Culture Programme 2014… Some ideas from Geoffrey Brown

I have been involved with the Culture programme and its predecessor programmes (Culture 2000, Kaleidoscope, Raphael, and Ariane) for some time:

• My company, EUCLID, was a partner in a Kaleidoscope funded programme in the 1990s
• EUCLID was later commissioned by the EC to undertake a review of the Kaleidoscope programme, and then of the Ariane programme
• EUCLID was appointed UK CCP for the Culture 2000 programme in 1999, and subsequently continued as UK CCP until the end of 2009
• I continue to act as an Adviser to the new UK CCP, Visiting Arts
• EUCLID developed the CUPID searchable online database of all projects funded by the Culture 2000 programme (except Literary Translation projects) - http://cupid.culture.info
• EUCLID published a comprehensive report on all Culture 2000 projects with UK partners, and also Culture Delivers, a review of all cultural projects in the UK funded by the EU Structural Funds 2000-2006 - click here for details
• My proposal for a revised budget form for the Culture programme was adopted (with modifications) by the EACEA in 2010
• I continue to present CulturEuro seminars across the UK, which offer detailed information on the broad range of EU funding opportunities for the arts and cultural sector

In the light of this experience, I have prepared this note as an outline of a possible structure for the Culture programme from 2014.

The content below outlines my ideas for the Culture programme from 2014. While this 10 strand proposal may appear as expansive wishful thinking, it is very much based on the existing programme (strands 1, 3.1, 4.1, 5.1, 6, 7, 10) alongside initiatives already being explored or supported by DG EAC or other DGs (strands 2, 8, 9). It is really only strands 3.2, 4.2 & 5.2 that are "new" ideas.

However, it is also acknowledged that this breadth of programme activity could not be undertaken without a significant increase in the budget of the Culture programme from 2014.

A Proposal for the new Culture Programme

In the light of the diversity of activities embraced by the current programme, and the breadth of new ideas and possibilities that have emerged in the last few years, I propose 10 strands:

1. Culture Projects 2. Culture Mobility 3. Culture Events 4. Culture Translation 5. Culture Initiatives

6. Culture Prizes 7. Culture Thinking 8. Culture Investment 9. Culture Digital 10. Culture Communicate

Brief additional information about each of these is provided below.

1. Culture Projects

This will embrace collaborative projects involving at least 3 partner organisations from at least 3 different countries, and follows on from the existing strands 1.1, 1.2.1 and 1.3.5

1.1. Culture Grande - large scale projects, 6+ partners (similar to the current 1.1)
1.2. Culture Piccolo - smaller projects, 3+ partners (similar to the current 1.2.1)
1.3. Culture Mundus - projects with partners in third countries (similar to the current 1.3.5)

2. Culture Mobility

This will be a new strand offering small mobility grants to individual artists and cultural workers. It's structure and focus would be influenced by the results of the current pilot mobility projects being supported by DG EAC.

2.1. Culture Solo - for creative activities, such as the guest artists, residencies, etc.
2.2. Culture Prepare - for preparatory visits, similar to the strand offered under programmes such as Grundtvig (in the Lifelong Learning programme), where individuals undertake visits to share or learn, and to develop partnerships for future full-scale applications.

3. Culture Events

This will cover events such as festivals, and special projects in respect of anniversaries or other celebrations:

3.1. Culture Festivals - building on the current 1.3.6, which provides support for European components of festival programmes
3.2. Culture Celebrate - support for collaborative projects which develop joint activities to celebrate an anniversary of a key European cultural figure, event or object

4. Culture Translation

This will cover the translation of a broad range of arts and culturalworks into other languages:

4.1. Culture Translate (similar to the current 1.2.2) - covering literature and the humanities
4.2. Culture Titles - support for the provision of surtitles / subtitles for European performances and films, to help ensure greater access and dissemination throughout Europe

5. Culture Initiatives

This will cover the major initiatives in the cultural area:

5.1. Culture Capitals - support for the successful European Capital of Culture programme
5.2. Culture Regions - a new strand that will replicate the success of the Capital of Culture programme, but focus on regions, especially rural regions, which are currently neglected due to the emphasis on cities within the Capital of Culture programme strand

6. Culture Prizes

This will cover the 4 existing prizes, as well as any new ones that may emerge in due course:

6.1. Architecture / perhaps retitled as something like "Building Europe"
6.2. Contemporary Music / "Border Breakers"
6.3. Heritage / perhaps retitled as something like "Inherit Europe"
6.4. Literature / perhaps retitled as something like "Changing Words"

7. Culture Thinking

This will cover a range of support to help the EC in its research and policy development:

7.1. Culture Policy - perhaps to be used internally by DG EAC to support research or events focusing on policy issues and developments
7.2. Culture Research - opportunities for both DG EAC to issue specific calls for tenders in areas where they need specific studies, and also to invite researchers to submit proposals for projects that they believe would be of benefit to the European Cultural Agenda

8. Culture Investment

This will be a new strand of support for the cultural and creative industries, developed in the light of the results of the recent consultation on the EC's Green Paper. This could include strands such as the following:

8.1. Culture Invest - support for projects designed to help the creative industries, perhaps
including opportunities to share expertise and good practice between eligible countries, or to provide seed funding for initiatives such as incubation centres, etc.
8.2. Culture Marketing - support for initiatives designed to help the creative industries sell their products in new markets, including outside Europe - this may include support for groups of creative businesses from different countries to jointly take stands at international trade fairs and marketplaces, and to develop multilingual information
materials & websites.

9. Culture Digital

This will provide support for projects that encourage the use of digital technologies to improve the preservation and access of the arts and of cultural products - including libraries and archives (and including the preservation of the European film heritage).

9.1. Culture Access - support for innovative collaborative projects that stimulate
opportunities for citizens to use the new technologies to better access the arts and culture
9.2. Culture Preservation - support for collaborative projects that seek to help preserve items relevant to European culture which are in danger of dissappearing or disintegrating

10. Culture Communicate

10.1. Culture Contact - support for a network of Contact Points to provide information and advice on all relevant strands, and also support to help the development of successful applications, and perhaps to include support in broader areas such as artists mobility
10.2. Culture Valorisation - support for initiatives to promote the programme, its strands, and examples of good practice