ekip Events

Does current funding for innovation match the characteristics and ambitions of Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs)? Public funding models tend to prioritise short-term projects, market-driven KPIs, and highly ambitious results produced from relatively small investments. Private investors have expectations that do not always align with the slower pace and smaller scale of ambitions guiding creative businesses or do not consider community-driven and artistic innovation processes ‘investable’. At the same time, creative and cultural practitioners often lack entrepreneurial skills that would help them pitch, scale and market their innovations. Can we bridge this gap between funders and CCIs to support innovation?

We invite creative & cultural businesses and organisations, funders, investors, CCI innovation networks and policy makers to join the session “Hacking futures for cultural and creative industries: sustainable models for innovation funding” where we will collaboratively hack innovation funding models fit for CCIs. During an online co-design session, we will envision alternative funding models that combine funder and CCI practitioner perspectives to create sustainable innovation practices and innovations that combine societal, economic and environmental impact. In keeping with the creative spirit of the topic, during the session participants will work on visual zines that offer concrete provocations and actionable insights.

Ultimately, the goal is to inspire innovation policy shifts and create space for conversations about new funding practices that empower CCIs as key drivers of social, cultural, and economic innovation—ensuring their contributions are recognised and sustainably supported.

This activity is organised by ekip, the Innovation Policy Platform for the Cultural and Creative Industries, supported by the European Commission. It builds on the first ekip hackathon, “Innovation infrastructures for the Creative and Cultural Industries”, held during Creative Skills Week in Amsterdam in October last year.

This event is being offered twice and you are welcome to register for the session that best suits your schedule:

• Session 1 – 25th June 9:00 – 11:00 CEST. Register here
• Session 2 – 27th June 13:00 – 15:00 CEST: Register here