Public consultation to define the announcements of the 151 million fund for enterprises

On the website of the National Culture Programme 2021-2027 is online, until 7 June, the public consultation for the definition of the Guidelines for the definition of the notices of the action called "1.3.1 - Promoting the birth, growth and competitive positioning of enterprises in the cultural and creative sectors".
The action envisages the establishment of a fund of 151.71 million euro with an allocation of 91.02 million euro from the European Regional Development Fund, the remainder being financed by national funds. The fund is aimed at financing new business initiatives, as well as the development and consolidation of existing ones, carried out by micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and third sector entities operating in eight macro areas of the cultural and creative supply chain, such as music, audiovisual (including: film, cinema, television, video games, software and multimedia, radio), theatre, dance and other performing arts, tangible and intangible cultural heritage (including archives, libraries, museums), visual arts (including photography), architecture and design, literature and publishing, fashion and artistic handicrafts.

Europa Creativa

The target regions are Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Apulia, Sicily, Molise, and Sardinia. The management of the fund is entrusted to a central office of the Ministry of Culture, which in turn relies on the Directorate General for Contemporary Creativity, which among other tasks is responsible for drafting and adopting public notices, monitoring and reporting on the progress of expenditure. The consultation aims to initiate a dialogue with the stakeholders of the cultural and creative sector, both public and private, through the sharing of eight thematic fact sheets, each dedicated to a specific cultural and creative field.
The fact sheets aim to collect and systematise useful information on the profile of the different supply chains and their needs, also including proposals for measures to support each supply chain. In addition to the aforementioned MiC and DGCC, the entire operation also involved the company Ales - Arte Lavoro e Servizi spa, which took care of selecting and coordinating the professionals who drew up the fact sheets.

Obiettivo strategico europeo

Each sectoral study, after the introductory part, is divided into three specific parts, the state of the art, the needs and the priorities for the sector with respect to the types of projects in the programme. Overall, the entire study counts about eighty pages and is full of insights, ideas and proposals; we leave it to those interested to read it in its entirety, pointing out some stimulating aspects. In the sheet on tangible and intangible cultural heritage, which includes archives, libraries and museums, we read among the needs connected to digital, the creation of networks and aggregations, the technological updating of hardware and software of companies, to increase their competitiveness at a national level, co-planning between the public and private sectors, and the shared identification of needs. According to the study, support is needed for the development of entrepreneurial skills, with one-to-one approach methodologies, which also exploit the potential offered by the web, for the development of technical skills, ranging from project pitching to advanced business planning skills. Proposals include the development of actions to encourage the entry of private capital, such as meetings with private equity funds, banks, and national and international institutional investors.

In the visual arts sector, which also includes art galleries, there is a strong development gap in the regions concerned. In fact, only 8.2% of Italian collectors of contemporary art, design and photography reside in these areas, with similar shortcomings in the presence of galleries and dealers. Many provinces lack museums dedicated to contemporary arts. Unlike the Centre-North, where the ecosystem of contemporary visual arts is more consolidated, in the target areas there emerges the need to build a solid system capable of training and continuously involving new audiences, especially the younger ones, also through practices such as public art, land art and street art. It is therefore necessary to activate networks and aggregations, also through digital portals, to facilitate access to knowledge, information and partnerships. There is a need to develop platforms for the promotion of works of art, implement technological infrastructures and ensure user-friendly access to online resources. The sector could benefit from the return of Italian creatives and artists living abroad or from the activation of residency projects of foreign artists and creatives, so as to fertilise areas lacking in expertise and bring them in line with international best practices.
The development actions advocated include the creation of applications and digital platforms to network art venues, multifunctional exhibition spaces, artists, photographers, creatives, artisans and local traditions, as well as participation in trade fairs, stock exchanges and sector forums, in Italy and abroad, to promote the experimental initiatives launched by local realities. The development of new business models for the production and distribution of works of art, based on digital technologies; the purchase of innovative services for businesses and artists such as legal and tax consultancy, support for communication and fundraising, organisation of meetings with foreign buyers, and specialist assistance in international issues to orientate in new markets. The sheet dedicated to architecture and design shows how these sectors are able to nurture a technical-creative process capable of generating design solutions that are also attentive to the management of changing and complex work scenarios. One thinks, for example, of phenomena that are also widespread in the creative sector in the Mezzogiorno, such as the growth of co-working, the birth of self-production movements linked to fablabs, digital manufacturing and start-up incubators, and the forms of agile work that developed during the Covid-19 pandemic. These dynamics have offered many young skilled cultural workers, who previously emigrated to the North, the opportunity to return to their home territories to work remotely. It is therefore proposed to develop projects for the reconversion of former industrial spaces and new multi-purpose environments, dedicated to incubation, laboratory activities, experimentation and shared co-creation for the development of open innovation. The development of new processes that enhance the recovery, also through innovative reworking, of production techniques linked to the area's distinctive craft and artistic traditions. Stakeholders may send in their contributions by means of a special form; at the end of the consultation, proposals considered valid may be incorporated in the "Guidelines" document that will accompany the notices.