Creative Europe Programme (CREA) / Collab 4 HySust
IDEA
Collab 4 HySust is an ambitious EU-funded project aiming to strengthen Europe’s cultural and creative entities, so that they can evolve centered on sustainability, participation, and innovation.
One of its key objectives is to highlight the defining role that incubation processes of CCIs (Cultural and Creative Industries) play in promoting innovation and bringing about transformative change.
In collaboration with local organizations, the partners of Collab 4 HySust have internally observed that transforming CCI entities can have a multiplying impact on the surrounding communities, creating positive outcomes and forging new possibilities.
However, the project’s impact is intended to extend beyond the local level as well. By diffusing knowledge exchange among various European regions and organizations with diverse needs, Collab 4 HySust aims to build a stronger and more interconnected creative ecosystem.
Through collaboration, learning, and sharing best practices, the project seeks to empower cultural and creative leaders to make meaningful and sustainable contributions to their communities and to the broader European cultural landscape.
WHY WE DO IT
Over the past two years, Europe’s cultural landscape has faced resilience issues in dramatic ways. Small and micro cultural and artistic organizations, as well as medium-sized museums and galleries, and larger public institutions, have had to strengthen ties with their regular audiences and re-think how they reach new audiences (including online) without alienating their dedicated existing audiences.
The entrepreneurial capacity of CCIs is increasingly linked to data-driven initiatives, often used in fields like cultural tourism and music. Some sectors, such as performing arts, experience digital transformation in different ways, but they are also expanding their capacities to engage digitally.
In March 2022 the consortium conducted a survey among CCI organizations from Italy, Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece, and Denmark, asking them to assess the importance of addressing cross-cutting areas in their work by choosing between the following pillars: sustainability, resilience, digitisation, and inclusion. The 54 organizations surveyed, including some inputs from France and Poland, showed strong interest in tackling issues tied to digitisation, inclusion, sustainability, and resilience.
The conclusion of the survey clearly shows that in times of crisis—such as the restrictions related to COVID‑19 on “normal” cultural and economic activity or, more recently, the negative effects of conflicts in areas bordering the EU—large changes occur. Yet, projects that support CCIs in such circumstances are often stalled at the idea stage, and their experimental value faces sustainability challenges due to a lack of internal capacity or lack of policy support for addressing cross-sectoral priorities.
CCI organizations face this situation in many EU countries, such as Bulgaria, Greece, and Serbia, where a cultural or creative incubator remains a distant dream for artistic and creative entities. The innovation of these countries can nevertheless become a target for new ventures from other sectors (especially fintech, automation, science, etc.).
CCIs are the driving force for change and are directly connected with sustainability, according to national and municipal authorities in Italy and in varied jurisdictions, including Northern Europe (Denmark). Even now, opportunities to establish incubators addressing emerging challenges—such as the issue of livelihood in a world where people are displaced due to a global pandemic or conflict—remain limited.
HOW WE DO IT
Since 2020, the five partners of Collab 4 HySust CCI have developed several valuable pilot and demonstrative structured experiments that resulted in clear, measurable outcomes. Most importantly, they have developed expertise and processes that can be shared. In Collab 4 HySust CCI we will showcase this experience and build a process to scale these efforts across the European Union.
This will enable 15 cultural and artistic initiatives from different European countries to work in two priority pillars:
- Audience & Hybrid Approaches
- Sustainability in Collaborative Processes
The project will enable selected CCIs to:
- Identify and articulate a need in the priority areas addressed by the project
- Benefit from guidance and expert support tailored to the identified need
- Receive a micro‑grant to enable them to attempt prototyping based on the incubator which will lead to a demonstration or improved outcome for future implementation
- Gain from sharing expertise and direct networking as added value of the EU
Collab 4 HySust will leverage the specializations of its partners and their networks to prioritize systematic focus and reorganize internal resources in efforts to promote effective connection initiatives. This approach emphasizes the importance of accessing new resources or reusing under‑utilized means available to CCI organizations.
The initiative also provides a platform for cultural and creative organizations to play their role by contributing to the European Green Deal. It encourages organizations to adopt environmentally friendly practices and to collaborate closely with their audiences to promote the development of authentic communities. By fostering cooperation and partnership among participants, Collab 4 HySust aims to create a more sustainable and equitable cultural landscape across Europe.
The project is implemented by Materahub (IT), Intercultura Consult (BG), Syn+Ergasia (EL), Det Flyvende Teater (DK), and Nova Iskra Creative Hub (RS). The project is co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union.
