EU representatives of the cultural and creative sector, local actors, creators and entrepreneurs will meet in Umeå from 14 to 17 February. The aim is to discuss design, culture and creativity as transformative competences in a changing Europe and Sweden, as well as highlighting one of Europe's most important cultural policy issues: the freedom to create.
This international conference enables discussions and networking on the important role that cultural and creative industries play in society today," says Barbro Renkel, CEO of eXpression Umeå.
The European Creative Industry Summit 2023 (ECIS23) is organised by the European Creative Business Network (ECBN) and RISE. This will be followed by a two-day conference led by the Ministry of Culture with the support of Umeå Municipality and Umeå University.
On Wednesday 15 February, a pre-meeting of the EU conference was held on the theme "Transformative skills - embracing friction to create the unexpected". Design, culture and creativity as transformative skills in a changing Europe and Sweden were discussed. It also highlighted how a diversified sector can take advantage of and contribute to the European initiatives that are being launched.
Driving Urban Transitions, Viable Cities, RISE and Placemaking Europe led by Formas discussed how actors in the cultural and creative sectors contribute to processes of urban transformation. There was also an interactive workshop on the European Design Agenda, led by Ambra Trotto, senior design researcher at RISE.
Bernd Fesel, CEO of the European Innovation Platform EIT Culture & Creativity together with Kai Huotari, CEO of Kaapeli and Interim Director of the Co-Location Centres North of EIT Culture and Creativity, spoke about the EU's major investment in cultural and creative industries.
On Thursday and Friday 16-17 February, the Ministry of Culture invites you to the European Union conference - Free to Create - to discuss artistic freedom and cultural and creative industries. Staff representatives from EU Member States and the European Commission, NGOs and other representatives of the creative and cultural sector will participate. The aim of the conference is to explore different aspects of artistic freedom and the cultural and creative industries (CCS&I), and the relationship between them. The Swedish Ministry of Culture wants to highlight the conditions, challenges and opportunities for artists. The aim is to facilitate discussions on how to strengthen the conditions for a thriving cultural and creative sector in the EU.
The Ministry of Culture is also hosting a conference dinner in the Flex Hall at the Arts Campus on Thursday. Before dinner, guests will take a tour where the School of Design, the School of Architecture and the School of Fine Arts will showcase their schools with workshops and give guests an insight into their student work. eXpression will also take place to talk and provide information about the incubator. The dinner and tour are organised by Umeå Municipality and Umeå University.
Already on Tuesday 14 February, eXpression invited the European Creative Business Network (ECBN) to showcase and tell more about the incubator, our offerings and methods, and show them around the building, including the prototype workshops - makerspace.
We are pleased to showcase our incubator environment and successful companies from the region's cultural and creative industries. eXpression is also the leading incubator in Sweden in the cultural and creative industries, concludes the CEO. Barbro Renkel.
