustainable development. Tallin believes that CCIs to help the city become more attractive at international level. Since 2003-2004 Tallin has started looking at this industry’s potential for development and innovation. The Tallinn Manifesto – a Tool for Strategic Development across the Creative Economy calls for a new approach towards creative entrepreneurship and sets out a new agenda for knowledge, collaboration, strategy and policy development – across Europe and internationally. As a follow-up, the Tallinn Innovation Strategy 20092013 pointed to CCIs as one of the key areas to develop the city’s economy. In particular, it emphasised the role of creative industry in innovation and know-how sharing in other areas of economy. One of the results has been the Tallinn Cluster Development Programme 2009-2013 which formulated concrete actions for the city administration to get the overview of clusters in Tallinn, mapping out their policy needs changes and potential for growth, and the possibility to create new clusters (sector specific and between different sectors). The programme recognised placed CCIs as one of the areas with highest potential for cluster establishment and for cooperation projects between different sectors. The willingness to test and experiment culture based innovation and spillovers has therefore already been expressed in major local policy and operational documents. Specific tools have been created to support the sector, such as the Tallin Creative Hub to support creative entrepreneurship by offering a physical facility and networking activities. The physical facility is currently being built in a former electric power plant located in the Kalamo quarter, in the north of the city, which is going to become a reference area for CCIs in Tallin (the area has been identified after a mapping of CCIs in the city). The Hub will be managed by Kultuuri Katel, the foundation that managed Tallin 2011. As for networking activities, the Tallinn Creative Hub works through 5 different platforms (new technologies, communication, culture management, culture tourism, non-formal education) and with different partners (Free City workshops together with Tallinn University, the INTERREG IV A Culture Tourism international project 2011 together with Turku from Finland, etc.), in some cases with a view to stimulate cross overs (for instance by involving science and arts students). The city has also set up a Creative Incubator managed by the Business Support and Credit Management Foundation (ESA), founded by the Tallin City Council to help entrepreneurship grow in the Tallin area. At European level, the city was involved in the INTERREG IV C project Creative Metropoles on how to best support CCIs through public policies and instruments.
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Tallin Enterprise Board, Creative Industries in Tallin, 2011.
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The city would like to experiment spillovers in the field of tourism in order to improve attractiveness beyond the old city centre and bring visitors to the port area. Creativity in non-formal education is another area of big interest. 4. Local assets to support creative spillovers The city of Tallin has a favourable policy setting and several assets available to stimulate spillovers, including: -
Political willingness to build on culture capital CCIs as a priority in several policy documents and programmes Tallin Creative Hub and upcoming physical facility in a quarter entirely dedicated to CCIs (clustering) A Creative Business Incubator where new forms of entrepreneurship could be tested Enterprise Estonia (EAS) which promotes business and regional development in the country (it has contributed to the Museum of Puppet Arts, recently opened in the Old Town of Tallin).
5. City’s expectations and potential contribution to the project Tallin would like to develop the necessary know-how to generate spillover effects and develop the new economy, building on the experience and examples coming from the other partner cites. The city wants to break silos between disciplines and use the project for people to work together across disciplines to find new economic and social solutions. It strongly believes that innovation is not merely technological. The ULSG (which will gather representatives from the city, enterprise and the academy) will act as an active “board of expertise” on cross-disciplinary cooperation and will have to analyse and consult on real spillover projects. Ideas for projects will be found through an open competition. The LAP will focus on: -
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A concrete incubation project on “Creative Spillovers” to be developed at the Tallin Creative Hub’ Development Centre under the supervision of the ULSG. As this centre is focused on different cross-disciplinary projects of cultural and creative industry, it will easy to prototyping a project focusing on spillovers. The Local Support Group, which will have expertise on cross-disciplinary cooperation, will have the opportunity to analyse and advice on a real project. A lobby and communication plan “CROSS is a key concept” aimed at influencing 2014-2020’s Operational Programmes in Estonia. CCIs and cross-disciplinary spillovers should appear as a priority. This communication plan will be worked with the Local Support Group.
Tallin will in turn: -
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Share experience and learning points coming from previous relevant projects (e.g. those involving CCIs and universities or arts and science students) carried out by the Tallin Creative Hub or in the context of ECoC; Make its multidisciplinary platforms (among which one on tourism) available as a possible tool to gather stakeholders and stimulate spillovers.
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ÓBIDOS 1.
Socioeconomic profile
Óbidos is a small city of 11,000 inhabitants. Situated inside the its castle’s walls, Óbidos has a strong tourism vocation which made the city an interesting place to tourism investors who continue to generate new business opportunities in spite of the crisis. The city is trying to design a way of life based on the best of rural landscape, quality of life and sustainability as well as on brain-led business sectors (especially new media and ICT).
The city is very keen to make a link between its past and the future. Óbidos has put creativity at centre of its development master plan with focus on creative entrepreneurship, jobs, education and cultural offer of excellence, among the others. It has built a technological park and a creative industries incubator. However, the city is now confronted with the need to diversify the number and quality of services in sectors such as tourism and to attracting new businesses to the Óbidos Technological Park. Óbidos also needs to improve active participation of citizens to cultural activities, find new sources of funding for cultural activities and continue to “inject” creativity in the education system. The city also has to face an unemployment rate of 5%. Óbidos has strong links with the international arts and design school ESAD, not very far from Óbidos. 2. Cultural profile Cultural offer Óbidos is an historic town with a strong cultural image but also a lot of physical limitations due to its dominant cultural heritage. The UNESCO rules for creative tourism has helped the city use public spaces for cultural events and tourism purposes while respecting historical infrastructures. Historically, Óbidos is a town of artists since the XVII century and is the hometown of a well-known Portuguese painter of that century called Josefa d’Óbidos.
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Cultural and creative industries That of CCIs is a new concept for the city which has grasped the local authorities’ attention since a few years ago. There are no major cultural or creative companies in Óbidos at the moment, but the local incubator for CCIs indeed aims to develop this kind of entrepreneurship in the city. The Technological Park has helped attract several creative companies, the most interesting of which Janela Digital, a company created locally, which develops software for the real estate industry (75 employees); Ambisig, which develops solutions in the environmental and geographic information systems (over 45 employees); and Cantina Criativa, a creative cuisine project. 3. Policy vision and measures Óbidos’s ambition is to make a link between its image of historic town with a new image of a city investing in its future. It wants strengthen the city’s image, attractiveness and the local economy by “injecting” creativity at all levels, from education to business fields. CCIs, in particular, are considered a driving force for local economic development. Óbidos has developed a master plan with focus on: 1ª Creative education; 2ª Supporting entrepreneurship; 3ª Generating creative jobs; 4ª Public and private partnerships; 5ª A new concept of living; 6ª New art collections and new careers; 7ª A cultural environment of excellence; 8ª Great cultural and creative spaces; 9ª Supporting investigation and knowledge; 10ª Innovation and new technologies; 11ª Evaluating and managing creativity; 12ª Creativity networks; 13ª The creative footprint. This strategy is integrated in the wider regional strategy INOV C aimed at making the center region of Portugal one of the more innovative in Europe. It is coordinated by the University of Coimbra. The city has spent around € 3 million to support its master plan. Two municipal companies, for instance, one in charge of managing events and the other of urban regeneration and economic growth, have been merged into one called Óbidos Criativa. A Tecnological Park (Obitec) and incubator, called ABC have also been set up. Moreover, the city has put on place a rich agenda of cultural events (Chocolate Festival, Creative May, Medieval Fair, Ópera Festival or Christmas Town). Óbidos Technology Park has helped attract and retain an increasing number of business owners and entrepreneurs in the areas of creative industries. Since 2009, more than 60 companies joined the Óbidos Technological Park, thus moving their headquarters in the town. 39 companies from design, new technologies, new media, entertainment are hosted by the Park (18 have their own space and 21 are virtually incubated). Introducing creativity in education contexts is particularly important for the city which wants its schools to become cultural centres. Cultural areas in the city are used for teaching but also to perform through the Fábrica da Criatividade programme. The master plan also finds implementation through a number of projects and programmes the city is involved in, such as: - Creative Breaks, which puts creative people, tourism sector and local authorities together to generate new experiences to visitors but also learning opportunities for professionals seeking new forms of expertise in the tourism sector. - Creation of emblematic projects which should have a ‘contagious’ effect in different sectors. The city basically creates the project or concept in local iconic spaces and then launches a public tender to involve private investors. - São Tiago Bookstore, a major bookstore of 40,000 books inside an ancient church right in the Óbidos’ historical centre. This project is the beginning of a thematic bookstore network. By the end of 2013, a 63
small space called Incubadora de Letras (Letters’ Incubator) will be created for companies working on graphic and digital publications. - Mercearia Criativa (Creative Grocery Store), a store of organic and local products but also a project of open innovation. Designers, producers and retailers will here work together to create new products and new forms of selling. Óbidos was also Lead Partner of the URBACT project Creative Clusters in Low Density Urban Areas. The city strongly believes that CCIs has a strong spillover potential and would like to link the sector with tourism (including agriculture), manufacturing (including retail and ceramic) and ICT.
4. Assets to stimulate creative spillovers The city has shown great enthusiasm and strong political engagement in supporting this project. For Óbidos, stimulating creative spillovers is about shaping its future. The city wants to make the most of its local as well as assets to testing spillovers, namely: -
Obitec (Association of Technology of Óbidos which manages ABC – creative industries incubator) where spillovers could be tested; AIRO (regional companies association) and Óbidos.com (local companies association) to identify companies in different sectors wishing to experiment new forms of innovation; CoLab (working space) as a place to host local actions on spillovers; ESAD (College of Arts and Design) as a partner to bring creativity in other learning contexts or in companies; Schools of Óbidos where creative programmes have already been implemented and where spillovers could be further tested; Fábrica da Criatividade programme to break silos and bring creativity in schools; The Instituto Politécnico de Leiria - IPL, the University of Coimbra, the Technical University of Lisbon, ETIC (Professional school of communication and image) to test spillovers in university contexts. The national REC – creative economies network, of which the city is a member. 5. City’s expectations and potential contributions to the project
Through Creative SpIN, Óbidos expects to continue to develop its creative strategy and further disseminate the extra value of creativity and creative industries. The local community is now more mature and aware of what is happening in this area, and entrepreneurs from all sectors (agriculture, tourism, traditional industries) are asking for stronger participation in projects on creativity and CCIs. It would also like to reach the local inhabitants in a way that they are fully aware about the importance of creativity in any aspect of life. Such expectations would be nurtured by the possibility to learn and share best practices in a more competitive environment than the local or regional one. The LAP, which will be drafted by a wide range of stakeholders – from the university to businesses associations to institutions supporting the creative strategy in the city, should be a follow-up and upgrade of the Local Action Plan already produced as an output of the former URBACT network Creative Clusters in Low Density Urban Areas. For this LAP, the city would like to: -
Be more specific in the definition of creative spillover (especially in relation to tourism and ICT), as it is believed that this is the future and the main purpose of creative industries. 64
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Keep making Óbidos an ‘Investment Ready Place’ using our advantages of being small to work as a lab where to test new policies for economic growth and attractiveness, education and social innovations. Further develop Óbidos’ distinctive brand.
The city ensures its political commitment (the local mayor is very keen to support CCIs) and contribution to the project by: -
Sharing experience and results coming from the Óbidos Criativa Strategy and subsequent projects; Offering its small territory and motivated team with fresh ideas as a “test lab” where to experiment new policies and measures to support spillovers. The small dimension can offer easier connections with different stakeholders and better flexibility/adaptations when needed.
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IV. CONCLUSIONS 1. CCIs – an asset for the new economy Innovation is an imperative of the new economy. Technological improvements and productivity gains are not sufficient anymore to gain competitive advantage. Social values, symbolic meanings and aesthetics need to be embedded in products and services in order to address an increasingly sophisticated demand, both in the public and private realms. Apple’s global success results from the successful marriage of art and technology, where the best of engineering has been mixed with artistic intuition leading to technological innovation, distinctive design and the development of culture-led consumer electronics and apps. Academics, businesses and policy-makers increasingly look at CCIs as a source of creativity and innovation. Creative spillover is a new concept referring to the ability of CCIs to indirectly contribute to innovation processes. The culture-based creativity and innovation that CCIs can generate is in turn linked to the ability of creative professionals (from artists to architects, designers, film makers, advertising executives, musicians ..) to challenge established conventions and traditional visions. Creative professionals are at the core a people-led sector such as CCIs. They are used to work in open, collaborative and flexible environments and they are used to improvise. These features are very much required in the current economic context. The ways creative people can contribute to innovation varies according to the sector, but often rely on their capacity to (a) generate new ideas; (b) identify, retain and manage creative talents; (c) invest in creative ideas and take risks. Businesses and organisations in any sector today need creativity to remain competitive and the recourse to CCIs is a mean to trigger innovation. More practically, CCIs can contribute to: -
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Innovative products and services (such as the content driven iPod or iPad). Open and collaborative models of works and organisational models. Marketing/communication strategies to better brand companies, public organisations, or cities and regions. Innovative public services by to foster communication and trust with citizens or increasing participation of marginalised groups. An environment conducive to innovation that further attracts creative talents, new investors but also visitors (soft location factor). New image and attractive places. Public policy governance and local development through the horizontal integration of culture in other policies related to the economy, environment, urban planning, youth and entrepreneurship, tourism, social integration, etc. The rise of a “creative class” through the setting up of multidisciplinary education programmes or the clustering of companies making an area attractive for living and work.
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Some initiatives have been undertaken across Europe to better link sectors which do not normally work together and which have difficulties at understanding each other74. Still, several challenges should be addressed to connect CCIs with other sectors, namely: -
Lack of common vocabulary between different sectors at industrial level and departments at policy level Absence of culture and creative industry in broader policy initiatives that relate to economic and social development. Reticence or difficulty of CCIs to engage with other businesses and commercial interests, although this is less of an issue for creative industries. Difficulty of getting faculties and high education departments to work together across disciplines to foster interactions between technology, science, business and art /design.
Efforts should be made to identify and test tools and methods to stimulate spillover effects in the most effective way across Europe. Opportunities should be created for people with different backgrounds, profiles and skills to meet with a view to collaborate and innovate. Cities are the best placed to trigger “Creative SpINs”: they know very well their cultural assets and creative companies established locally, very often micro-enterprise. They are in a unique position to set the ecology fostering interactions as their size facilitates exchange and learning. They can act as a test-bed to experiment new forms of sustainable economic development enhancing creative spillovers.
2. Partners’ vision, challenges and strengths The knowledge economy shift, globalisation and delocalisation as well as the current economic crisis are obliging cities and regions to rethink their local economic development strategies. Both private and public organisations constantly look into new ways to encourage and embody innovation in order to better address socioeconomic challenges.
Vision Creative SpIN partners are all actively involved in promoting a culture of innovation and competitiveness in a tough economic environment. They are ready to set an environment conducive to creative spillovers as a mean to trigger innovation. All cities aim at: -
Encouraging harmonious urban development Better integrating foreign population Improving quality of life Making the city more attractive to investment Developing new economic activities and entrepreneurship, in particular amongst the youth Retaining talents (attracted by larger cities) Improving cultural participation
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“People from technology don’t understand the creative process that these companies go through to make their products, and they don’t appreciate how hard it is. And the creative companies don’t appreciate how creative technology is; they thing is just something to buy. And there is a gulf of understanding between the two of them”, explains Steve Jobs, http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/comic-riffs/post/steve-jobs-his-10-best-quotes-about-art-andcreativity/2011/10/06/gIQAc0ZARL_blog.html
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Calling upon artistic interventions to change perceptions and stimulating citizens’ participation to art and culture.
Partners see the development of CCIs as an opportunity to contributing to these objectives. Several partners have launched policies to support the development of CCIs - Birmingham and Rotterdam, but also Essen and Kortrijk for some years now. Bologna has a strong cultural policy moving toward a CCIs’ policy while Tallin, Košice, Wrocław and Mons are developing a strong strategy on the back of their investment as European Capitals of Culture. The project wants, however, to go beyond this vision of CCIs contributing to socioeconomic development and attractiveness. It considers policy tools and mechanisms to connect CCIs with other sectors of the economy and society to trigger creativity and innovation. The visit in the partner cities show that a “CCIs-led innovation vision” is already present and backed by a strong political will at the highest level. Culture investment is integrated in the cities’ policy as intrinsically linked to the future prosperity of the city. This was confirmed to the Lead Expert by the Mayor of Birmingham, Wrocław , Kortrijk, Košice and Mons as well as by the relevant political authorities in charge of CCIs in Rotterdam and Essen.
Challenges Creative SpIN partners’ ambitious vision is confronted with several common challenges: -
Desindustrialisation or delocalisation ongoing processes (notably Košice, Rotterdam, Birmingham) Weak attractiveness of talents and investors as well as tourists (all partners) Urban regeneration (Rotterdam, Essen, Birmingham) Development of entrepreneurship, including new forms of entrepreneurship and business models (all partners) Fight against unemployment (all cities) Difficult social integration (notably in Birmingham and Rotterdam) Building on a strong cultural policy to make local CCIs more sustainable (Mons, Bologna, Essen)
All cities believe that CCIs and, notably, creative spillovers can help face such challenges.
Strengths The project’s partners have a number of features which can importantly contribute to setting up the right environment to stimulate creative spillovers, from a favorable policy vision to assets which can facilitate interactions and exchanges between CCIs and other sectors. At policy level, partners have: -
Foremost, a strong political will at the highest level to support CCIs A strong belief that culture investment is a major source of local economic development Willingness to experiment and take the risk of artistic disruption in processes The conscious that the crisis is the opportunity to assess way of doing and thinking and those interactions between various skills and competences is the way forward A strong competitive spirit to avoid marginalisation by competing cities 68
Each city features a rich pool of institutions and tools, which have the potential to significantly contribute to the project. These include: -
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Strong cultural institutions and operators (for example, City of Birmingham Simphony Orchestra, Rotterdal Philarmonic Orchestra and the Scapino Ballet, Le Manège and Mundaneum in Mons, the Godrowski Institute in Wrocław , the Cineteca in Bologna, Aalto Theater and Lichtburg cinema in Essen, etc.) Creative incubators and/or working spaces (Atelierhaus, Unperfect house, and Generation- Kult House in Essen, Custard Factory in Birmingham, Schieblock, Creative Factory in Rotterdam, Buda Fabric in Kortrijk or the upcoming creative centres at Kasárne/Culture Park in Košice and at Tallin North – Tallin Creative Hub) Science parks (Initialis in Mons, Aston Science Park in Birmingham, the Technology Park in Wrocław, Tecnological Park and ABC incubator in Óbidos) Investment funds (Creative Investment Fund in Birmingham, new loan fund for the media sector in Rotterdam) Creative districts/clusters (Kreativquartier North Essen, Kasárne/Culture Park in Košice, Custard Factory and Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham, Buda Island in Kortrijk, Manifattura delle Arti in Bologna, Tallin’s port area) Education institutes and research centres: from Bologna – which hosts the oldest in Europe – to the Erasmus University Rotterdam with its large university hospital to Birmingham City University, to the Technical University of Košice, technical university Politechnika Wrocławska in Wrocław, to the Tallinn University Baltic Film and Media School to the ESAD - School of Art and Design, not far from Óbidos. Important research centres are the Wrocław Research Centre EIT + and the Microsoft Innovation Centre in Mons.
All partner cities are beset with very strong cultural traditions and specificities. They are representative of the patchwork of culture and diversity that characterise the old continent. Some cities share a strong industrial past, a dramatic history linked to the impact of the World Wars and a rich historical heritage often very well preserved (particularly Essen, Warsaw, Rotterdam, Bologna, Košice and Tallin). This can be an important source of inspiration to shape the society of the future. Moreover, several cities have still a strong ICT sector (particularly Birmingham, Wrocław, Mons, Košice and Tallinn), which offers the opportunity to test spillovers in area of high interest for most cities in Europe. At management and governance level, it is interesting to note that the programme will be managed essentially by local agencies or departments in charge of economic development which can more easily trigger interesting interactions with local cultural operators, institutions and companies. Finally, a significant number of Creative SpIN’s partners have been or will be involved in the ECoC initiative. Such engagement not only show a clear interest to brand the city through culture, but also allows city to learn about the sustainability of cultural investment, management of a big international event and related projects as well as about networking different local stakeholders, both from cultural and economic fields. Creative SpIN can very much build on the expertise gained in relation to these topics.
3. Creative SpIN – themes to be tackled, method, approach and expectations Main themes/process 69
Creative SpIN aims at identifying and testing tools and methods to better connect CCIs with other sectors of the economy in order to stimulate indirect effects (“creative spillovers”) and contribute to innovation. Research has been carried out on the topic, but there is still little evidence proving CCIs’ contribution of innovation and few practical efforts trying to build bridges between creative companies and other sectors. At the beginning of the Development Phase the work plan of the project was focused on three main subthemes: -
Finance, on the ground that better access to finance will enable the development of the CCI sector and create a more attractive ground for cross-sector interactions. Higher education, based on the need to better connect universities (an important pool of creative talents) with the business world and foster cross-sector collaboration. Creative agents, in order to identify beneficial complementarities between people with very different mindsets and connect them via specialised mediators (“creative agents”).
During the Development Phase, partners gathered together to identify the practical steps to be undertaken to reach the project’s objectives. Instead of focusing on three sub-themes, partners preferred to establish a three-stage process with a view to come up with concrete knowledge and projects on creative spillovers and methods to stimulate them. This focuses on: Processes - From the partners’ discussion, it emerged clearly that, although some partners have already tried to work across sectors, there is a great need to define which tools and methods really work both in businesses and public organisations. Partners would like to identify and practically test such methods – such as Dragon Den’s competition in a reverse form, a World Café with people from different fields, etc. – in order to identify what works best. Partners decided to concretely identify and test processes by organising/implementing activities with innovative formats at local and transnational level. People/Skills - Cities also identified education/learning contexts as a specific field to be explored. The interest specifically lies in encouraging schools, universities but also vocational institutes to shape polymaths75 (the future “Leonardo Da Vinci”). Some partners also want to train creative people in order for them to be more “business equipped”. Partners therefore agreed to treat education as a separate stage of the project entirely focused on the encouraging spillovers in different learning contexts as a kind of prerequisite to shape creative talents for creative economies and societies. During the discussion it was indeed also agreed to address not only university (as initially foreseen) as this approach was considered too limitative. Creative can (and have to) be stimulated in different environments and at any age. Managers and employees have to be more creative to adapt to changes, young students’s creativity needs to be trained in order to create the future generation of creative talents. Furthermore, limiting to universities would be riskier as university are often closed and difficult to access, while schools may be more willing to collaborate (but of course this changes from one country to another). Also, learning sometimes works better outside formal institutions (vocational education) as people are more motivated and come if really interested. Partners are therefore free to stimulate creativity in different learning contexts according to the local needs and specificities (for instance Bologna, Tallin and Birmingham want to focus on university, Essen on schools, Rotterdam on vocational education). Projects - Partners would like to test the effectiveness of the tools and methods identified and come up with concrete projects which could clearly show the effects of CCIs on other sectors. Also, cities
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A polymath is person whose expertise spans a significant number of different subject areas. 70
expressed the need to exploit this project in a way that can be relevant for sectors of their interest. Partners identified the following sectors where spillovers will be concretely tested: Manufacturing – including food Healthcare Tourism ICT/R&D Urban development – including green energy, climate change and port Education services
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Cities will work together on sectors of common interest by co-organising sector-focused actions at international level (for instance Mons and Tallin on tourism). These actions – which will build on the results of the “Processes” stage - will also enable partners to understand in which sectors creative spillovers are more likely to be generated. The three initial topics are not put aside but integrated in a more comprehensive learning and exchange process. Finance, for instance, will be dealt with when trying to find out and test processes and tools to better connect CCIs with other sectors, including companies which can invest in creative ideas or investors. Connections with potential investors will be pursued also after the project when promoting the ideas coming from out from Creative SpIN through the creation of an online gallery. Higher education has been enlarged to all learning contexts as a kind of prerequisite to shape creative talents able to bring creativity in any other socioeconomic context. Finally, creative agents could be only one of the tools to stimulate spillovers. This topic can therefore dealt with both in phase 1 “Process”.
Method Partners will carry out actions along the three-stage process both at national and international level, the idea being of nurturing transnational activities with the results of the activities carried out at local level. Local activities will organised at local level on the themes Processes, People and Projects. These will then feed into transnational activities focused on the same topics. Transnational activities will also include a sector-focused session aimed at stimulating spillovers in the targeted sectors. An example of how the project will be structures is illustrated below:
2013 J
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In 2014, partners will focus again on the themes with a view to build on the results of the previous year. In 2015, the focus will be on the final conference - which could take the format of a TED conference – and dissemination of results and good practices outside the partnership through participation to local and international events on related topics. Several promotional tools will be used, among which a video of the project and an online platform to spread the innovative projects and ideas which came out from Creative SpIN. The platform could be used to find investors or partners to implement the ideas, also beyond the duration of the project.
Approach The activities carried out at local and transnational level will follow three main principles: -
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Experimentation – the project wants to avoid being prescriptive in the development of spillover tools, processes and methods. Possible methods and formats to be used in local and transnational actions have been identified by the partners (World Café, Hack Days, etc.). However, partners have the freedom to identify, test and experiment new formats (this is all about creativity and of making use of local experiences and knowledge). Cross-learning – The main project’s idea is to learn about how processes involving creative professionals and CCIs can generate innovation. Inspiration can be found in other sectors’processes aimed for instance at taking investment decision or in embarking on R&D. Those processes should be tested with the involvement of disruptive thinking and crossdisciplinary interactions. Inspirations will come from games and shows (Dragon Den in reverse for instance – not entrepreneurs but creative people pitching their ideas). Sustainability – the project wants to find tools and methods which can be used far beyond the project. Local and transnational actions will address the conditions needed in order to ensure the sustainability of spillovers and spillover actions, beyond public support and after the end of the Creative SpIN project (stakeholders’ motivation and needs, financial resources, etc.).
Expectations Creative SpIN ultimate purpose is to break silos across disciplines, to trigger creativity in businesses and organisations by encouraging people as artists, creative professionals (in advertising, design, architecture) 72
cultural institutions and industries to engage with other sectors to share their competences and skills, to make engineers more creative and artists more business “equipped” for instance, to value imagination and intuition in investment decisions, and to develop a new language that facilitate understanding across disciplines and sectors not used to work together. The main themes, approach and expectations of the project can be graphically summarised as follows:
4. Added value of the network Creative SpIN’s added value lies in the following: -
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From theory to practice: although research is still not exhaustive, one of the main concerns for policy makers and practioners is the need to define and test tools and methods to stimulate spillovers. The project will contribute to practical knowledge by testing spillovers across: o Varied sectors (list the sectors o Europe’s cultural diversity (partners are representatives of EU’s cultural diversity) o Cities with different sizes o CCI sectors in different stages of development The project builds on the European Capital of Culture process and gives an additional dimension to culture investment made by cities in this context for the development of the future economy. Different and complementary levels of expertise for mutual learning but with a shared interest in culture as a tool for local economic development. Strong political willingness to explore the topic and support the project has been identified in all city partners. Great assets in different fields (finance, university education, incubators, etc.) and motivated and skilled people will take part to the network activities through the ULSGs. Opportunity to test solutions and provide recommendations to big, medium and small cities to the benefit of the whole Europe - big, medium and small cities are involved so recommendations could fit different kinds of cities. 73
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Occasion to offer practical tools and methods to face European challenges (not only relevant to the cities of the network): the network will address a topic of general interest (how to improve innovation) while testing the innovative potential of the CCIs sector (not enough exploited but increasing becoming of interest for academics, practioners and policy-makers). Visibility and dissemination opportunities because the network objective is linked to the EU 2020 Strategy and the subject of innovation. Strong visibility is also provided by the European Capital of Culture events well as many other international events hosted by partner cities (Košice ECoC in 2013, Mons ECoC in 2015 and Wrocław ECoC in 2016; Forum d’Avignon in Essen in 2013; annual meeting of UNESCO Creative Cities Network in Bologna in 2013, etc.).
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V. BIBLIOGRAPHY Literature Bakhshi H., McVittie E., Simmie J. (2008). Creating Innovation - Do the creative industries support innovation in the wider economy? NESTA. London. Capello R. (2006). Regional economics. Routledge. Chapain, C. et al. (2010). Creative Clusters and Innovation. Putting Creativity on the Map. NESTA. UK. Carolfi V, Coretti C., Giusti E., Lodi M., Moretti F. (2012), Guida alle librerie indipendenti di Bologna, NdA Press, Rimini 2012. "Evaluatie programma Creatieve Industrie in Rotterdam", Research voor Beleid, May 2011. Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (2010). Culture and Creative Industries in Germany 2009 Monitoring of Selected Economic Key Data on Culture and Creative Industries Florida, R. (2002). The Rise of the Creative Class. New York: Basic Books. Frontier Economics (2012) Creative Industry Spillovers – understanding their impact on the wider economy. Report prepared for DCMS. Higgs P., Cunningham S., Bakshi H. (2008). Creative industries trident. NESTA. London. KEA European Affairs (2009). The Impact of Culture on Creativity - carried out for the European Commission – DG EAC. Brussels. Jaaniste, L. (2009), Placing the creative sector within innovation: The full gamut. Innovation: Management, Policy and Practice. Miles I., Green L. (2008): Hidden innovation in the creative industries. NESTA. London. Müller, K., Rammer, C. and Trüby, J. (2008). The role of creative industries in industrial innovation. Centre for European Economic Research, Mannheim. Power, D., Nielsen, T. (2010). Priority Sector Report: Creative and Cultural Industries, Europe Innova Initiative. Brussels: European Commission. OCDE (2005), Oslo Manual: Third Edition, OECD Publishing, http://www.oecdbookshop.org/oecd/display.asp?sf1=identifiers&lang=EN&st1=922002081p1
in:
Raymond E. Miles, Charles C. Snow, Grant Miles (2000), TheFuture.org Original Research Article Long Range Planning, Volume 33, Issue 3, June 2000, Pages 300-321. Rivas M. (2011),From creative industries to http://iri.jrc.ec.europa.eu/concord-2011/posters/Rivas.pdf
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Salmon K. (2012). Culture et Economie : Enjeux et opportunités pour les entrepreneurs culturels et créatifs en Belgique. Schumpeter, J. (1934) The Theory of Economic Development, Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press. 75
Smart Specialisation Platform. (2012). Guide to Research and Innovation strategies for Smart Specialisation (RIS3). European Union Regional policy, Brussels. Sostenuto (2012), Tome 1, Culture as a Factor for Economic and Social innovation, Project cofinanced by the European Regional Development Fund and the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance, This book is published under Creative Commons license The Work Foundation. (2007). Staying ahead: the economic performance of the UK’s creative industries. UNCTAD (2010). Creative Economy Report 2010. Unioncamere, Fondazione Symbola (2012). L’Italia che verrà - Industria culturale, made in Italy e territory. Policy documents "Creative Sector, EDBR advies", Economic Development Board Rotterdam, November 2011. European Commission (1995), Green Paper on Innovation, Brussels. European Commission (2007), Communication on a European Agenda for Culture in a Globalising World, Brussels. European Commission. (2010a), European Competitiveness Report 2010 Commission staff working document SEC(2010) 1276 accompanying document to the Communication — An Integrated Industrial Policy for the Globalisation Era: Putting Competitiveness and Sustainability at Centre Stage (COM(2010) 614) (SEC(2010) 1272). Brussels. European Commission. (2010b), Communication: Europe 2020: a strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth COM (2010) 2020. Brussels. European Commission. (2010c), European Competitiveness Report 2010 Commission staff working document SEC(2010) 1276 accompanying document to the Communication — An Integrated Industrial Policy for the Globalisation Era: Putting Competitiveness and Sustainability at Centre Stage (COM(2010) 614) (SEC(2010) 1272). Brussels. European Commission. (2010d), Communication: Europe 2020 Flagship Initiative Innovation Union COM(2010) 546. Brussels. European Commission. (2011a). Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on Specific provisions concerning the European Regional Development Fund and the Investment for growth and jobs goal and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1080/2006. Brussels. European Commission. (2011b). Communication: Horizon 2020 - The Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, COM(2011) 808 final, Brussels. European Commission. (2011c). Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down common provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund for Rural Development and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund covered by the Common Strategic Framework and laying down general provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund and the Cohesion Fund and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006. Brussels. European Commission. (2011d). Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the European Social Fund and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1081/2006. Brussels. 76
European Commission (2011e), Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, Innovation Union Competitiveness Report, Brussels. European Commission (2012), Communication on Promoting cultural and creative sectors for growth and jobs in the EU, Brussels. European Council. (2009). Conclusions on Culture as a Catalyst for Creativity and Innovation. 2941st EDUCATION, YOUTH AND CULTURE Council meeting. Brussels. European Council. (2010). Conclusions on the Contribution of Culture to Local and Regional Development. 3013th EDUCATION, YOUTH AND CULTURE Council meeting. Brussels European Council. (2011), Conclusions on cultural and creative competences and their role in building intellectual capital of Europe. 3128th EDUCATION, YOUTH, CULTURE and SPORT Council meeting Brussels, 28 and 29 November 2011. EU Presidency. (2008). Conclusions on the Launching the new cycle of the renewed Lisbon Strategy for Growth and Jobs. (7652/1/08). Brussels. "Rotterdam maakt werk van Creativiteit, Gezamenlijk advies EDBR/RRKC", August 2006 (Combined advise to City Council on Creative industries by Economic Development Board Rotterdam and Rotterdam Advisory Board for Arts and Culture).
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Partners
ANNEXE I – Partners’ profiles in brief What are the problems and challenges faced by the partner city in relation to the selected topic?
What are the policies and concrete actions developed by the partner city so far in relation to these problems and challenges?
What could be the scope of the Local Action Plan to be developed by the partner city within the framework of the network?
Who will be involved in the initial URBACT Local Support Group to be set up during the Development phase by the partner city?
What is the experience of the partner city in terms of working through transnational exchange in relation to the selected topic?
What is the potential contribution of the partner city to the network activities and what does the partner expect from the network?
The City of Birmingham would like to build on its industrial past and creative potential by addressing the following challenges:
A selection:
3 main focus themes:
Representatives for the LSG in Birmingham will be drawn from the:
- EU’s Climate KI to promote green technology issues in the city. - Making Knowledge Work (2012-2014 INTERREG IVC) has established specialists to broker linkages in the Birmingham Research Park and Birmingham Science Park. - Creative Metropoles aimed at facilitating exchange on identifying existing policies and successful instruments used to support creative industries. - ECCE Innovation (INTERREG IVB NEW 2008-2011) one of the key partners of the ULSG (BCU) was a partner. The project was aimed at fostering the innovation capacity of CIs in order to access new markets.
Contribution: Extensive experience in the field of CCIs Great assets in the field of education, access to finance and other support tools/agencies to learn from/to be involved
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Birmingham
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Retaining graduates Facing the skill deficit Reducing social tensions and building on cultural diversity Improving image of the city Stimulating entrepreneurshi p Improving Access to finance/matchin g funds (especially for SMEs)
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City Deal City Centre Economic Zone Science City strategy Digital Birmingham Smart City Commission Marketing Birmingham Creative Birmingham Partnership Board Creative Industry support programme Creative Birmingham CIF and CAF
- Graduate retention (how to encourage creative & science-based graduates to collaborate). - Access finance (providing VC and seed finance to enterprises to support spillovers) - Incubating innovative companies. Additionally, the idea of assessing the potential of “Fab Labs” and new coworking spaces are of great interest to the City.
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City Council, Birmingham City University (BCU), Chamber of Commerce, representatives of sector groups (Medilink, Science City, Custard Factory, architects and urban planners) HEIs and Third Sector organisations (Initiative for Social Entrepreneurs, social media experts)
Expectations: Improving match-making fund needs through collaboration with the private sectors to support new ideas. Flourishing of new collaborative projects and initiatives in the field of digital media, video games (and serious games), audiovisual, design, architecture and social media in collaboration with the automotive, medical and green energy sectors. Enlarge the scope of innovation policies and include CCIs
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Rotterdam would like to promote the contribution of CCIs to economic, social, cultural and physical development of the city. The challenges to this are:
Rotterdam
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Retaining/attrac ting creative, highly-skilled talents Improving the image of the city Attracting people to/ revitalising the inner city
Several CCIs policy programmes have been put in place in the following areas: -
Housing facilities Networking Cross over stimulation Subsidy budget
These include the following outcomes (a selection): Creativity starts here programme Installation of the Rotterdam Media Commission Directing city/region for Architecture at national level Forthcoming CCI programme including a ‘Cultuurplan’ (long term subsidy scheme for cultural sector)
The LAP should focus on: Creative Spillovers between CCIs and two of the key sectors in Rotterdam: o Medical Sector o Ports & logistics industries - Partnerships between CCIs, educational institutions and governmental bodies. The City will support these creative spillovers through several measures. One is the active participation of two Aldermen of the City Government, who are very committed to these goals to spur innovation and spillovers. Second is to facilitate matchmaking events and other meetings to bring different worlds together. Talented and fastgrowing CCIs will be on a hotlist for invitations to business events organised or supported by the city. The City will also use its influence to push other actors to support CCIs and to offer them more (growth) opportunities.
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Department of Culture Creative Factory Department of City Development Local Creative Industries working group (being installed)/ includes representatives of creative industries and higher education institutions and Universities of Rotterdam / S. Janssen TU Delft National innovation network CLICK Creative Industries Institute (national institute to be situated in Rotterdam) Rotterdam Media Commission
Rotterdam takes part in several international networks in the field of social, cultural en economic topics and policy: -
Working group Creative Industries (Eurocities) Cultural Forum (Eurocities) ECCE, INTERREG projects on facilitating market access to CCIs.
Furthermore, Creative Factory (member of the USLG) is one of the founding parties of ECBN / European Creative Business Network, which has its headquarter in Rotterdam. Partners are cities, creative development agencies and creative hubs/residencies/quarters.
Contribution: Deep knowledge of CCIs and Experience with CCI policy Results from previous initiatives in the field of cross over Local facilities to facilitate networking and exchange (e.g. Creative Factory) Great educational offer Expectations: Improve health care service delivery Improve Rotterdam’s Green Port accessibility through the help of visualisation technologies and animation. Identify state-of-the art methods to create spillovers in other fields such as tourism, access to finance, technology and new media Develop a metrics to measure spillover effects and policies supporting them
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Essen
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Urban regeneration (especially the northern part of the city and the university quarter) Stopping emigration and retain inhabitants Attracting (young) talents, companies and investors Developing artistic and creative entrepreneurshi p Improving international visibility
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Atelierhaus Art Walk Unperfect house Generation- Kult House Kreativquartierand Creative Masterplan for Essen-North since 2011 Grüne Mitte Essen Support scheme for individual artists (Kreativwirtschaft als Zukunftsbranche und Hoffnungsträger für Stadtund Regionalentwicklungen) Creative Stage / Showcase and a Regional Creative Class Network Culture and School funding programme
The Local Action Plan would implement innovative motivational schemes and multi-level governance tools (City, Region, Europe) to stimulate spillover effects: At city level (through the exchange of experience on actions and funding programmes) Among the international businesses based in the city with the collaboration of local universities. In long-term urban planning and realestate development crowd-based and open-source techniques are needed to attract the next generation of companies, workers and investors in creative projects having an impact on urban development.
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Creative industries from Essen-North, Career centre for Folkwang and the State University Essen, Chambers of Commerce as well as Real Estate Owners investors & foundations from the visual arts and design sectors (ThyssenKrupp Foundation).
All these stakeholders are part of the Creative Masterplan for Essen-North since 2011. Otherwise will join following an open call to be launched by the city at the beginning of the Implementation Phase.
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Projects started in the context of European Capital of Culture 2010 – e. g. Twins Project, Design Kiosk, Contemporary Art Ruhr (CAR).
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Essen is partner of the Forum d’Avignon since 2012, researching and exchanging know-how on culture investments and city attractiveness in Europe.
Contribution: Available spaces to stimulate and test spillovers (e.g. Atelierhaus) International events taking place in the city which could link to Creative SpIN for transnational exchange, experimentation of tools and methods or dissemination activities (e.g. Forum d’Avignon in 2013, red dot international competition) Connection and experience with international partners in education and creative industries field, in the context of ECoC Connections in place between the local industry and the cultural sector Expectations: Urban regeneration Stimulating artistic and creative entrepreneurship Retaining local talent
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Bologna
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Facing the lack of “industrial dimension in CCIs” Improving connections between the creative area and the traditional economic sectors to innovate the traditional industrial basis Retaining students after graduation
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Strategic Plan IncrediBol Manifattura della Arti ASTER EmiliaRomagna STARTUP
The LAP will support creative spillovers with focus on: - business training for the creative sector - innovative connections between CCIs and traditional economic sectors - creating opportunities for the students in innovative and creative fields after their studies
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Municipality of Bologna Bologna Province Emilia-Romagna Region ASTER University of Bologna IncrediBOL! Project
- SMART i+P, Smart Metropolitan Areas Realised Through Innovation + People, with the aim of taking the experience developed by a wide range of existing user-driven, open innovation initiatives in Europe, and applying this experience to the challenge of transforming public services and develop ‘smart’ cities. - CIVITAS MIMOSA, Making Innovation in Mobility and Sustainable Actions, aiming at developing demonstrating actions to be seen as a model for the promotion of sustainable urban mobility at EU level. - iCity, Linked Open Apps Ecosystem aiming at opening the public digital information infrastructures for its re-use by third parties to develop services of public interest.
Contribution: Strong cultural offer and expertise in cultural management. Visibility opportunity and international links: thanks to the strategic position, the deep cultural tradition, the presence of very important Fairs, and the presence of the University, Bologna has a very strong creative environment and can offer an important international stage for the project and its partners. Survey model to explore creative inputs in companies Expectations: Develop/transfer creative skills and competences in/to the traditional fields of the economy (especially manufacturing) through actions and initiatives developed with the help of the local University. Development of a pilot project matching creative people and the traditional economy in the manufacturing/food field.
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Kortrijk
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Strengthen CCIs to obtain sufficient critical mass Support talent becoming new businesses Optimize the creative potential of its inhabitants, students, high schools knowledgecenters and businesses Co-ordinate the local initiatives to support creativity and innovation through a local strategy and action plan, supported by all relevant stakeholders.
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Budafabric to interlink designers, product developers, entrepreneurs, students, artists and academics and enhance cross-pollination Designregio Kortrijk to introduce design-thinking in SMEs and the society Center for Entrepreneurs for start-ups Kortrijk IN – network involving all decision makers at government, economic, academic level European Innovation Festival with a focus on open innovation, co-creation and user-centered design
The LAP will focus on: Creating an atmosphere and attractive environment for creativity and innovation in the city Support innovative spinoffs and start-ups from the high schools and universities Stimulating spillovers between education, artists, creative industries and the local SME’s and companies. The work of Budafabric as brokerage infrastructure will be key in this sense. Keep introducing design-thinking and open innovation in SMEs Obtaining a critical mass by clustering universities, research centers, creative industries and local companies
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City Council Local universities VOKA (the Chamber of Commerce) Intercommunal Development Agency Leiedal Designregio Kortrijk Center for Entrepreneurs Artcenter Buda Municipal Agency Buda Flanders in Shape Microsoft Innovation Center Innovation Center, Interieur Foundation, Representatives of sector groups.
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Admire - 7the Framework ‘Pro Inno’ (2006-2008) on design management in SMEs and the creation of the European design management award (DME). Innovation Festival What If th - 7 Framework Program ‘Pro Inno’: in collaboration with Barcelona, Milan, Lisbon, Vilnius and Talinn, the city has organised and hosted the Innovation Festival 2009-2012. Profit : Interreg IVB NWEurope (2011-2014) on the interaction between sports, innovative technology and health. Smart Cities (2008- 2011) on ICT supporting public services Proud : Interreg IVB NW Europe on using design for co-creation and innovation.
The City is also partner of the network Eurotowns and associated partner in Eurocities.
Contribution: Share its experience on local policies and strategies aimed at enhancing creativity, entrepreneurship and design-thinking Budafabric will offer spaces and facilities to create spillovers, including a fablab in order to test and learn about spillovers during the whole project period. Extensive experience with EU projects Expectations: Collaborate with international partners and experts in order to effectively implement its local development strategy which already tries to promote a spillover approach to art and culture. -
Gather the different existing initiatives on creativity and innovation under the LAP in order to create better coordination, to the benefit of the entire agglomeration.
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Mons is a city that suffered and still does, from a deindustrialisation process that has started in the 70’s. The main challenges to overcome are: -
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Creating more and new jobs Stimulating entrepreneurshi p Improving the city’s image and attractiveness (for tourists, companies and investors) Developing a more comprehensive vision of culture (both among policy makers and citizens) Integrating culture in an economic development strategy
Elio Di Rupo has strongly supported Mons to be recognised the cultural capital of the Wallonia region as well as its candidature to ECoC 2015. Numerous infrastructures and several initiatives have been put in place such as (a selection): -
The Maison du Design New museums to be ready by 2015 the new train station designed by Calatrava UNIMEDIAR, an initiative of the University of Mons to stimulate innovative actions in enterprises, especially in the field of performing art
And, in Mons region: the Museum of Contemporary Arts (MAC’s) the Pass, a museum to spread scientific culture.
The LAP the entire agglomeration which represents about 250,000 inhabitants. Mons’ LAP should focus on concrete projects with the academia and brokerage actions in the field of tourism, design, ICT. For example, a lack of collaboration between the Design center and the School of Fine arts has been identified. Getting them to work together on new forms of entrepreneurship will be one of our goals. For this, we can take inspiration from La Maison de l’Entreprise (Business Innovation Center) which has a strong expertise in promoting entrepreneurship or Café Europa, a Mons 2015’s concept gathering people with different backgrounds and skills to discuss together and find solutions to common problems.
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City of Mons La Maison du Design Le Manège (cultural center) Mons 2015 Foundation Progress (social economic agency) Virtualis (consortium of new high-tnew High tech companies).
Mons has taken part to several transnational projects, but the indirect effects of culture are something the city has recently started exploring. The city is keen to learn more. Mons is involved in the Interreg IV A project Mons is partner of is “Memory of the great war” very much focused on tourism. The objective is to prepare new tourism paths in order to discover the places of the Great War by 2014. Moreover, most of the ULSG’s members do also have expertise in the field (Maison du Design is member is the INTERREG 3pod and Le Manège of Transdigital).
Contribution: Mons 2015 as a platform to test spillovers and give visibility to Creative SpIN at EU level Sharing results from first experiments on creative spillovers Collaboration from established local institutions active in different fields (from the Maison du Design to Le Manège) Expectations: Learn from other cities to develop CCIs policies and support tools and attract CCIs to the region Integrate culture in economic development strategies Build on Mons 2015 to test spillovers (especially between art and new technologies) and create synergies with Creative SpIN
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The city of Wrocław is trying to work its way “out of the shadow” of Poland’s capital city through the creation of a modern, dynamic, cultural and innovative city. The main challenges to make the most of the existing situation are:
Wrocław
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Better connecting businesses, universities and policy makers; local, innovative companies are not seen as attractive employers and compete with international brands in terms of attraction of well-qualified people; Setting up mechanisms to turn talent into new innovative businesses; Internationalisati on of Wrocławbased creative businesses Improving access to finance. Improving image, visibility and attractiveness (investors, companies, talents).
Wrocław has put lots of efforts in building its reputation as business leader in this part of Europe. The city has made some key investments in research centres and created an institutional support system that links science (Wrocław Research Centre EIT Plus), business (Wrocław Agglomeration Development Agency) and education (Wrocław Academic Hub). In the field of CCIs, it has launched Creativro, a specific programme devoted to companies in the fields of games production, digital effects and special animations.
The LAP will focus on: a) culture & technical knowledge, which includes support to creativity in vocational schools and prevention of old industrial buildings from decay; b) industrial design and entrepreneurship for product and innovation management c) mobile applications and software solutions in a variety of fields: manufacturing & industry, cultural events, conference apps, city promotion abroad, etc.
Around 10 people coming from the following institutions:
The city of Wrocław took part in the following transnational projects:
- Wrocław Agglomeration Development Agency – (Marcello Murgia/Michal Teklinski) - Wrocław Academic Hub (Maciej Litwin) - Wrocław European Capital of Culture 2016 (Adam Chmielewski) - Wrocław Cultural Division within the Municipality of Wrocław (Jaroslaw Broda) - Wrocław Economic Development Division within the Municipality of Wrocław (Joanna Wozna)
- URBAMECO (URBACT II) aimed at the socio-economic revitalisation of the old trade routes. - Project Via Regia Plus (Central Europe Fund) focused on the implementation of joint ventures aimed at improving the accessibility to metropolitan areas, developing effective models of territorial cooperation and regional governance, and creating a tourist offer along the corridor Via Regia.
Contribution: Strong knowledge and experience in ICT and science Tools and methods to outsource research costs and share benefits of innovative research (from the science field) Tools and methods to link the academia and the business world Expectations: Learn how such crosssectoral cooperation (now focused on technological and science companies and research centres actives in the field), could be extended to and include CCIs. Learn about tools to better support experimentation, innovation and entrepreneurship and stimulate private investment, enhance business capacity and internationalisation of creative industries. Fruitful exchange with Mons with which it shares a similar story and European tile as Capital of Culture. Help prepare the ground for Wrocław 2016 as an opportunity to further develop and give international visibility to Wrocław -based CCIs.
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The city needs to face:
Tallinn Innovation Strategy 20092013
Improvement of international visibility and attractiveness (stop the brain drain) Tourism development, particularly beyond the city centre Improve quality of life Repopulate the city centre
Manifesto – a Tool for Strategic Development across the Creative Economy
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Tallin
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Tallinn Cluster Development Programme 2009-2013 Tallin Creative Hub Tallin Creative Incubator
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A concrete incubation project on “Creative Spillovers” to be developed at the Tallin Creative Hub’ Development Centre under the supervision of the ULSG. A lobby and communication plan “CROSS is a key concept” aimed at influencing 20142020’s Operational Programmes in Estonia. CCIs and cross-disciplinary spillovers should appear as a priority.
City Department of Enterprise City Departement of Culture and Heritage Baltic Media and Film School Estonian Design Center Enterpise Estonia Research Center of Contemporary Culture (University of Tallinn)
INTERREG IVC project “Creative Metropoles” - Public Policies and Instruments in Support of Creative Industries” INTERREG IVA “Cultural Tourism 2011” to enhance collaboration and the creation of new culturebased quality tourism products.
Contribution: Share experience and learning points coming from previous relevant projects (e.g. those involving CCIs and universities or arts and science students) carried out by the Tallin Creative Hub or in the context of ECoC Five multidisciplinary platforms are in place (among which one on tourism) as a possible tool to gather stakeholders and stimulate spillovers Expectations: Develop the necessary know-how to generate spillover effects in Tallinn. Concrete ractices/projects to apply/implement and share Influence the governmental body of Estonia in charge of Structural Funds to put CCIs as a priority for the period 2014-2020 Find experts to bring international influence in Estonia on the topic of spillovers. Create new tools and interdisciplinary approaches to cultural tourism with the contribution of CCIs, universities and businesses in technology, tourism and related sectors. Improve international visibility for local CCIs Create international partners for the members of the ULSG
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Košice
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Improving visibility and attractiveness Developing the future economy Stopping the brain drain Developing integrated, multilevel policies for CCIs at local and regional level
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Košice 2013 and group in charge of CCIs Masterplan for CCIs Kasárne/Culture Park and new multimedia centre Centre for Supporting Culture and Creativity (CSCC) – for companies, civil groups and artists
The LAP will link to the Masterplan for CCIs with focus on: Mapping projects in order to find potentials, gaps and opportunities for creativity to help companies’ maximise their economic and social returns. The Arts and Business programme which will be launched as part of Košice 2013. This could be used to test new projects, to offer artists training on business plans and strategies, to propose workshops and test new approaches for problem solving, etc. Benchmark activities/reports
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City of Košice Košice region Košice 2013 NGO Coalition Košice 2013 Technical University Faculty of Arts Economic Faculty TU Košice Local civic associations/ngo Institute for Creative Economy Cultural centers Tabacka - Lukaš Berberich DIG new media gallery private sector – TSystems, Ness, OneClick
Collaborations with ECoC cities Cross boarding projects and activities within th European Creative Business Network (K.A.I.R., trade missions, etc.)
Contribution: A strategic geographical location – Košice could advocate for the project in Central and Eastern Europe Strong potential in the ICT sector (ICT companies could be involved to develop and test digital tools) The Creative Factory and new spaces being established as a place to test spillovers Coalition 2013+ and the pilot actions that will take place among their members Expectations: Develop and implement the local strategy (Masterplan) as well as multilevel policies to foster the new economy Learn from international partners to avoid trial and error phase and benchmark local activities Create new partnerships or bilateral collaborations for new transnational projects in 2014-20 Generate spillovers in the ICT industry, but also tourism and manufacturing sectors, building on the connections already in place thanks to Coalition 2013+ Better link the arts sector to the business worlds, both by improving business skills among creative people and bringing creativity in companies Improve quality of life, visibility and attractiveness -
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Óbidos
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Need to diversify the number and quality of services in sectors such as tourism Attracting new businesses to the technology park (which will start to be built at the end of 2012) Improve active participation of citizens to cultural activities, Find new sources of funding for cultural activities Continue to “inject” creativity in the education system (as a follow-up to previous programmes).
Master plan with focus on culture, creativity and innovation. - Integration of the master plan in the regional strategy on innovation vision called INOV C. - Creative Breaks project on tourism. - São Tiago Bookstore, a major bookstore inside a ancient church - Mercearia Criativa where designers, producers and retailers can work together to create new products and new forms of selling, from storage to branding. - Creation of the municipal company Óbidos Criativa dealing with urban regeneration and creativity - Tecnological Park - ABC Incubator
The LAP will be a followup and upgrade of the LAP produced as an output of the former URBACT network Creative Clusters in Low Density Urban Areas. Scope of the future LAP: Stimulation of creative spillovers, especially in relation to tourism and ICT. Keep making Óbidos an ‘Investment Ready Place’ using the advantages of being small to work as a lab where to test new policies. Further develop Óbidos’ distinctive brand.
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Municipality Municipal company Óbidos Criativa Business associations, Schools Representatives from the creative class Óbidos Technology Park Tourism entrepreneurs, Citizens’ representatives Universities Entrepreneurs from sectors going from organic farming to manufacturing.
URBACT Creative Clusters network (Lead partner) Comenius Regio partneship with Reggio Emilia (Italy) on creative education. Óbidos is also member of different thematic associations and has strong connections with the creative entourage of Brazil. -
Contribution: The city ensures its political commitment (the local mayor is very keen to support CCIs) and contribution to the project by: Sharing experience and results coming from the Óbidos Criativa Strategy and subsequent projects; Offering its small territory and motivated team with fresh ideas as a “test lab” where to experiment new policies and measures to support spillovers. Expectations: Continue to develop the Óbidos Criativa Strategy to further disseminate the extra value of creativity and creative industries. Learn about and share best practices in a wider and more competitive environment. Reach the local inhabitants in a way that they are fully aware about the importance of creativity in any aspect of life.
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ANNEXE II – List of people visited Birmingham Jerry Blackett – Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, Chief Executive Mark Foley – Head of West Midands ERDF Programme at the Department for Communities and Local Government David Hardman – Chief Executive Officer Science Park Aston Suresh Patel – BCC Business Enterprise Manager Birmingham Raj Mack – BCC Head of Digital Birmingham Patrick Willcocks – BCC Head of European Funding Sue Summers – Chief Executive of Finance Birmingham Mohammed Zahir – BCC Head of Business Enterprise and Innovation Rotterdam Luc Beurskens – Chairman, Communication Platofrm Rotterdam Hugo Bongers – Professor in Cultural Diversity, Hogeschool Rotterdam (Rotterdam University) Hajo Doorn – Director, WORM Peter Haasbroek - Preliminary officer, National institute for creative industries Jan Hoogesteijn – Director, Rotterdam Media Commission Patrick van‘t Klooster – Director, Institute for Architecture Rotterdam (AIR) Kristian Koreman – Director, ZUS / Zones Urbaines Sensibles Leo van Loon – Director, Creative Factory Korrie Louwes - Vice-Mayor (Labour Market; Higher Education; Innovation; Participation), City of Rotterdam Chantal Olffers - sr Policy adviser, City of Rotterdam Philip Pouwel – Director, Jazz stage BIRD Olga Smit - sr Policy adviser, City of Rotterdam Paul Rutten - Independent advisor Creative industries Essen Andreas Bomheuer, Head of Culture Department, City of Essen Alfons Wafner, Advisor Culture Department, City of Essen Dr. Uwe Schramm, Director and Curator of “Kunsthaus Essen” Heiko Salmon, Executive Assistant “Unperfekthaus” Dr. Claudia Drawe, Director of Internship Office (Praktikumsbüro), University Duisburg-Essen Bernd Fesel, Consultant, ecce Anika Ellwart, Project Assistant „Creative.Quarters Ruhr“, ecce Bologna Silvano Bertini, Responsible for the Economic Department of the Emilia-Romagna Region Giorgia Boldrini, Local Coordinator of the “Creative SpIN” project, Responsible for IncrediBOL project, Head of Unit Intersectorial project, Innovation, Labour, Coordination of events, city promotion (Municipality of Bologna) Paolo Bonaretti, Director of ASTER (the Consortium for Innovation and Technology Transfer in EmiliaRomagna) Tiziana De Nittis, Economic Department of the Province of Bologna Mauro Felicori, Director of the Economic Development and City Promotion Department (Municipality of Bologna) Nicoletta Giusti (Assistant Professor - Dept. Of Business Economy) Marco Gaiani (Full Professor - Dept. Of Architecture) Matteo Lepore, Deputy Mayor for International Relations, City Marketing, Innovation, Smart City and Digital Agenda (Municipality of Bologna) Luca Roffia (GIOCA, Graduate degree in Innovation and Organization of Culture and the Arts) Veronica Innocenti (DAMS, degree course in Art, Music and Show Disciplines) 88
Francesca Polluce, Economic Department of the Province of Bologna Kortrijk Dries Baeckelandt - City Development, City of Kortrijk Franky Devos - Coordinator Budafabriek Fanny Galle - Project Manager PROUD, Designregio Kortrijk Frans Van Den Bossche - Director Strategic Department, City of Kortrijk Mons Marc Barvais, Mayor of Mons (replacing Elio di Rupo) Denys Bornauw –technology consultant of the city of Mons Mauro del Borrello – Director, Le Manège Barbara Sylvester – Coordinatrice, Maison du Design Pierre Lacroix – Director, Office du Tourisme Xavier Roland, Ville de Mons - Département Culture Stéphanie Thibaut – Strategic Development Manager, Maison de l’Entreprise Patrice Thiry – Director, La Maison de l’Entreprise Wrocław Creativro hub, participants: Ziemowit Poniewierski – Can’t Stop Games, Radosław Paklikowski – Mobile Factory, Jan Stasienko – Lower Silesia Higher University, Wojciech Woziwodzki – Tequila Mobile, Michał Dusiński – Xantus. Dominika Kawalerowicz – national projects coordinator, Wrocław European Capital of Culture 2016 Małgorzata Dynowska - Head of Business Development, Wrocław Technology Park Tomasz Gondek - Member of the Company’s Management Board, Wrocław Research Centre EIT Michał Janicki, Wrocław Vice President Ewa Kaucz - Vicepresident of the Board, Wrocław Agglomeration Development Agency Maciej Litwin – Director of Wrocław Academic Hub Maciej Rojowski – Director of Business Support Unit, Wrocław Agglomeration Development Agency Maciej Mielcarek - Director of marketing and sales (assistant met), Aduma Piotrek Sobczak, Director B2A, PiLab Košice Mr. Ondrej Bernát (Director of the Košice region office) Vladimír Beskid – Art Director, Košice 2013 Radoslav Blahovec – PhD Student on behalf of Mr. Oto Hudec– Head of the regional studies, TU Košice – Faculty of Economy Michal Hladký – Responsible CCIs Strategy, Košice 2013 Ms. Jana Kavácsová, City of Košice, Head of the Culture Department Košice 2013, NGO representatives – Jan Sudzina (managing director), Vladimir Beskid (artistic director), Jakub Urik ( Development projects, Foreign Affairs) Michal Hladky (Creative industry) Koalition 2013+ representatives: T-Systems Slovakia – Thomas Bogdain (CEO), Mr. Džbor Vojčík and Partners – JuDr. Leo Vojčík PeeMDee Ing.Arch Peter Murko OneClick – Vladimír Kmeť Geodeticca Ing. Vladimir Kudlička, Ing. Radomír Reviľák Slovak Chamber of Commerce Mr. Ľudovit Korotnoky IT Valley (IT Cluster) Mr. Jozef Ondáš Juraj Koban Dean, TU Košice – Faculty of Arts Juraj Koban – Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Technical University of Košice Richard Raši - Mayor Košice Jana Sasfajová, representative of the City strategic department 89
Melinda Sasáková – project manager for Creative Industry projects Ján Sudzina – Director, Košice 2013 Tallin Maris Hellrand - Communication Manager, Foundation Tallinn Creative Hub / Kultuurikatel Mr Indrek Ibrus – Head of Cross Media Department at Baltic Film and Media School Mr Herkko Labi - Project manager & concept developer, Foundation Tallinn Creative Hub / Kultuurikatel / Ms Elena Natale - Head of Development, Foundation Tallinn Creative Hub / Kultuurikatel / Marge Paas - Communication Manager, Foundation Tallinn Creative Hub / Kultuurikatel / Mr Tarmo Pikner – Researcher at Tallinn University Ms Evelyn Sepp – Member of Board Tallinn Creative Hub Mr Jaanus Vahesalu – Head of Enterprise Department Tallinn City Government Ms Katrin Savomägi - Tallinn International Relations Department Óbidos Miguel Silvestre, Coordenador | Economia da Criatividade e Inovação, Óbidos Criativa EEM76.
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No site visit has taken place due to time constraints. Óbidos has replaced the city of Seville (which the Lead Expert has visited) in mid-October.
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