ekip´s profile of the month: Eline van den Wildenberg

Fancy joining an EU project on innovation policies for the Cultural and Creative Industries? The question was asked a late Friday afternoon to Eline van den Wildenberg, systemic and sustainable designer.

“I’m always in for a new adventure and with a current interest in policymaking, I was immediately curious. But what is this project about, I thought.”

The project’s exact nature remained uncertain for the next five months. However, over time, clarity emerged through collaborative efforts and experimentation with all involved partners. Through co-creation and continuous exploration, the project gradually took shape, revealing its purpose and direction. Eline van den Wildenberg has been part of TU Delft lead in the ekip engine collecting policy areas that then are categorized and prioritized. TU Delft are also involved in Policy Corners.

“As a designer, I’m quite comfortable navigating the fuzzy front end, so I felt right at home. From diving into the world of AI for CCSIs; working with the cities exploring innovation ecosystem functions and lenses; meeting a lot of nice new people; managing the process of work package 4; to investigating the New European Bauhaus and the intersection of CCIs in the green transition – an area particularly close to my heart”, says Eline van den Wildenberg.

Thrive on exploring

She found herself pondering the paradox of fitting CCSIs neatly into predefined categories and aligning them with policy objectives. Her experience is that cultural and creative practitioners, by nature, resist confinement within rigid frameworks and instead thrive on exploring uncharted territories. They push boundaries and delve into topics that defy classification, often pioneering ideas and concepts that have yet to be named or fully understood.

“That got me thinking, what if policymakers flip their perspective for once; not how to support CCSIs but how can CCSIs support policies for a brighter future”

Eline van den Wildenberg has been a very appreciated resource for the team. She has pushed the work forward in ekip´s various processes. Charlotte Lorentz Hjorth, Project Manager for ekip, is grateful for all the work that has been done.

“With Eline’s analytical and reflective qualities, she has been able to paint different scenarios of how we can think and co-create. It has nuanced our opportunities to create processes to be able to design our models. I wish her all the best in her new assignment”.

Eline van den Wildenberg now heads off to tackle new policy challenges at the Municipality of The Hague in the Netherlands.

“But, I can’t wait to see where ekip will bring itself and the CCIs over the coming years”.