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.