What is the project changing?
The Creative Clusters project has established a South Baltic-wide creative industries network, which engages protagonists from several South Baltic countries in international exchange and cooperation and promotes the network in the South Baltic region and beyond, aiming to increase visibility and support. The project envisages engaging even more places in the future to further expand the cooperation so that the South Baltic-wide network can gradually develop.
What was the challenge?
In the cities, mid-sized towns and rural areas of the South Baltic region, initiatives have been taken to keep up with the development of creative industries, and some of them have had considerable success. However, to make further progress, they need regular exchanges with other initiatives, as well as impulses from outside, which need to be organised through a coordinated initial phase that prepares the ground for sustained cooperation and exchange and greater supra-regional and even international visibility of the creative industries in the SB region.
What is the project creating?
The project is developing and creating instruments for ongoing and regular exchange, combining a digital approach (common communication platform) with a real-time approach (annual forums). Furthermore, a joint promotion of the creative industries sector of the South Baltic region will be organised in order to further strengthen the sector’s position in relation to other industrial sectors and to present work in the sector as internationally relevant and attractive. All this will increase the economic potential of the sector by increasing its involvement in international networks and markets.
Project website
Find the South Baltic Creative Clusters Project Website here.
Full project description
Over the past decade, the creative industry sectors in metropolis areas have established internal as well as interdisciplinary cooperation structures and, out of this, a strong self-confidence as an important pillar of the local economies. In towns, medium-sized cities and rural areas of the South Baltic (SB) region, initiatives have been started with the intention to catch-up with this development, and some of them achieved considerable success. However, to make further progress, they need regular exchange with other initiatives as well as impulses from the outside, which need to be arranged via a coordinated initial phase that prepares the ground for lasting cooperation and exchange, and a higher supraregional and even international visibility of the creative industries in the SB region.
This is where the idea for the Creative Clusters arose, and the project’s main aim is to establish a cross-border cooperation between the creative industries protagonists and local networks of 4 different locations within the SB region. By doing so, a SB-wide creative industries network that involves protagonists from several SB countries in international exchange and cooperations and promotes the network in the SB region and beyond, aiming at increased visibility and support will be created. The project targets an involvement of even more places in the future to further expand the cooperation so that an SB-wide network can develop step-by-step. In the project itself, the development of instruments for an ongoing resp. regular exchange will be developed and established, combining a digital (joint communication platform) and a real-life-approach (annual forums) with each other.
Moreover, a joint promotion of the SB region’s creative industry sector will be arranged in the project, towards further strengthening the sector’s position towards other industry sectors and presenting the work in the sector as internationally relevant and attractive. All of which will increase the economic potential of the sector by enhancing its involvement in the international networks and markets.
