The Artistic Crafts Sector in Europe: Operative Plans and Strategic Visions

European Union European Regional Development Fund

The Artistic Crafts Sector in Europe: Operative Plans and Strategic Visions

European Union European Regional Development Fund

The Artistic Crafts Sector in Europe: Operative Plans and Strategic Visions

INNOCRAFTS – INNOvating entrepreneurship policies in the CRAFTS sector has been approved and co-financed in the framework of the Interregional Cooperation Programme INTERREG IVC, financed by the European Union’s Regional Development Fund. The Programme helps European Regions to work together in order to share experiences and good practices in the fields of innovation, knowledge economy, environment and risk prevention.

PROJECT PARTNERSHIP 



Municipality of Florence (IT) – Lead Partner www.comune.fi.it National Association of Italian Municipalities Tuscany (IT) www.ancitoscana.it

 National Institute of Arts and Crafts (FR)

www.institut-metiersdart.org  Public Foundation The Legacy of al-Andalus (ES)

www.legadoandalusi.es  Bistrita Municipality (RO)

www.primariabistrita.ro  Regional Association of Municipalities “Central Stara Planina” (BG)

www.rso-csp.org  Burgas Municipality (BG)

www.burgas.bg  Chamber of Commerce of Barcelona (ES)

www.cambrabcn.org  Riga City Council Department of Education, Culture and Sports (LV)

www.iksd.riga.lv  Vilnius Old Town Renewal Agency (LT)

www.vsaa.lt  Reims City Council (FR)

www.ville-reims.fr  Crafts Council of Ireland (IE)

www.ccoi.ie  Budapest Enterprise Agency (HU)

www.bvk.hu  Slovak Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SK)

www.sopk.sk  Vaasa University of Applied Science (FI)

www.muova.fi

SUMMARY

EDITORIAL, Giovanni Bettarini

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1. The INTERREG IVC programme and the INNOCRAFTS project

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2. Art&Crafts Local Implementation Plans

2.1. Municipality of Florence 2.2. National Association of Italian Municipalities Tuscany 2.3. Institut national des Métiers d’Art 2.4. Public Foundation The Legacy of al-Andalus 2.5. Bistrita Municipality 2.6. Regional Association of Municipalities “Stara Planina” 2.7. Burgas Municipality 2.8. Chamber of Commerce of Barcelona 2.9. Riga City Council 2.10. Vilnius Old Town Renewal Agency 2.11. Reims City Council 2.12. Design & Crafts Council of Ireland 2.13. Budapest Enterprise Agency 2.14. Slovak Chamber of Commerce and Industry 2.15. Vaasa University of Applied Sciences

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3. Policy Recommendations to the EC for the promotion of artistic crafts: a strategic vision on the needs of the INNOCRAFTS partners

3.1. Product development and innovation 3.2. Education, training and technical assistance 3.3. Access to market 3.4. Advocacy and institutional building 3.5. Access to finance 4. CONCLUSIONS, Rosy Greenlees

20 24 28 30 32 34 36 38 42 46 48 52 56 60

65 67 68 68 69 70 73

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EDITORIAL Giovanni Bettarini

EDITORIAL Giovanni Bettarini Councilman for Economic Development,Tourism, and the Metropolitan Centre of the City of Florence

“Craftsmanship’ may suggest a way of life that waned with the advent of industrial society - but this is misleading. Craftsmanship names an enduring, basic human impulse, the desire to do a job well for its own sake. Craftsmanship cuts a far wider swathe than unskilled manual labor; it serves the computer programmer, the doctor, and the artist; parenting improves when it is practiced as a skilled craft, as does citizenship," [Cit. The Craftsman, Richard Sennet] Artistic craftsmanship, by combining the senses of taste, beauty and dexterity, nourishes the creative industry that is a growing energizing and driving factor in the development of local economies in some of the most advanced urban areas in Europe. It is of fundamental importance to keep the crafts rooted in a network of city workshops and develop their multiple interactions with quality trade and tourism. It explains the reasons behind the commitment of local authorities, stakeholders, and professional business associations in specific local policies that promote crafts, launching a development model focused on the developing the crafts and particularly, artistic craftsmanship, at the European level, also through the INNOCRAFTS project.

Today, in the face of the ICT revolution and economic globalization, we are rediscovering the value and dignity of manual labour, also as a source of employment and quality work. New developments and trends in the post-industrial economy emphasized by the economic crisis of recent years are changing paradigms radically. The purely intellectual professions do not seem to offer a strong demand for labour while some prospects in the technological evolution might actually enhance highly creative skill in craftsmanship and decentralized production.

The aim of this publication is to provide an overview of local policies for the artistic artisan crafts in Europe, with a brief presentation of the local development strategies of international partners. As required by the INNOCRAFTS project, this includes the exchange of best practices between European countries, in order to have a view that represents the diversity of the players and countries involved, and an up-to-date overview of the future of local policies for the artisan crafts.

In the light of this publication, the clear perception is that by identifying best practices, we could perhaps have an even more useful exchange of information, data, experiences, projects, and modus operandi whose enrichment will be reflected by the institutions and companies involved, inspiring new actions and operating methods.

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Another important element is the awareness of the role of artistic craftsmanship which, beyond the merely economic consideration of job creation and goods, becomes a catalyst for local economic development, enhancing the architectural and urban heritage, integration with sustainable and quality tourism, and social inclusion of disadvantaged groups. Artistic craftsmanship is therefore a sector that is truly capable of leading the local economy, "connecting" important development goals to it.

In particular, in addition to bringing to light the weaknesses and strengths of the different European policies, this work attempts to single out those critical issues that affect working relationships in the field of artistic craftsmanship with the market and those factors that, vice versa, may help to develop a sector that has otherwise been badly hit and punished by the economic and competitive dynamics in recent years. The hope is to provide guidelines that, while concise, may be useful for defining and renewing future strategies, despite the fact that in the sector’s future there is the crucial issue of generational turnover to admit young people. It covers most aspects: training, in which the ideal would be direct experience in the workshop. But for many artisans, the costs are too high; and the economic issues, determined by inconsistent orders and the current lack of financial resources, force them to use casual short-term labour, with inadequate professional growth processes.

The INNOCRAFTS project has also helped to present recommendations for policy makers at various levels of government, the result of meetings and joint analysis between international partners.

These recommendations have made it possible to identify the unifying traits of the needs in the artistic and traditional crafts, taking into account the diversity in the contexts and local priorities.

Here we have made a number of comments and requests that go beyond the urgent need to reduce the administrative, tax, and financial discrimination that has affected the sector, and has been the subject of analysis. These include active policies at European, national and regional levels, aimed at putting the arts and crafts at the centre of local economic development.

The common objective of the partnership, beyond the natural end of this European project, is to support the requests expressed in the recommendations and make a commitment to integrate and decline them in a strong active policy that promotes artistic craftsmanship, in concert with other local players, in order to boost its development.

1. The INTERREG IVC programme and the INNOCRAFTS project

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The INTERREG IVC programme and the INNOCRAFTS project

The INTERREG IVC programme provides funding for interregional cooperation across Europe. It is implemented under the European Community’s territorial cooperation objective and financed through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

The overall objective of the INTERREG IVC programme is to improve the effectiveness of regional policies and instruments. A project builds on the exchange of experiences among partners who are ideally responsible for the development of their local and regional policies.

To promote SMEs’ growth and improve the overall approach to entrepreneurship, the European Commission adopted in 2008 the Small Business Act, which demands for specific initiatives and sustained efforts to enable SMEs to realise their true potential. It also encourages Member States to implement measures in support of crafts and micro-enterprises. During the last decade, creative and cultural industries have increasingly become important components of modern post-industrial knowledge-based economies and have raised a great interest about their effective economic value.

However, due to their fragmentation and self-employment nature, Artistic and Contemporary Crafts (ACC) have been largely under-represented in public research.

The INNOCRAFTS Project was approved in 2012 and co-financed in the framework of the Interregional Cooperation Programme INTERREG IVC. The project has a total budget of € 2,318,400 out of which € 1,817,300 comes from the ERDF contribution and € 501,100 is co-financed at a national level.

INNOCRAFTS activities officially started on the 1st January 2012 and will last until the end of 2014.

The idea of INNOCRAFTS started from the need of several European cities of art to explore the values that make up the identity of a sustainable city to strengthen entrepreneurship policies in the field of ACC. Its main objective is therefore to promote entrepreneurship and business creation in this sector by improving the effectiveness of local/regional development policies through cooperation. The partnership includes authorities and bodies representing cities of art and/or UNESCO World Heritage Sites, recognised worldwide for their unique cultural, architectural and artistic heritage with a potential impact on creative and cultural industries if promoted appropriately.

Experiences have been drawn from the partners’ most successful initiatives, developed and improved by their local and regional strategies and programmes.

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The project partners have implemented an intensive transfer of experiences, knowledge and knowhow on jointly selected best practices and approaches, in the four following areas:

• Business models and business support services, including business incubators and business parks and other related facilities;

• Access to innovation design and financial assistance to SMEs; • SMEs internationalisation, professional networking and information exchange; • Promotion

of entrepreneurship among specific target groups such as young and female entrepreneurs.

The main challenges of the INNOCRAFTS network have been to strengthen the policy capacity of the involved partners to support entrepreneurship and SMEs, by focusing on exchanges on a coherent and effective policy mix, to modernise their economies and improve their global competitive position dealing, in particular, with the following question: How can an efficient model and good policies supporting entrepreneurship and SMEs be established and implemented in order to achieve successful and sustainable integrated Local Implementation Plans?

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• Allowing for a lasting and efficient “horizontal cooperation” between all relevant actors on the local level and making sure that all relevant key players, associations and organisations contribute to the development and implementation of Implementation Plans, so that all possible resources are activated and integrated and all possible synergies are realised.

• With a special focus on the question of how to achieve improved and more reliable forms of “vertical cooperation” – from the neighbourhood across the city level to the level of Managing Authorities. This topic has received special significance through the mainstreaming of the innovative dimension in European policy – creating regional authorities all over Europe with a new and decisive responsibility in the field of art and crafts.

The INNOCRAFTS network has been working in this field for three years, developing, testing and disseminating new models of good governance through the creation of Local Support Groups and the development of integrated implementations plans in eight Member States of the European Union.

2. ArtS&Crafts Local Implementation Plans

2.

ArtS&Crafts Local Implementation Plans

The approach proposed by INNOCRAFTS is based on the existing experiences developed by the partners. It is clearly focused on the exchange of experience that represents the core activities to be implemented within the project. The approach has a clear interregional nature as the partnership covers a wide geographical EU area, bringing together regions with different levels of experience, knowledge and practices, therefore assuring the right mix of well experienced and less experienced partners. The partnership of INNOCRAFTS is in fact mainly composed of local authorities and bodies representing cities of art and/or UNESCO World Heritage Sites, such as Florence, Paris, Reims, Riga, Vilnius, Budapest, Barcelona and Grenada, recognised worldwide for their important and very rich cultural, architectural and artistic heritage and assets, that have a potential impact on creative and cultural industries as well as in the SMEs creation.

INTERREG IVC has a clear focus on the exchange of experience at policy level and in particular on the identification and analysis of good practices. Good practices developed by the partners in the domain tackled by the project have been identified and exchanged. And it is based on these activities that the policies of the participating regions will hopefully be improved. In order to increase the durability of the project results, the project has delivered 14 Implementation Plans to be implemented by all partners after the project conclusion, with the exception of ANCI Tuscany as it is situated in the same territory of reference of Lead Partner.

The implementation plan is defined by the INTERREG IVC Programme Manual, as a document that specifies how each ‘region’ participating in the cooperation will work to integrate the lessons learnt from the cooperation into its local / regional or if relevant national policies. The objective is to go beyond the above-mentioned requirements (which usually remain at the project level) by focusing on a more specific output at ‘partner’ level. Each Implementation Plan aims to specify the modalities according to which each partner will integrate lessons learnt from the project into its local and regional policies, coherently with good practices identified and/or transferred. The plan describes also the future actions (such as local meetings, new initiatives in the region, measures to modify a specific policy document/instrument etc) planned on a medium/long-term period (3-5 years) to ensure that the benefits of the exchange of experience are not lost after the project end.

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2.1. Municipality of Florence

Partner's Profile

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The Municipality of Florence has longstanding experience in promoting entrepreneurship and SMEs, in particular in the crafts sector and, as public authority, is in charge of the design and implementation of local policies. The Municipality of Florence is the founding member of Foundation for Arts and Crafts, a collaboration between public institutions and professional associations to set up a reference centre for national and international experience on crafts art. In the last years, the Municipality of Florence created an incubator for artistic crafts in the Oltrarno Florentine: the SAM (Space for Arts&Crafts), hosting craftsmen working in the fields of manufacturing wood, decoration, sculpture, painting, iron, printing and engravings etc. SAM promotes “Lungoungiorno”, a periodic event in which craftsmen and artists show their products to wider public. For 75 years, Florence has hosted the International Crafts Exhibition, one of most important events to promote artistic crafts in Italy.

Abstract The ACC field in Florence is a dynamic and vibrant sector that has an important multiplier effect on tourism, local culture and creative industry and has been able to evolve alongside industrial and postindustrial transformation. Nevertheless, there are some weakness that could impair the relevance and dynamics of the AAC sector such as:

• Excessive rent costs referred to the physical working places of the artisans • Excessive burden of administrative and fiscal regulations • Social dumping of productions coming from countries with low labor costs • Ageing average of craftsmen with limited turnover • Limited coordination among ACC actors and stakeholders in the design and implementation of policy measures and actions

The Municipality of Florence as lead partner of the INNOCRAFTS project tried to to strengthen the policy capacity of the involved partners to support entrepreneurship and SMEs, by focusing on exchanges on a coherent and effective policy mix, to modernise their economies and improve their global competitive position. The project aimed to focus and improve the effectiveness of regional and local policies to promote entrepreneurship and business creation in the artistic and contemporary crafts through sharing and exchanging good practices and experiences. The innovation of policy making in the promotion of ACC is considered central to increase the effectiveness of governance and impact of local ACC development plans.

The Municipality of Florence has identified the FUSE development project called Clinics, implemented by

the Crafts Council of Ireland, as the most promising best practice to be adjusted and replicated, since the AAC in Florence requires advanced expertise that mixes know-how and multidisciplinary knowledge that are often difficult to find among traditional craftsmen. A feasibility study has been run by the Fondazione per l’Artigianato Artistico di Firenze, in collaboration with craftsmen and various stakeholders to identify specific needs with a participatory approach.

The program AGGIORN.ARTI which offers paths to training and technical assistance to craftsmen has been designed and approved by the Municipality of Florence. AGGIORN.ARTI offers customised modules structured to reach objectives and effective results through sessions organised with small groups (max 6 participants) or 1-to-1 on the following thematics: photo, photo digital retouch, cost management and product pricing, financial access, web and digital communication, web design. In the period February-April 2014 AGGIORN.ARTI offered expertise and advice services to craftsmen, both residents in Conventino and externals, tailored on the basis of specific needs with positive impact in terms of support to SMEs in innovation processes, promoting self capacities in SMEs, creating a professional network composed by mentors able to support SMEs in a wide range of competencies. The Municipality of Florence has a comprehensive policy to promote ACC and in the next years this set of measures will be deepened and diversified to extend outreach and impact. The Hub of the Conventino will be at the center of the policy measures and will be integrated by financial access services and training and technical assistance, replicating on a continuous basis the AGGORN.ARTI program. A specific policy will be to introduce regulation and legislative measures to promote training on the job, enterprises networks for internationalisation, access to the market, innovation and integration of ACC and tourism.

The Municipality is also seeking to create and operate a brand for ACC from Florence to reduce social dumping of cheap labor crafts produced abroad but commercialised in Florence.

The Municipality of Florence will continue the implementation of its actions alongside the third thematic objective of the Tuscany Master Plan (POR CREO FESR TOSCANA 2014-2020) called “Competitiveness promotion of SMEs, agricultural sector and fisheries and aquaculture”.

In particular the actions on the ACC sector will focus on:

• Entrepreneurship promotion in particular facilitating the economic development of new ideas and the start-up of new enterprises also through firms incubators;

• Development and implementation of new SMEs models in particular for the internationalisation.

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2.2. National Associations of Italian Municipalities Tuscany

Partner's Profile

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ANCI Tuscany is the regional body of the National Association of Italian Municipalities (ANCI). It gathers 283 Tuscan municipalities. ANCI Tuscany has an institutional, representative as well as capacity building mission at the service of the Tuscan municipalities. Its activities are carried out through an extensive network of relationships between municipalities and Tuscany Region, with other associations of local autonomies and civil society as well as through meetings, training, information, analysis and exchange of experiences.

ANCI Tuscany supports the activities of local authorities diffusing good practices in different areas of competence and making available practices of well experienced local authorities to those less experienced.

Communication is a strategic activity of ANCI Tuscany and main tool of relationship with municipalities and other public bodies contributing to local development.

25 Abstract The main contribution of ANCI Tuscany to the content of the cooperation has concerned its experience in terms of communication and dissemination of project outputs and results. Nevertheless, in collaboration with the Center for Artistic and Traditional Handicrafts of Tuscany (ARTEX), ANCI Tuscany has involved different municipalities in the process of exchange of experience, by introducing different Good Practices supporting the crafts sector at local level. Local policy makers from municipalities such as Colle Val d’Elsa, Pietrasanta, Prato etc. have shown the contribution of local policies for the development of the crafts sector in Tuscany and benefited from the exchanges of experience with the project’s partners. This process has lead to an ongoing collaboration between the Tuscan Municipalities and different project partners and their stakeholders.

2.3. Institut national des Métiers d’Art

Partner’s Profile Created in 2010, the National Institute of Arts and Crafts (INMA) is a semi-public body working in the service of the crafts industry, a creative sector of the French economy with strong growth potential. Under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture and Communication and of the Ministry of Handicrafts, Trade and Tourism, INMA is a government-recognised public interest body with a general interest mission.

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INMA’s role is to anticipate the future of the sector and to prepare for it by creating conditions that are favourable to its long-term growth. Through its identity and positioning, INMA unites all the public and private actors around the sector and develops expertise in both national and international matters. At the heart of development and innovation, INMA fosters contacts between public and private actors, in the form of initiatives and experiments combining the fields of crafts, design and artistic creation, including international workshops, working committees and the Slow Made movement’s think tank. The institute shares its expertise with the sponsors of national development projects via a network of regional correspondents.

Ateliers Christofle photo Augustin Détienne - INMA

Abstract Craft may be defined by the combination of three criteria: it implements complex know-how to transform materials, produces unique items or small series that have an artistic nature, demonstrates professional mastery. In France a law related to crafts, trade and small enterprises was adopted by the Senate on April 17, 2014. It defines crafts and officially recognises its existence as an economic sector in its own right: According to Article 20 it is an independent activity of production, creation, transformation, repair and restoration of heritage, characterised by hand mastery and techniques in relation to materials requiring an artistic contribution. This definition gives legal recognition to the sector, making it more identifiable. Better defined and thus structured, the sector can more easily defend its interests and tackle the issues it faces, such as statutes, taxation or pension regimes.

Today, France has more than 38,000 firms in the crafts sector. Some work in activities well-known to the public, such as woodworking or jewelry. Other exercise rare crafts: such as thatcher, glover, serigraphy; often SMEs but also small workshops or factories. As the heritage of regions, crafts contribute to the dynamism of the territories. Crafts symbolise a certain art de vivre de France which is a real asset to the territories in terms of development and tourist attraction.

France, to assure the transmission of knowledge and “savoir faire” in the artistic crafts, offers a wide range of training with more than 1000 organisations. Youth and adult conversion can thus forge a culture and reclaim know-how. Drive, passion, innovation, entrepreneurship are elements of vocations in the ACC sector and paths of human development. INMA wanted to join the partnership INNOCRAFTS to exchange good practice on support policies for small businesses in craft. This exchange of good practice and expertise allows INMA to build the future of crafts in France, a role assigned by the Ministry of Economy, Productive Recovery and Digital.

Some good practices have caught INMA’s attention and that of its partners in the region.

At the seminar Burgas INMA was very interested in good practice "CRAFTed ", presented by the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland. The program, CRAFTed: Learning Skills for Life for Primary Schools Program, provides children with specific educational crafts and educational training opportunities for professional artisans. It offers training and support for teachers, opening a world of creative opportunities for children of primary school and develops the collaboration between the craftsman and teacher. It focuses on how the development of craft skills can support learning methodologies, with an emphasis on the development of basic skills (mathematics and literature) of children working on these projects.

INMA has been working on the replication of this best practice on the Montpellier area and contacted local and departmental authorities (Mayor, Community Commons, General Council, Academy of Montpellier) are likely to support this project. A study visit to Ireland is considered in a next necessary step. The other interesting practices for INMA are those that facilitate collaboration between artisans and designers, such as FUSE, presented by the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland, and Oficios Singulares, presented by the Chamber of Commerce of Barcelona.

These projects join the experimental actions led by INMA on bringing together craftsmen and designers, such as Master Class between young professionals and young designers of art realised

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in the framework of the program Leonardo da Vinci "Art and Design Crafts in Europe", where a workshop LAB A JOUR has been organised on the occasion of the European Day of Crafts in 2014.

This workshop, organised during the weekend, has combined the expertise and the creativity of students and of young professionals of art, applied arts and design crafts. For INMA, the promotion of dialogue between disciplines, and bringing together the world of know-how and of technology, is a major challenge.

Also these two projects presented at seminars INNOCRAFTS will be studied carefully so they can be adapted to the French territory.

Study visits throughout the INNOCRAFTS project have given a real perception of the state and evolution of the ACC sector in Europe. During the study visits some important points have been highlighted:

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• Grants for business start-ups: study visit to Reims • Aid for employment: study visit to Burgas • Tourism-related art businesses: study visit to Riga and Burgas • The cross-section between art /design: study visit to Turku • The preservation of traditional know-how: study visit to Vilnius and Riga.

These themes meet the challenges of the ACC sector in France from an economic point of view.

It has been therefore very interesting to see how each country addresses these issues.

In addition, discussions were made during the seminars that helped to consider future partnerships.

Indeed, representatives of the town of Colle Val d'Elsa were very interested in the French practice presented at the seminar in Turku: the Centre International d’Art Verrier (CIAV) of Meisenthal. A visit to this centre and a future partnership between the two institutions may be considered.

The results of the INNOCRAFTS project and the knowledge of the ACC sector acquired at European level will help to drive long-term thinking on the future of this sector.

Some good practices identified are not intended to be transferred to France. However, they could become a rich resource for the development of the sector, the political will and new identified needs.

Overall, the INNOCRAFTS project provides rich information about the arts and crafts sector in Europe. This information will be able to supply the research, experiments and strategic plans made

by INMA in the next years.

In particular, the results of the project will be presented throughout the implementation of the actions foreseen by the INMA through conferences, international meetings, study commissions, information brochure. The results will also be presented to INMA partners and relevant ministries.

INMA is currently involved in other European programmes, including the Leonardo da Vinci programme AVANT CRAFTS that aims to identify good practices in initial training and apprenticeships in the arts and crafts.

INMA is also planning to apply for Creative Europe programme to unite European countries around the event of European Artistic Craft Days.

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2.4. Public Foundation The Legacy of al-Andalus

Partner’s Profile El Legado Andalusí is a Public Foundation that has been a pioneer in promoting in Andalucía (Spain) the inland tourism connected to traditional and modern handicrafts through a varied and attractive offer for visitors such as the development of historical and traditional roads.

The Foundation works on different European projects intended to strengthen the actions in the fields of handicrafts, trade, inland tourism, and to promote employment and entrepreneurship, as well as inclusion of disadvantaged groups. The Foundation has recently signed an agreement focused on the backing of SMEs and self-employment to contribute to local and rural development, including handicrafts. This agreement, focused on the Route of the Caliphate (Córdoba to Granada), is aimed at the creation of jobs, especially among young people, women and other sectors with labor inclusion problems.

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Abstract Andalusia's distinctive traditional character can be clearly seen through its arts and crafts. Although there has recently been a trend towards modernisation, the variety and richness of the traditional handicrafts have been preserved, making the region one of the most important producers of this type of goods. Andalusian craftsmen and women are committed to maintaining the authenticity and vitality of their production through the recovery and revival of traditional activities.

Among the weaknesses of Andalusian crafts, there is the lack of access to market that reduces selling prices and volumes, and some traditional trades are doomed to disappear without suitable commercial outlet for their products. Weak generational renewal, coupled with the lack of young craftsmanship to ensure the continuity of

these activities, poses the risk of the disappearance of some of these trades. Facilitating access of young people to these activities, together with the use of new technologies, is considered as a key factor to guarantee the continuity of ACC in Andalusia.

The crafts sector in Andalusia nowadays has to face different goals:

• Increase the efficiency of craft companies • Promotion of cooperation and partnership between companies • Development of regulation • Increase of information and research in the sector The socio-economic, cultural and historical relevance of crafts and the identity of Andalusian people attached to traditional crafts have led the Regional Government of Andalusia and the Andalusian Public Foundation The Legacy of al-Andalus to make an effort with the aim of regulating and promoting the artistic crafts sector.

A set of goals and challenges have been identified as key priorities to promote ACC:

• A brand to identify and promote the quality of Andalusian crafts • A rapid modernisation in terms of productive innovation and design is required in order to launch competitive products in quality and price

• Partnership strengthening and artisans’ involvement in local associations.

• Identification and mapping of areas and points of artisanal interest • Rejuvenation of the sector As an example of one local/regional policy or instrument improved in the field of ACC during the project lifetime, we have mentioned the Alcaicería del Milenio (Andalusia medieval market) organised by our institution in the framework of the commemoration of the Millenium of Granada’s Kingdom (2013).

It consisted of an itinerant fair that involved the major cities related to the Kingdom of Granada (Granada, Jaén y Almería, Spain). These attractive medieval markets remembered attractive and ancient traditions that have survived to our times, mixing history, art and crafts. The Alcaicería del Milenio employed 70 artisans and was a showcase for the craft traditions of the region.

Among future actions planned in the field of crafts entrepreneurship on the Routes of the Legacy of al-Andalus, the Foundation has recently signed an agreement with CAESA-PA, an institution focused on the backing of SMEs and self-employment to contribute to local and rural development, including crafts. This agreement, which has been focused on the Route of the Caliphate, is aimed at the creation of jobs, especially among young people, women and other sectors with labor participation problems in the tourism sector including hospitality, crafts, trade, etc.

The Route of the Caliphate (Granada-Córdoba) links two of the towering works of the art and architecture of alAndalus: the great Mosque of Cordoba and the Alhambra palace in Granada. These two magnificent monuments, declared World Heritage sites, are a testament to the cultural splendor of Arab Spain. All along the route, visitors discover the places where the Caliphate of Cordoba spread its influence, leaving in its wake fortresses, temples, great architecture, and a variety of arts and crafts. This route forms part of a series of itineraries exploring the heritage of al-Andalus.

With these objectives, the Public Foundation The Legacy of al-Andalus is going to improve training sessions aimed at enhancing the quality of employment and the fight against the job insecurity. These sessions will transmit direct lines of promotion of employment in the field of cultural and rural tourism (artisan) in Andalusia. They will be aimed at women entrepreneurs determined to work in this new field of employment such as cultural tourism.

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2.5. Bistrita Municipality

Profile

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The Municipality of Bistrita had set to develop new facilities for the local artists and craftsmen, with the main objective being to provide young craftsmen with a space for workshops and products sales in order to encourage them to continue their activities in the ACC sector.

Thereby, the Municipality of Bistrita has created in a restored an historic building, the Centre for Traditional Art “Casa Cu Lei”, with the role of a business incubator for craftsmen, where they are offered spaces for workshops and exhibitions with sale for the following crafts: sculpture, ceramics, painting, weaving, religious art, restoration and artworks. In the Centre for Traditional Art “Casa Cu Lei” there are organised photo and plastic art exhibitions, book launches, crafts workshops and practical demonstrations for visitors, workshops for students and exhibitions in schools and actions promoting the City brand, the artistic products made in the Centre workshops participating in national and international exhibitions.

Abstract The economic development of Bistrita relies strongly on manufacturing of textiles, glassware, plastics and on the artistic crafts sector. The Municipality of Bistrita has managed to keep alive the artistic crafts sector, but it lags behind in developing local policies to develop this main sector of its local economy.

Locally, the ACC sector is strongly threatened by the lack, on one hand, of interest of young people to learn and practice this craft, and, on the other hand, of means of local authorities to encourage young entrepreneurs, to promote their products, but also to try to turn people’s taste towards traditional art.

Bistrita Municipality is implementing a project to set up an artistic crafts centre aiming to promote the crafts and crafters and develop this sector in order to contribute to the development of the local economy. It supports all the initiatives that are activated and implemented by crafts’ professional associations and stakeholders to co-finance projects encouraging entrepreneurship and SME creation.

Bistrita Municipality is doing its best to promote the popular artists by inviting them to important artistic and cultural events in the city, such as Bistrita City Days, Bistrita Medieval Feasts and Folklore Festival "Zamfira Wedding", where they are provided (most often by paying) with exhibition spaces for exposure and marketing of their handmade craft products. Also, measures are taken so the craftsmen avoid the unfair competition of the intermediary traders who sell common merchandise at very low prices that, to the regular public, may appear to be handmade. Thus, the spaces offered by the Municipality of Bistrita are located in an area reserved exclusively for craftsmen guests, usually the historic city centre. By participating as a partner of this project the Municipality of Bistrita proposed to develop new features for popular artists. One that has been taken into consideration is the idea of providing the young craftsmen with a space for workshops and exhibition of their products for free. So they are encouraged to continue to conduct business in the field, and the Municipality will benefit from the tourism impact that the exhibition space is going to have. Another

objective of the INNOCRAFTS partnership is to identify the elements with local potential transfer from the four main themes treated within the project and to develop the tools and the policies which will encourage entrepreneurship and SME creation to transform the artistic craft sector in a modern branch of the local economy. Given the fact that the partnership of INNOCRAFTS is mainly composed by local authorities and bodies representing cities of art and/or UNESCO World Heritage Sites, such as Florence, Paris, Reims, Riga, Vilnius, Budapest, Barcelona and Grenada, recognised worldwide for their important and very rich cultural, architectural and artistic heritage and assets, the development of policies will have a potential impact on creative and cultural industries as well as in SME creation. The good practice identified “Vecchio Conventino” is under the theme of business models and business support service and its promoter is the Municipality of Florence through the Crafts Foundation from Florence. After a local evaluation of “Vecchio Conventino”, together with the craftsmen working in the traditional art Center “Casa cu Lei”, a set of potential elements of transfer of “Vecchio Conventino” which could innovate and enhance Bistrita local model has been identified and adapted to local needs.

The participation of Bistrita Municipality as a partner at the exchange of experience and the study visits proposed in the frame of INNOCRAFTS project lead to:

• New ideas to promote the artistic and contemporary crafts sector such as: the creation of a database

gathering together known artists and craftsmen from Bistrita and the whole county, through which the latest ones are provided with the chance to get to be known locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.

Encouraging collaboration between consecrated artists and craftsmen with the purpose of creating • innovative products with a larger and more secure access to the market.

• Reorganising the local fairs calendar by creating personalised stands and fair infrastructure, becoming permanent and promoting the fairs held once in the old city center of Bistrita.

In the medium and long term the Municipality of Bistrita intends to continue with regularity the focus group meetings in order to promote dialogue among artists and craftsmen and to be able to provide them with a comfortable and creative ideas space.

A challenge will be the human resource development supporting the artistic and contemporary crafts sector.

In this vision, for the traditional art Center “Casa cu Lei” it is mandatory to get more and more professional towards the services they are providing to the artists and craftsmen based in Bistrita.

The Municipality intends to continue its work following the experience achieved during the partnership in the frame of the INNOCRAFTS project by participating in other European projects as partner or lead partner in order to provide continuous opportunities and as many means as possible to develop and market the local artists and craftsmen products.

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2.6. Regional Association of Municipalities “CENTRAL Stara Planina”

Profile

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RAM Central Stara Planina is a membership based organisation gathering 15 Bulgarian municipalities with a total population of 350 000. It encourages the local authorities to share experience with partners within and outside Europe, provides information and constant exchange of good practices, improves the public access to information about EU policies and initiatives that directly affect the life of the citizens, encourages the involvement of young people in the creation of the EU future, supports the economic growth of the region, etc.

The participation of the association into the INTERREG IVC project named Creative Growth (2009 – 2011) proved to the management that RAM should go on with its work in support of creative industries. On the one hand, crafts and arts nowadays provide for a considerable potential for future growth,. On the other hand, the ACC are in need of effective policies for the development and encouragement of entrepreneurship to become a local economy sector of importance.

Abstract Nowadays artistic and contemporary crafts are part of the creative industries and they provide a considerable potential for future growth in Bulgaria once effective policies for development and encouraging ACC entrepreneurship have been established.

Exquisite samples of artistic crafts out of clay, wood, wool, leather, precious and base metals are preserved at the region of RAM Central Stara Planina. The traditional forms and the craftsmen’ skills have been handed down over generations and they have become a part of the Bulgarian cultural heritage.

Studying the partners experience in INNOCRAFTS , the RAM Central Stara Planina has found the following good practices of great interest which could be implemented in the region’s municipalities: 1. Oltrarno Call (Municipality of Florence) 2. Vilnius Ethnographic, Fine Crafts and Fairs Programme (Vilnius Old Town Renewal Agency) 3. FUSE (Crafts Council of Ireland) 4. Pietrasanta: a Network of Arts, Craftsmanship and Culture (Pietrasanta Municipality) From the very beginning of the INNOCRAFTS project at the region of the Central Stara Planina many useful initiatives have been carried out to encourage craftsmanship.

The INNOCRAFTS was a source of inspiration and catalyst for part of them:

• The covered bridge of Lovech transformed into a street of crafts Owing to the understanding of the significance of crafts’ role for the economy and preserving the

traditions in the framework of globalisation, the Municipality of Lovech has transformed its official symbol into a street of crafts; it is now a place where craftsmen practice and demonstrate their skills in public. Craftsmen workshops are let at preferential prices. Municipality expert analyses state that the promotion of artistic crafts and applied arts increases the number of tourists.

• Children’s corner built up at the Etara Architecture and Ethnography Complex All craftsmanship workshops at the first Bulgarian open-air museum are active and visitors could look at the craftsmen while manufacturing. Building up a corner for 4 to 12 years old children was the latest initiative of the museum. It is located at a specially designed building where children are acquainted with the Bulgarian traditions in an attractive way. They are free to touch clay and yarn, make their first pieces of craft, listen to stories by elder craftsmen, study Bulgarian folk songs, get introduced into subtleties of Bulgarian national costumes and get entertained by traditional children’s plays. The initiative appears to be a new approach to children as an audience, training children in new skills and preservation of traditional crafts for the future generations.

• A street of arts and crafts in Tryavna The Municipality of Tryavna carries out active policy aimed at preserving and developing national crafts.

A street of arts and crafts was set up at the downtown area of the attractive Stara Planina small town; there are 13 crafts workshops along it. All workshops are municipal property and craftsmen rent them comparatively cheaply as they are to preserve, show and develop the traditional crafts of the town.

The participation of the RAM Central Stara Planina into the INOCRAFTS project proved explicitly to the experts and the team that the organisation should go on with its work in support of arts and crafts of the region and contribute to working out policies to support the sector on local, regional and national levels. The RAM Central Stara Planina is among the partners of INNOCRAFTS which will not cease their collaboration, as they are again working together in the following project – New Models for Vocational Education and Training (AVANT-CRAFTS) funded by the EU Commission under - LLP – Leonardo da Vinci 2013.

For two years the association will share, disseminate and test good practices in vocational training and education in the field of artistic crafts in small and medium-sized enterprises, trade unions, craftsmanship and commerce chambers, public authorities, schools and institutions for vocational guidance in Italy, France, Germany, Hungary and Great Britain.

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2.7. Burgas Municipality

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Burgas Municipality, situated on the Black Sea coast, is one of the most dynamically developing municipalities in Bulgaria. The municipal center Burgas is the fourth largest town in Bulgaria and a major tourist center. The development of artistic crafts and the promotion of entrepreneurship and SME creation is one of the priorities of Burgas Municipality development plan. Burgas Municipality worked on the “In Hand” project under Culture 200713 that aimed at reducing the distance among the languages of art, design, crafts, achieving freedom of expression in the field and creating the conditions to give to crafts an added value in terms of innovation and research. The Municipality, together with the Regional Handicraft Chamber, have been working on several initiatives, related to reviving and further developing artistic crafts, including the establishment of a Crafts Centre with multifunctional exhibition and demonstration halls, and workshops in ceramics and pottery, copper and wood-carving. Burgas Municipality has recently implemented a project on the establishment of Municipal Social Enterprise "Sea Signs" for production of hand-made holiday souvenirs. The project was funded under Operational Programme "Human Resources Development" and was aimed at providing new opportunities in support of social engagement. The enterprise provides jobs for people from socially disadvantaged groups and at the same time contributes to the successful development of the city’s touristic image. The Municipality also works in close partnership with Business Incubator – Burgas. Burgas Municipality has promoted the establishment of a youth organisation in the crafts sector to foster an innovative approach to crafts and introduce the newest trends, modern ways and methods to adapt old crafts to contemporary trends. The objective is to stimulate entrepreneurship in the crafts sector providing training for next generations of craftsmen.

Abstract Over the last few years in Burgas the arts and crafts sector has enjoyed a greater interest on the part of the business. This is largely due to the enhanced interest of part of the local community in this type of craft production, manifesting itself also in the gaining popularity hand made culture.

All good practices presented at the Joint Interregional Sessions of the INNOCRAFTS project have contributed to broadening Burgas Municipality’s understanding of the promotion of entrepreneurship in the crafts sector.

Some of the good practices are quite innovative and have not been employed in the Burgas region, while other practices are similar to what has taken place in the field of arts and crafts. Burgas Municipality has tried to identify those good practices presented by the partners that can introduce innovation in the crafts sector and at the same time can easily be transferred in Burgas region. Moreover Burgas Municipality has focused on those good practices that would improve the local policies for promotion of entrepreneurship in the field of crafts and develop communication on the sector with activities like workshops for students, laboratories, seminars with artists and craftspeople, and vocational courses for young people.

In this regard, the following good practices have been identified:

1. The "Rencontres de la décoration en Champagne-Ardenne"; 2. ARTour il bello in piazza; 3. CRAFTed: Learning Skills for Life; 4. Design Camp; 5. Course on design of arts craft product.

Based on a detailed analysis of the current opportunities for entrepreneurship in the crafts sector in Burgas region, and the contribution of the INNOCRAFTS project to adopting new strategies for development of art and crafts, we have concluded that the local policies in the crafts sector should focus on education, networking and continuity of the crafts professions. The INNOCRAFTS project contributed to the set up of two permanent booths of Municipal social enterprise “Sea signs” at some of the most touristic places in the city – at the entrance of the Pier and on St. Anastasia Island. Municipal social enterprise “Sea signs” was established within the Operational Programme “Human Resources Development“. The purpose has been to integrate the people working at the enterprise into a platform for social realisation and to give them an opportunity to contribute to the city development through the techniques of arts and crafts. Owing to the INNOCRAFTS project, the Municipal enterprise “Sea signs“ already displays its souvenirs at two of the most attractive places in Burgas. the Pier in Burgas and the newly-opened tourist attraction – The Island of St. Anastasia near Burgas. Moreover the INNOCRAFTS project also supported the establishment of a section about the places in the region with typical crafts workshops and traditions within the tourist web portal “Go to Burgas”.

In the framework of the INNOCRAFTS project there were organised visits of students and tourists in “Genger” Ethnographic Complex that preserve and continue the local handicraft traditions in the studios of master potters, coppersmiths, basket makers, carver, and it is recognised as a suitable place for organised teambuilding events. The complex houses the studios of the old-time master craftsmen. The project contributed to the opening of the exhibition “The birth of crafts. Kozareva mound. A settlement from the Neolithic.

The beginning of turning of home production into crafts”. The attractive archaeological exposition was open from April 8th until April 24th 2014 at “Sea Casino” Culture Centre within the INNOCRAFTS Joint Interregional Session. The project also initiated the integration of demonstrations and practical arts and crafts activities into the programs of major cultural events in the city, like the Innovative Art Festival “Turn on the city” and the Festival “Shareno Kotle“. Owing to the meetings and discussions held under the INNOCRAFTS Project, Burgas Municipality began to pay particular attention to the crafts practices and take actions to integrate them into festival formats. In this way, they reach the public and every citizen has immediate access to handicraft. Becoming more and more popular during such large-scale events, the crafts techniques enjoy greater interest even after the end of the festival, which is quite favorable for the small crafts studios, which usually lack enough popularity. After the finalisation of this project under INTERREG IVC, Burgas Municipality plans to apply for funding under Creative Europe, the Large or Small Cooperation Projects as a lead partner. The main aim of the project will be to present to the public contemporary and traditional arts and crafts of different nations, as well as the exchange of experience and good practices between the partners.

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2.8. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF BARCELONA

Profile The Barcelona Official Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Services and Navigation (BCC) responds to the needs of companies for a strong representative institution and ensures the sustainable development of the Catalan territory through the following set of activities: promotion of entrepreneurship and business creation, defence of the interests of the region’s companies, study and analysis of the local economy, development of proposals for strategic planning, support of the internationalisation of companies, provision of business training, promotion of access to innovation services.

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The BCC has undertaken the challenge to inform the Catalan business community of the strategic importance of innovation to promote economic growth and improve competitiveness. This is also done in a collaborative manner, bringing together agents involved in R&D and innovation processes: universities and research centres, governments and businesses. The BCC promotes entrepreneurship and business creation in the artistic and contemporary crafts sector, access to innovation and financial assistance to SMEs and improves the access to national and international markets.

Abstract Design is widely acclaimed in Barcelona. The capital of Catalonia has a good image internationally as regards design and this is shown by the large number of events (conferences, exhibitions, workshops) that are scheduled each year involving graphic design, product design, space design, fashion design and multimedia design.

Although about 20% of the handicraft SMEs in Spain are from Catalonia; they are not widely known and, particularly in Barcelona, they often go unnoticed. Even so, the handicraft sector, especially outside of Barcelona, has become somewhat obsolete, since there has been a generational shift, and most active artisans have learned their trade in family-run workshops and have not been trained in design schools.

In this context, one of BCC’s main objectives is to join design and handicrafts to improve product design and promote innovation, as well as help the sector to design better marketing and branding strategies.

Handicrafts in Barcelona and Catalonia are governed by a changing reality which is filled with opportunities and, although there are many small-scale initiatives in place, it would be necessary to implement major projects such as FUSE, the good practice applied by the Design & Crafts Council of Ireland.

T he strategy would be to develop a short-term pilot scheme, organising a two-day conference combining business and product analysis, workshops to generate new ideas and tutorials in the design methodology to

apply to each workshop. These conferences, focused on the jewellery and textile industries, and linked to the fashion world, would serve as a starting point for subsequently scheduling a long term follow-up scheme with the participating workshops.

Once satisfactory results with the indicators proposed (number of participating artisans, number of expert designers, resulting products, brand positioning, satisfaction surveys with artisans and designers) have been obtained, the experience could be transferred to other powerful sectors such as ceramics and glass, as well as tourism-related areas.

There is significant potential to transfer and develop the FUSE model assisting in the internationalisation of SMEs, the mobility and transfer of knowledge between design experts, creatives and SMEs, and enable collaboration for the development of products and services.

Given that the regional policies developed by the Generalitat de Catalunya, our regional government of Catalonia, from 2013 to 2016 are primarily related to economic recovery and job creation, promoting selfemployment for entrepreneurs and SMEs, handicrafts could be one of the sectors to benefit from this strategic plan and achieve more visibility. The plan also includes the momentum of economic activity in the trade and services sector (trade fairs, tutoring, financing, improvement of marketing channels of handicraft products including the expansion of the physical and online points of sale of Empremtes de Catalunya). This will provide commercial support to small handicraft producers who lack their own commercial infrastructure.

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2.9. Riga City Council

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The Education, Culture and Sports Department of Riga City Council implements the council’s policies in the fields of education, culture and sport, works with youth and in the society integration area, and monitors the operations of education, education support, culture, sport and leisure time institutions which are under the jurisdiction of the Riga City Council.

The Department has jurisdiction over more than 300 institutions established by the council: 156 pre-school education institutions (kindergartens), 125 comprehensive elementary education and comprehensive secondary education institutions (schools), 13 hobby education centers, 9 art and music schools, 5 independent cultural institutions, the Association of Culture Institutions of Riga Municipality, the Riga Central Library with its 39 branches, the “Riga” Professional Brass Band, 11 sports education institutions and Riga’s Educational and Informative Guide Centre. Consequently, the Department is responsible for the organisation of budgets and the planning and use of investments for the collation of proposed annual budgets and investment projects, as well as their submission to the Riga City Council for the education, culture, youth and sports institutions within its jurisdiction.

Abstract In Latvia, a specific trend of traditional crafts has been shaped historically, namely, national folk applied arts (FAA) embracing 7 basic genres – textile and textile handicraft, wood, ceramics and pottery, metal forging, basketry, leather design and ornaments. All of these genres are dominated by artistic values. Within the meaning of the cultural policy documents, the term “FAA” designates active participation of individuals in the process of acquisition of the cultural and artistic heritage and creative activities. The high artistic quality of the artistic and contemporary arts sector acknowledged across the world has been achieved by involving professional masters and group leaders; their work is financed from the State or municipal funds.

Within the INNOCRAFTS project, the research “Internationalisation, Professional Networking, Exchange of Information in Artistic and Contemporary Arts Sector” was carried out.

The following near future main tasks were set within the framework of the research:

• To preserve the heritage of the folk art • To protect and preserve the uniqueness of the folk art of the regional communities • To facilitate opportunities of education in the folk art • To facilitate awareness of the community regarding significance and value of the folk art • To include the protective measures of the Latvian folk art in the international activities Despite very old crafts traditions in Riga and Latvia, INNOCRAFTS project has given a strong impulse to examine the current situation in the sector of crafts and art. The research show very good undertakings and practical examples in this field, however, there is a lack information about the current developments which leads to the conclusion that this part of culture heritage in Latvia has not been sufficiently explored, studied and popularised.

The situation in the sector of crafts and art both in Riga and Latvia was analysed during the project, and a survey of the managers of folk applied arts studios was conducted.

The INNOCRAFTS project gave an opportunity to managers of small companies working in the sector of crafts and art to share their experience about their companies and learn the experience of other countries.

A show of costumes “Creative Mess” created by craftsmen and amateurs in folk applied art groups was organised in the Riga Central Library, during which INNOCRAFTS project was introduced to the participants and spectators. A number of artists and folk applied art craftsmen participated in the project and they took a great interest in the experience of other European countries and cities, their opportunities and video example shown in the network. Exchange of information is extremely important; the project not only allows people to find out about the practice of various companies from the theoretical point of view, but also to establish mutual communication that may help to create joint projects.

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“Meet your craftsman” is the continuation of the Traditional Skills School initiated in 2009 which is included in the joint European project “European Artistic Craft Days”. Craftsmen are invited to organise master classes, individual lessons, open workshops, exhibition performances, lectures, readings, concerts, dance shows, etc.

The participants, craftsmen and apprentices of Riga crafts centre and FAA studios participate in this project every year. The number of participants and people willing to acquire new skills related to folk applied arts in order to apply them subsequently in their household or to establish and develop their own companies has increased as a result of this project. Successful cooperation was achieved between the folk applied art craftsmen from Riga and Florence during the project. Craftsmen from Riga have visited the Christmas market in Florence to exchange experiences. The work is being carried out in order to make it a tradition in the twin towns.

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The opening of crafts centres has become topical idea in Latvia. In the crafts centre the craftsmen can preserve the existing culture and historical values of art and crafts heritage, develop the sector of crafts and applied art as a means to increase the interest of tourists and to integrate craft skills and products in tourism, promoting the development of the economic and social sphere in the territory. Crafts centres regularly host exhibitions and events dedicated to art and crafts and enriching the culture life of the city, as well as various craftsmen's workshops.

A crafts centre affiliated to the culture centre “Ilguciems” has operated since 2011 and a crafts centre affiliated to the culture and folk art centre “Ritums” has operated since 2013 in Riga.

The Riga Municipality’s future plans for the development of the ACC sector are part of the municipality’s longterm development planning strategy. Riga’s sustainable development strategy until 2030 (draft) is approved by decision No. 302 of Riga City Council on 22.10.2013. The section RV3 “Recognisability and Involving Cultural Environment” of Riga’s development programme 2014-2020 mentions the advantages and flaws in the ACC sector.

Based on the strategy, ensuring a variety of cultural events and preservation of traditional values was determined by the municipality as one of the main goals for the period 2014-2020. Riga Municipality will

ensure the improvement and development of the cultural environment, opportunities to organise the Song and Dance Festival, traditional, modern and contemporary events, and the improvement of the activities of Riga Municipality culture-related institutions, offering new interest-based educational programmes and culture-related educational programmes to different age groups.

Some of the planned activities include:

• Support the activities of culture institutions, local businessmen and traditional craftsmen by creating •

products and services based on tangible and intangible cultural heritage.

Promote people's creativity and creative leisure time in municipal culture-related institutions all over the city.

Preservation of intangible cultural heritage is of great importance. For that purpose the municipality will support different expressions of traditional culture – creating crafts centres, developing and supporting the movement of crafts groups. The law “Law on Intangible Cultural Heritage” is being currently drafted.

At European level the Riga City Council’s Education, Culture and Sports Department is planning to take part in international projects - INTERREG Europe and Creative Europe.

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2.10. Vilnius Old Town Renewal Agency

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Vilnius Old Town Renewal Agency was established in 1998 by Vilnius City Council for the coordination of activities in the Old Town – a UNESCO world heritage site – to safeguard the cultural heritage values and the sustainable development of the historic urban landscape. The program consists of physical renewal of buildings and public areas, conservation and restoration of authentic buildings and their elements, monitoring of cultural heritage properties, community awareness rising and support, promotion of traditional crafts, development of international cooperation and activities of the Information Centre.

Within the framework of the Vilnius Old Town Revitalisation Programme there are activities related with intangible heritage that focus on community building and promotion of traditional crafts. The Programme on Fine Crafts, Ethnographic Businesses and Fairs’ is included into the Strategic Plan of Vilnius City up to 2020. The rental concession for the municipal properties in the Old Town has been provided to artists and craftsmen that participate in demonstrations of manufacturing processes and training of customers who are willing to participate, exhibitions and sale of hand-made items.

Abstract Traditional crafts represent important and exclusive feature of Lithuanian ethnic culture and maintain vitality of the national identity. Lithuania has deep traditions of ceramics, textile, blacksmithery, jewellery and cross-crafting. Lithuanian cross-crafting and its symbolism were inscribed in 2008 on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The promotion of ACC is high in the political agenda as a means of increasing economic and social vitality and attractiveness of cities and rural areas.A long-term programme for the Protection and Development of the Market and Crafts of National Heritage Products was also approved by the Lithuanian government. A network of crafts centres is under development in Lithuania. The task of the centres is the promotion of traditional crafts, educational activities, cooperation between craftsmen, training of their skills, upgrading of craftsmen’s qualifications. The Municipal ‘Programme on Fine Crafts, Ethnographic Businesses and Fairs - an INNOCRAFTS best practice - is implemented in Vilnius since 2001. Nevertheless the ACC Sector shows signs of weakness. Most of the craftsmen are elder persons, with low entrepreneurship abilities. Production of traditional crafts is not a high profitable activity, and it is not attractive for younger generation. As a result the number of traditional craftsmen is decreasing, compounded by the lack of a system of training and transfer of knowledge of traditional crafts. Marketing and promotion is weak, with not enough information on regional differences between various crafts and low integration into the tourism routes.

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It is necessary to improve the legal base which regulates the state support for the crafts sector (support for the organisation and participation in events, preparing information, organising educational activities) and simplify application procedures for the possible state financial and support of European structural funds. There is a need to create methodical recommendations for training and a network of upgrading the qualification of craftsmen.

It is very important to encourage revitalisation of extinct or declining traditional crafts, to preserve and advocate centuries-old traditions. In joining the INNOCRAFTS partnership Vilnius expected to exchange knowledge and to gain useful experience in the development and promotion of the artistic and contemporary crafts sector, and also improve the regional and local development policies.

Vilnius has identified four good practices as interesting in relation to the local context. These practices are: 1. Vecchio Conventino (Spazio Sam / Arts and Crafts) by Municipality of Florence.

2. “Design SOS” and “Design Camp” by Aalto University School of Art and Design.

3. FUSE Innovation and Design by Crafts Council of Ireland.

4. Support programme dedicated to the business development of ACC businesses by Reims City Council.

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The good practice of Vecchio Conventino is very relative to Vilnius’s idea of establishing a Crafts Training and Exhibition Centre. The GP seems feasible and transferable: the real estate property should be owned by the Municipality; the function of the centre should be defined as incubator for arts and crafts intended to host artisanal enterprises and artistic activities (including education); the management of the centre should be assigned to the special enterprise or foundation. The important task of the centre would be training a new generations of artisans, developing artisanal products for sale and activating a new model of incubator for artisanal enterprises.

The good practice “Design SOS” and “Design Camp” aimed at increasing the competitiveness and innovation potential of SMEs by means of market-oriented design and innovation-based R&D projects is relevant for Lithuanian crafts sector. Vilnius Old Town Renewal Agency plans to use experience of this GP for some future educational seminars, possibly linked with activities of the new Crafts’ Centre. There are no financial resources at the moment planned but fund raising activities could be organised and a factor for successful transfer are the local human resources: craftsmen from Vilnius Fine Crafts Association and designers (teachers and students) of Vilnius Academy of Arts.

The good practice “FUSE Innovation and Design” is quite similar to the idea of “Design SOS” and “Design Camp” and is suitable for transfer. Craftsmen and designers working together in response to commercial briefs may strengthen the marketing capacities of Vilnius Craftsmen.

Transferring the GP “Support programme dedicated to the business development of ACC businesses” might also be very useful. Helping the craftspeople in formalising a business strategy, through

personalised counselling by experts would increase their business development capacities, help to develop their strategic plans and establish financial independence.

Vilnius partners took part in all 11 study visits and thematic seminars of INNOCRAFTS project in Florence, Bratislava, Reims, Barcelona, Bistrita, Budapest, Bistrita, Turku, Kilkenny, Burgas and Riga, and also organised the Vilnius study visit. During the study visits and discussions Vilnius partners were most of all interested in the field of “Business model and business support service” (project theme No.1) as it is most related with Vilnius project “Ethnographic, Fine Crafts and Fairs Programme” which was presented as GP of Vilnius. The principle of the Vilnius programme is to allow artisans to exercise their art and sell their products in the urban historic centre, by reusing its built environment and often-neglected historical buildings. It was very useful to see the good practices of similar business models, examples of other clusters of artisans and craftsmen.

Good practice of Vecchio Conventino could serve as a very good example of such business model.

Several participants of Vilnius visited the Vecchio Conventino during the first study visit in Florence.

The other opportunity to analyse the activities of Vecchio Conventino was the participation of three Vilnius craftsmen in the International Handicrafts fair in Florence.

The other good example for Vilnius was Bratislava Crafts’ Training Centre where the Municipality financed the renovation of the building and created the favorable conditions for educational activities of children in the crafts sector. During the Joint Interregional Seminar in Reims, the Art and Design Incubator and local artisan’s workshops of stained-glass and wood processing were visited, giving good examples of start-ups by young artists, designers and craftsmen.

In Kilkenny the Cushendale Woollen Mill, Jerpoint Glass and Nicholas Mosse Pottery workshops have been visited giving useful and interesting insights for Vilnius as they have much older traditions of family business development, and also larger scale of activities.

In Ireland the “FUSE Innovation and Design” and “CRAFTed programme” (Learning Skills for Life) have given ideas for the preparation of training programs of Vilnius Crafts’ Training Centre.

Vilnius Old Town Renewal Agency plans to continue the implementation of Vilnius Ethnographic, Fine Crafts and Fairs Programme. Important tasks of the establishment of the centre are preparation of regional training programmes (vocational training for craftsmen and educational training for children). Local meetings will be organised periodically to mobilise local stakeholders. Participation in European or international networks of craftsmen including network of INNOCRAFTS project partners is considered an important instrument to improve the capacity building of local craftsmen.

The most important obstacle that might hinder the ACC development plan is the shortage of funding in the municipal budget and it is considered essential the search other financial sources, possibly from European Union, such as the programmes Creative Europe, INTERREG Europe and INTERREG VB. Creative Europe supports transnational cooperation projects involving cultural and creative organisations from different countries, including European networks and European platforms to operate transnationally and to strengthen their competitiveness, to develop specific skills and experience and create new professional opportunities.

The INTERREG V Programme 2014 – 2020 aims to promote intelligent, sustainable and integrated growth and to connect economic, environmental and social issues and also focus on investing in education, skills and lifelong learning by developing education and training infrastructure.

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2.11. Reims City Council

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Reims is the main city of the Champagne-Ardenne region in North-Eastern France and has a rich architectural legacy. The City Council, the level of government in France the closest to the citizens, has the freedom to define local policies aiming to promote, develop and support the crafts sector.

Therefore, it is able to shape policy directly, as well as exercise the role of intermediary between citizens and different organisations such as regional authorities, associations, chambers of commerce, etc.

Reims City Council provides support to businesses associations in the craft sector, develops events promoting it, establishes links between the different partners in the sector, organises events aimed at businesses creation. It funds and supports the “ESAD Reims”, a nationally reputed art and design school, which has set up a local “art and design business incubator”.

The City Council also organises, with partner organisations, the annual competition entitled “Christmas Crafts”, aimed at stimulating the crafts sector by awarding professionals demonstrating strong know-how and skills. Reims closely works with the CNAMS, an association representing the crafts sector, that also takes part in the annual event “Journée des Métiers d’Art” and manages the regional program for the development of artistic crafts.

Abstract The professions defined as artistic crafts in France are listed in a Ministerial decree of December 2003. In the City of Reims, 83 craftsmen match these requirements, representing about 37 different professions. For the Champagne-Ardenne region (NUTS2), there are around 650 persons working in the artistic crafts sector. The local and regional cultural heritage remains a key factor for their development (e.g. basketry, glass-making, cutlery industry, ironwork…).

The City of Reims has followed with interest a project presented by the Municipality of Florence called the Vecchio Conventino-SAM, a complex with 25 workshops and rooms, dedicated to different purposes, namely laboratories, education, exhibitions and seminars. Its role as an incubator for craftsmen and its contribution in bringing craftsmen back to the city also show how a municipality can face the sector-related challenges. Such a space, dedicated to craftsmen, is missing in Reims. The objectives of increasing their visibility and their market, and of increasing the training opportunities are shared by the two cities.

To work properly and to optimise the way it works, the city has highlighted the fact that such a Center should be located in the very center of Reims, close to touristic areas and to trade flows.

Furthermore, another possible way to develop the idea would be to connect young craftsmen with experienced ones.

The Municipality is currently assessing the feasibility of such a project in Reims. The questions of the ownership of the building and of its management are also raised. A model owned by the municipality and managed by a foundation of artistic crafts is probably not transferable as such.

Another feature of the development of artistic crafts in Reims could be the educational activities.

Two INNOCRAFTS partners have presented projects that could be fully or partly transferred to Reims, or at least that could be combined to some activities proposed by different departments of the municipality administration. The idea would be to bring together craftsmen or designers with pupils or students.

The objectives of the Design Camp, proposed by Aalto University, make it an interesting practice to implement in the city of Reims, especially because a Higher School for Art and Design is located in Reims. This type of project can help the students gain entrepreneurial experience, and help the development of SMEs as well. Another good example of this cooperation, but with younger children, is the CRAFTed project, presented by the DCCoI. Exchanges of experiences with other INNOCRAFTS partners, as well as study visits and informal talks, have been very fruitful for the City of Reims.

Some issues, such as the promotion of the sector to the community, or the support to fragile SMEs, are sometimes identical in other EU countries. The way they are addressed are very good source of inspiration for policy makers at local level. Throughout the project activities, useful contacts have also been made with European organisations active in supporting the artistic crafts sectors.

INNOCRAFTS has also been an opportunity for Reims to stimulate its approach on artistic crafts. The work, and hopefully the cooperation with different European partners, will keep going on even after the end of the project. Reims will continue to exchange with some partners about the identified good practices. The promotion of artistic crafts remains an issue at local level. A way to address this challenge would be to lean on the existing strengths of the city (touristic assets, such as the Cathedral, the history about the coronation of the French Kings, the champagne‌) and strengthen the outlets of the crafts businesses. The promotion of crafts in different projects of the municipality or the support of crafts businesses through the organisation of public events, are considered in the future strategy of the city.

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2.12. Design & Crafts Council of Ireland

Profile

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The Design & Crafts Council of Ireland (DCCoI) is the main champion of the design and craft industry in Ireland, fostering its growth and commercial strength, communicating its unique identity and stimulating quality design, innovation and competitiveness. DCCoI’s activities are funded by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation via Enterprise Ireland. DCCoI has over 2,850 registered client enterprises and over 70 membership organisations known as GANS (guilds, associations, networks and societies) throughout Ireland.

The DCCoI vision is that Irish design and craft is recognised and valued worldwide for its excellence in craftsmanship, innovation and marketing. DCCoI’s mission is to promote and stimulate the creative and commercial potential of Irish design and craft and to work in collaboration with strategic partners in the ongoing development and growth of the sector. The DCCoI implements a range of programmes, supports and services for designers and craftspeople, learners and teachers, retailers and gallerists, shoppers and collectors, media and partner organisations in order to raise the standard and profile of Irish design and craft.

Abstract DCCoI currently has over 2900 registered micro-enterprises and SMEs. The sector employs 6,000 people and contributes on average €498m to the Irish economy. DCCoI are conscious of the need to

preserve, sustain and develop skills in specific ACC sectors that can contribute to job creation and growth in local economies. In this context DCCoI supports the development of a centre of excellence for glass production and development. The development aims on to build on the legacy of Waterford Crystal which ceased production in 2008. A short history of Waterford Crystal is detailed below.

Glassmaking began in Waterford city in 1783 with the establishment of a glass factory by William Penrose. Over the next decades demand for the products and production continued successfully for almost a hundred years before tariffs introduced by the British Crown forced the closure of manufacturing. In 1947 production began again with the establishment of Waterford Glass by a well-known Irish family. This new business prospered and at its peak had almost 4,000 employees producing high volume lead-crystal stemware and giftware.

Waterford Crystal was part of a larger group called Waterford Wedgwood, a public Limited Company.

This company went onto receivership in 2008 and the Waterford manufacturing facility was closed as production of Waterford Crystal outsourced to Slovenia, Germany and the Czech Republic. Several hundred skilled blowers, cutters and engravers were made unemployed and thousands more lost their pensions.

In 2010 WWRD the new owner of Waterford Crystal with the help of Waterford City Council opened a visitor experience in the at the edge of the Waterford Viking Triangle. This facility employs a small number of craftsmen producing high-end crystal trophies for WWRD. The Viking Triangle Trust Company is a not-for-profit entity established by Waterford City Council, to lead and manage the urban regeneration of the Viking Triangle. Its vision is that the Viking Triangle will become the cultural and heritage quarter of Waterford city, offering a vibrant, authentic and distinctive experience for visitors, businesses and the community and to be the catalyst for the future regeneration of Waterford as a memorable visitor destination.

It actively promotes and facilitates the regeneration and refurbishment of buildings to facilitate the creation of workspaces, craft shops and other mixed retail and cultural activities.

The selected practice for transfer is a significant project. Ciav Meisenthal –The Centre International d’Art Verrier (CIAV) - was created in 1992 in Meisenthal, a small French village situated in the heart of the famous glass-producing Region, Lorraine, to celebrate the Art of Glassmaking and to promote and share knowledge and innovation. The history of the glass making facility and the impact its demise had on employment, loss of skills and on the local economy closely mirror the demise of Waterford Wedgewood’s production facility in Waterford Ireland in 2008 which has had a devastating impact on multiple levels in the Waterford region.

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Within CIAV’s old factory, three complementary structures are located:

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1. The CIAV, a research, education and production laboratory, composed by artist and designer studios, glassmaking facilities for resident glassmakers, a gallery, several viewing galleries and a commercial market; 2. An exhibition venue for contemporary art, music, theatre and performing arts; 3. The Museum of Glass, created to celebrate the link between Art of Glassmaking and local community.

In Waterford a number of discussions have taken place between the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland (DCCoI), and key policy makers in Waterford including the Local Authority, Waterford Institute of Technology and the Viking Museum Triangle. In July 2014 a delegation of senior representatives from Waterford Local Authority, Waterford Institute of Technology, the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland and an expert glass consultant travelled to CIAV Miesenthal. Following this meeting a tender is being issued to develop a comprehensive implementation plan to include a sound business case for investment in a similar facility in Waterford. It is generally agreed that the development of such a facility based on the CIAV Meisenthal Model has the potential to: 1. Preserve, transfer and develop the highly specialised glass making, cutting and blowing skills that exist in the Waterford region and are at risk of being lost unless they are passed to future generations 2. Provide much needed employment in the region; 3. Develop a centre of excellence that encompasses training, a research laboratory, a national and international residency programme, a production facility, studios, a gallery/museum and a commercial retail space; 4. Develops Waterford as an international destination for visitors, contributing to the visitor experience.

The implementation of this practice has the political and policy support of local and regional authorities and, if realised, will have a very significant impact on the economic potential of the ACC sector in respect of job creation, entrepreneurship and enterprise development, access to innovation, access to training and skills and the provision of appropriate support services including business incubators, R&D facilities to enable the development of new practices, materials, processes and products leading to better positions in the market.

The impact of the INNOCRAFTS programme is significant on a number of levels. In addition to highlighting models of best practice in glass production that have provided the impetus and support for an implementation plan that may be updated, INNOCRAFTS has influenced policy development with regard to the internationalisation of ACC SMEs and has raised the profile of the sector in Ireland and internationally by promoting crafts as a key cultural and creative industry for the economic development of European cities.

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Based on the success of the INNOCRAFTS programme, the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland have made three further EU funding applications INNOCRAFTS under the following calls: Creative Europe, Erasmus Plus and ICT. We have developed a relationship with the SERA and with the Border and West Midlands Regional Assembly and are actively contributing to policy development for the craft and design sector in Ireland. We anticipate that we will make a bid for further funding that is specific to the development of a glass facility in Waterford pending recommendations of the implementation plan. The INNOCRAFTS project has also had a significant impact on policy development for the World Crafts Council EU and has led to the development of a strategy to target specific EU funding calls to enable the future promotion and development of the craft and design sectors throughout the EU.

2.13. Budapest Enterprise Agency

Profile

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Budapest Enterprise Agency (BEA), founded by the Municipality of Budapest in 1993, was established to design and realise programmes that enhance development and competitiveness in the small and medium enterprise sector of Budapest. We provide assistance to start-up and developing SMEs, help them to achieve better performance and offer them financing schemes. The micro-financing and small enterprise tools blend the good characteristics of small-amount, inexpensive, one-year-term and longerterm financing facilities ideal for self-employees, micro- and small enterprises. BEA takes part in the realisation of the goals of the Budapest Enterprise Development Programme and in the development the entrepreneurial culture of the capital as well. The arts and crafts industry is a constantly strengthening sector in Hungary and Budapest plays a prominent role in the sector. By facilitating the development of the sector, BEA can widely contribute to the boost of the entrepreneurial life of Budapest. Due to our participation in the INNOCRAFTS project we managed to establish a regular connection and cooperation with the entrepreneurs, opinion leaders and policy makers of the sector.

Abstract In Hungary, in the last quarter of 2010, considerable changes have started regarding the improvement of the support infrastructure of the ACC sector, meaning the setting up of a public institution, the Design Terminal National Centre for Creative Industry in 2014. BEA considers that Design Terminal is a transferable Hungarian good practice for partnership of INNOCRAFTS project.

The definition of the ACC sector in Hungary is not unified. According to Design Terminal’s definition, the creative industries are the economic sectors, which are creativity based and create wealth and jobs with high added-value products and services. In other words, this is a segment that fosters cultural and business value at the same time. The Budapest Enterprise Agency considers a wider definition of the sector extending the notion of the ACC sector. Previous trend analysis has proven the potential of the ACC sector in Hungarian economic development plans in terms of employment creation and export growth.

According to recent studies on the ACC sector, the following SWOT analysis has been identified: Aspects helping the sector

Aspects being barriers

Internal factors

Strengths Dynamic growth High added-value

Weaknesses Lack of business competence amongst artists Lack of cooperation

External factors

Opportunities Strong institutional background Supporting environment

Threats Barriers of reaching int. market Lack of capital for the enterprises

In the elaboration of the BEA implementation strategy, the SWOT analysis has been carefully considered with a focus on the challenges in accordance to BEA directives and objectives stated in the INNOCRAFTS project. Learning the lessons of the INNOCRAFTS project, involving all the consultations and study visits of the partnership, and based on internal experiences and capacities, BEA has considered two directions: 1. Priority factors that can be handled directly by BEA

a.Training business knowledge, entrepreneurial attitude, competences

b.Fostering the low level of cooperation amongst actors of the ACC sector 2.Factors that can be handled indirectly by BEA, through partnerships

c. Improving access to international markets – possible partnership with Hungarian

Investment and Trade Agency (HITA)

d. Improving access to financing of enterprises – possible partnership with HITA, with the

National Innovation Office (NIH), and elaboration of micro-finance facilities.

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In case of both categories, the general, free-of-charge consultancy and professional workshoporganising services of BEA are useful tools to tackle the challenges facing the actors of the ACC sector in Hungary. This means, that BEA is willing to act as a catalyst organisation of the life cycle of the ACC enterprises, improving them in a direct and indirect way.

The following table describes the future strategic priorities of BEA On micro (BEA) level Networking Creating, strengthening partnerships Organising workshops, providing training financing, and consulting

On mezzo (national) level

Macro (international) level

Strengthening cooperation with Design Terminal Expansion of national institutional background

Policy recommendations towards European Parliament Joining the programs launched in the International Visegrád Fund

Elaboration of economic policy recommendations

Promotion of international cooperation

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Budapest Enterprise Agency has chosen four partners for cooperation with their inspiring transferable good practices and has started bilateral negotiations to transfer these good practices:

• Taito Business Services that implement Business Models and Business Support Services, • Fuse that implements Access to Innovation and Financial Assistance, • International Fair Fund that implements Internationalisation, Networking and Information Exchange • Andalusia Public Foundation that implements Promotion of Entrepreneurship among specific target groups.

Taito Business Services offer all kinds of supporting and consulting services for entrepreneurs in the processes of founding, sustaining, developing and expanding of their businesses. Design & Crafts Council of Ireland has developed, through many pilot projects, Fuse, for promoting the planning and innovative competence of the workers in the arts and crafts industry. The project includes a lot of elements that deal with product-innovation and process-innovation, and shows the possibilities of entering new markets. The aim of International Fair Fund is to support arts and crafts businesses to enter the international market. It also helps in building up export strategies and in developing competences and capacities needed for this. Andalusia Public Foundation deals with the developing of entrepreneurships and self-employment.

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2.14. Slovak Chamber Of Commerce And Industry

Profile

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Slovak Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) is an independent representative of the market economy, which protects the interests of business subjects. SCCI supports their development and expansion within a national, European and global dimension, particularly by means of influencing the formation of the business environment. With traditional contacts to SMEs as well as craftsmanship organisations, SCCI has very strong potential to influence their activities. SCCI is in permanent contact with local and regional authorities due to the regional structure of SCCI. In each administrative region of Slovakia, SCCI has established well functioning regional offices which cooperate with cities and craftsmen. With its participation in the INNOCRAFTS project, SCCI involves SMEs and craftsmen, furnishes them with actual information and helps local authorities to create new projects of development for this important branch of the national economy. SCCI regularly organises workshops and seminars on current economic topics. SCCI participates in the exchange of experience, knowledge and know-how between the project partners on international level.

Abstract The current situation in the field of artistic crafts in Slovakia is not satisfying. Until now there has been a lack of common strategy or concept for the culture and ACC sector that would be accepted by a wide spectrum of stakeholders. Local cultural institutions show low efficiency and an organisational structure that is also rather fragmented. Artisans are represented by Slovak Chamber of Craftsmen (for individuals), Slovak Association of Craftsmen (for associations, unions ...) and specialised organisations (e.g. ÚLUV - The Centre for Folk Art Production). The fragmentation is also compounded by the inadequate and uncoordinated promotion of Slovak culture at home and abroad.

Other negative factors in the field of culture, arts and crafts are the inadequate vision of the role of ACC sector in the society, lack of funding, discontinuous development and absence of common attitude among local actors. Slovak Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) is one of the most important players in the Slovak economy and keeps regular contact with its partner institutions, including Slovak Chamber of Craftsmen and Slovak Association of Craftsmen. SCCI invites them to economic conferences and events which are related to arts, crafts and culture. Many small and medium sized enterprises, including artistic craftsmen, are also members of SCCI. SCCI provides advisory services and consultancies regarding access to finance from EU funds, information to the public about planned fairs and exhibitions or state presentations of folk artistic crafts abroad and enables the participation in these events. In the SCCI´s headquarters and in the offices of SCCI´s regional chambers, exhibition space is available for SCCI´s member companies, including craftsmen.

Also, there is possibility to disseminate their promotional materials such as brochures or newsletters, which are available to SCCI´s visitors.

Association ULUV is an independent organisation operating for more than 50 years under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic. Together with ULUV, SCCI strives to enforce the increase of budget for promotional and cultural activities, since it is not the imagination, ideas or effort that Slovak craftsmen are missing, but financial resources for their promotional activities abroad. Together with the Slovak Chamber of Craftsmen, SCCI has contributed to lower tax burden for craftsmen with small revenues (related to the consumption of electricity, coal and gas) and to lobby for the improvement of environment for entrepreneurs. Both institutions, SCCI and Slovak Chamber of Craftsmen, cooperate in the field of evaluation of specialised skills and issuing certificates for craftsmen.

One of the major strengths of Slovak culture is a very rich and diverse cultural heritage. Highly appreciated is the existing network of schools that offer a wide range of support of talented children and cultural awareness forming, particularly among young population. The strengths of the ACC sector also include a broad network of cultural institutions, promotion of culture through the limited granting system of the Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic, committed and enthusiastic people providing rich cultural life in the regions.

SCCI became involved in the INNOCRAFTS project in order to exchange knowledge, to become familiar with the experience in the field of arts and crafts of partners from neighboring countries, and to get information regarding the laws and regulations which are valid in other European countries in the ACC sector. SCCI expects to obtain inspiration, establish contacts with relevant institutions or begin closer cooperation in this sphere.

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Meetings between project partners contributed the acquisition of information from partners in other countries, concerning the arts and crafts sector - legislation, institutional background, methods and forms of support to individuals, etc. SCCI has gained a lot of new inspiring ideas and discussed particular experiences of partners within "Good Practices", and compared with our partners’ countries, has recognised strengths and weaknesses of the ACC sector in Slovakia. Based on the ongoing project, SCCI has proposed that Slovak institutions pay more attention and funds to this sector and to the development of historical and cultural heritage, and as a result a strategy for the development of culture of the Slovak Republic for the years 2014 – 2020 was adopted.

Among presented examples of Good Practices in the INNOCRAFTS project, the most suitable to our domestic conditions is an example presented under the topic Business Models and Business Support Services called Taito Business Services. This practice represents providing various types of services designed to support and help craft businesses and to bring solutions in these issues: educational activities, marketing, information and communication services, advisory services and consultancy.

In the case of SCCI it is possible to offer similar services (for a small fee) that would assist the craftsmen in the start-up phase of their entrepreneurship.

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During the INNOCRAFTS project, SCCI will contact responsible representatives of TAITO Group, to get familiar with their experiences gained through implementation of this good practice, to learn about the methodology and ways of realisation, but especially about any problems occurred during the implementation of these activities. SCCI would be glad to invite Finnish partners to Slovakia, in order to discuss the good practice, or could visit them in Finland, according to mutual agreement.

SCCI believes that this activity will enlarge the portfolio of services provided to SCCI´s member and non-member companies.

SCCI will inform the public, SMEs and craftspeople about new services on its website, in the monthly bulletin called Trade, Industry, Economy and through a database of collected contacts and during personal meetings with representatives of Slovak entrepreneurs as well as during participation in other events, conferences and workshops. This will ensure that new services could be provided immediately after the implementation of the project. The commencement of these services is estimated for year 2015. The technical assistance will be provided by SCCI staff personally, via email or skype. Time consuming or data intensive activities such as marketing research and analysis of products will be performed by an external consultant.

As follow-up activities concerning INNOCRAFTS project, SCCI will take the initiative and inform relevant institutions working in the field of culture (Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic, National Cultural Centre, ĂšLUV ...) about the outputs of the project, the practical examples (Good Practices) of other project partners and their experience and recommendations. SCCI will mediate invitations to events associated with the presentation of outputs and experiences and will also make available the project publications. SCCI will recommend to relevant Slovak institutions to pay more attention and increase resources in favor of arts and crafts. As main obstacles that might hinder this effort, SCCI has identified: lack of interest from the side of partner institutions, existence of other priorities which receive greater attention, lack of funds for promotional activities or participation in international events (conferences, trade fairs ...).

In the future, SCCI plans to join other European projects, mainly projects within INTERREG Europe, focused on support for small and medium sized enterprises in the ACC sector. SCCI has enough experience with the intermediation of participation in international exhibitions and trade fairs, with organisation of bilateral meetings and similar activities.

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2.15. Vaasa University of Applied Sciences

Profile

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Vaasa University of Applied Sciences (VAMK) offers education in technology, economics, international business, health care and social services. VAMK’s focus areas are the energy sector and combining entrepreneurship with internationalism. The Western Finland Design Centre MUOVA is a joint design research and development centre of VAMK, Aalto University and University of Vaasa. Its team is formed by experts in marketing, branding, design and communication. It promotes international competitiveness of SMEs, runs applied research and creates innovative methods using creativity & design such as CreaCIT, a project on creative elearning environment for product development and Creative Lab. MUOVA has a long experience in projects focusing in increasing SMEs’ competitiveness and in the crafts sector, such as eCIT, Creative e-learning environment for craft sector, ECE entrepreneurship education etc. Its competences include design-form knowledge supporting and improving the capacity for the design and management of incubators specifically targeted at the artistic craft sector and related facilities promoting and enabling entrepreneurship of young people.

MUOVA’s capacity to influence local and regional policies is strongly based on the core activity in line with the development policies and on connections to the local and regional economic life including the Craft Development Centre LOFTET and regional development networks.

Abstract The ACC sector has a solid base in the Finnish society. There is a strong tradition and culture of making things by hand. It is almost a part of the citizen skills and handicraft education is mandatory in the comprehensive school. At the same time basic handicraft skill is often related the artistic – self-expression. In the recent years the ecological and sustainable aspect of handicraft has become stronger also as an added value to the consumers and although not mass production prices; the handicraft products are still affordable to normal consumers. Many artistic crafts products are indeed linked to the everyday life.

Moreover the ICT development has provided interesting and good outcomes for the sector in a sparsely inhabited country.

However a series of weakness have been detected:

• • • • • • •

Target group – user-consumer thinking is weak since products tend to be made for their own pleasure and expression instead of investigating the needs of target groups Low profitability because production is not systematised and pricing policy is weak.

Hobby-like approach that sometimes makes difficult following deadlines or delivering according to the agreed (standardisation of quality).

Consumers’ vision that they could make crafts works by themselves (the downside of the pervasive handcraft skills among citizens) The development funding is strongly oriented to the technological sector The potential of the handcrafts value chain is not understood nor developed fully (e.g. education, tourism) Lack of cooperation between actors

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The challenges in entrepreneurship in the ACC sector still exist, e.g. the consumer orientation, profitability of the activity (including work organising, pricing, financing etc.), lack of entrepreneurship skills in the ACC sector, and the major investments to other sectors. Despite the fact that the ACC sector has been recently knitted to the creative sector and its development agendas, in Finland it partly suffers of an old-fashioned fame, and the lack of seeing opportunities of the ACC sector in wider contexts (value chains from the well-being sector to industry and culture), despite the hard and expert work done by the ACC sector experts in the country.

Handicraft is an integral part of design, its roots and the enabler of the realisation of high-level design outcomes. Therefore it is an essential part of the design’s value chain and network.

The Vaasa University of Applied Sciences’s participating unit MUOVA’s one core aims is to increase competitiveness by the means of design, especially that of the SMEs. This includes small companies, i.e. covering handicraft companies, creativity-innovation, enhancing and disseminating the design methods and results from them. Entreprise-entrepreneruship and innovation development are at the core of INNOCRAFTS as they are also at the core of Muova.

Due to the above mentioned situation, VAMK is interested transferring the following good practices: FUSE - design , Teixidors di Terrassa, entrepreneurship and design-ACC cooperation, and CRAFTed. However there are many good practices that VAMK finds interesting and will be considered for later further processing. VAMK has not yet transferred good practices or planned bilateral meetings for the transfer; this may occur during the following months of the project.

The best practice FUSE, the most ready to be adopted, is considered relevant since Muova has previously worked on combining design and handicraft in different projects and the practise can bring new dimensions. The best practice will be adapted increasing the background information of design methods and user orientation, and workshop activity and combining FUSE with learning projects related to multidisciplinary product development e.g. e-CIT (e-Craft Idea Tutor www. craftopolis.net), CreaCIT a virtual learning platform for product development (www.muova.fi/creacit or www.creativemejournal.eu), or CSF Creative Strategic Foresight (www.csf-studymodule.net).

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The expected impacts are:

• •

Transferring design methods and knowledge to the handicraft companies, developing further and obtain further information of the cooperation between design and handicraft.

Providing craftsmen with new alternatives and ideas of how to develop their own product and how designers can see their work. All this aims to positively influence the competitiveness of the handicraft companies

FUSE may be transferred in cooperation with the local (regional) Taito office Österbottens hantverk (shortly Loftet) that can provide deep handicraft knowledge and craftsmen while Muova can provide designers and marketing experts.

The good practice Teixidors di Terrassa answers to the rising issue of social design. It combines social responsibility, design and handicraft. It would have a high social value and at the same time employ craftsmen and other actors on the value chain.

The transfer of this GP would require more work and lobbying than FUSE. First of all an investigation on the potential sector and stakeholders discussions – engaging the other parties and the sector company should be performed. The transfer would require two different steps. This first one to aim to start up the whole activity and the second one to run the activity when the first phase is concluded.

However there is also the option to do small pilot projects as transfers that would assist in obtaining valuable information and cases for the proper start of the activity The best practice CRAFTed is interesting and feasible since VAMK has been working on education also related to handicraft (virtual, product development, multidisciplinary). In additionally CRAFTed again combines design and handicraft. As the art subjects are taught in the comprehensive school in Finland, this could well fit to the curriculum. CRAFTed may also provide an example on the usefulness and its broad applicability of handicraft in education and life and could support the Ministry of Education to keep handicraft hours in teaching.

Finland has had design ‘education’ (brief courses as projects) in the comprehensive school. In addition design is strongly integrated in the national policies, e.g. for competitiveness. Thus it may be beneficial to increase the design aspect as well. Experiences from design-craft-multidisciplinary product development learning material, such as e.g. e-CIT (e-Craft idea Tutor www.craftopolis.net) may be used too.

The concept of CRAFTed can be left as it is but naturally the selection of schools, lessons and craftsmen will influence on the content. The legal issues will be national. The transfer of the best practice will involve universities providing handicraft pedagogy education (Åbo Akademi in Vaasa and the University of Helsinki), and the national Taito handicraft association. It is probable that this would first start as a project and later hopefully become an ongoing event.

Overall the INNOCRAFTS project has provided interesting information of ACC related policy structures, multidisciplinary, SME state on e.g. innovation, and cooperation with the surrounding society. This information will continue to be transferred in VAMK activities and to its stakeholders.

VAMK is thus interested in continuing to develop the theme areas of the INNOCRAFTS project, including new openings to a wider context and perception of the sector, but also at the grassroots level, in EU projects as well, covering programs from various INTERREG – including the capitalisation, Education, Creative Europe. VAMK plans to participate in the European projects as lead partner or as a partner. The main focus will be in design-design methods, creativity-innovation, and SMEenterprise development including the ACC sector. Such projects as INNOCRAFTS , do not improve the partner’s activities only, but the outcomes can be disseminated to the region thus having a wider influence on the policies and development.

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3. Policy Recommendations to the EC for the promotion of artistic crafts: a strategic vision on the needs of the INNOCRAFTS partners

3. Policy Recommendations to the EC for the promotion of artistic crafts: a strategic vision on the needs of the INNOCRAFTS partners

Design, creativity and innovation are at the core of the Art&Craft and high-end business models.

European industries have successfully moved to creative, innovative and higher added value products and new business models to ensure their long-term competitiveness. The “International Charter of Artistic Craftsmanship”, signed and promoted in the frame of the INNOCRAFTS project and similar platforms in the art and crafts sector1, supports a more systematic use of design as a tool for user-centred and market-driven innovation. In addition, the project drew attention on the need to stimulate small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to adopt market-ready information and skilled work forces. Moreover, Art&Craft SMEs have traditionally shown strong geographical concentration in clusters. The existence of strong networks of customers, wholesalers, and middlemen, who may already have embraced the Internet, would likely stimulate the diffusion of new technologies within the cluster through imitation, motivation, and pressure.

The following recommendations are designed to help to exploit the possibilities of the Art&Craft sector to grow:

3.1 Product development and innovation

• Promote programs that focus on the transfer of innovation and R&D for ACC SMEs among

College and Universities.

• Disseminate good practices in matters of productive innovation and product design.

• Foster collaboration among Technological Centres, facilitating access to research at a European level and strengthening the interaction of traditional crafts and innovative research technologies • Promote multidisciplinary and co-enterprise activities to boost the innovation and creative spillovers to other sectors.

• Promote cross-cutting activities to develop the creative sector (with design, with higher education organisations, with companies, etc).

• Promote the acquisition of ICT to provide technological tools and contribute to the modernisation of the workshops.

1 “European Technology Platform for the Future of Textiles and Clothing” http://www.textile-platform.eu/

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3.2 Education, training and technical assistance

• Promote

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handicrafts vocational training including entrepreneurship in academic curricula from primary school teaching to university studies to guarantee the “baton change” in the industry to the next generation. The development of the formative programs through practical training should focus on young unemployed people, including knowledge transfer with the exchanges of students, experts and artisan craftsmen in Europe.

• Run a promotion campaign of the value of the crafts sector and the crafts professions, which will help regain interest in the vocational education and training.

• Facilitate the exchange and mobility of craftsmen with a mutual recognition of the professional qualifications acquired in the different countries in the crafts professions (apprentice, journeyman, master craftsman) and the documents certifying a qualification in the craftsmanship (journeyman and master certificate).

• Develop connection of the ACC firms with schools, universities schools of art, occupational centres with the aim to design and implement a consultancy and tutorship programme focusing on entrepreneurship, design and marketing. Consulting sessions should be designed for specific craftsmen needs (i.e. agile, fast, efficient) on themes such as business plans, marketing, communication, creativity, trade fair sales, window dressing and product display etc.

• Implement teamwork strategies for artisans and designers in short- and long-term tutoring sessions.

• Drawing up and implementing communication actions, in partnership with relevant stakeholders, raising awareness amongst young people about career pathways and opportunities in the fashion and high-end sectors, and promoting traditional skills and crafts.

• Creating a European Alliance for Apprenticeships to improve the quality and supply of apprenticeships across the EU and to change mindsets towards apprenticeship-type learning.

3.3 Access to market

• The creation of a specific program to promote the ACC sector in the EU, including the creation

of a European Trademark on ACC including a quality label, to promote innovation and design, to increase and improve display and identification of regional crafts in Europe, to improve and revitalize trade and distribution, and finally to offset social dumping.

• Apply a systematic support to arts and crafts companies to teach them the basics of communication, export and existing aid, often unrecognised.

• Promote sales and marketing at fairs, markets and craft exhibitions, in shops and online, to reduce the number of intermediaries in the distribution channels and to provide direct contact between producer and consumer.

• Assessing different policy options as regards an authenticity labelling system at EU level. The overview of potential impacts suggested action in the area of authenticity. Given this, the European Commission should launch an impact assessment with a view to a possible proposal on an authenticity leather labelling system at EU level.

• Promoting synergies with tourism in particular on: implementing initiatives to raise tourist awareness of Europe’s unique heritage, niche markets, local products and crafts.

3.4 Advocacy and institutional building

• Get a better definition and regulatory framework of the ACC and revise the administrative

and fiscal regulation to improve the business environment for ACC enterprises at European, National, Regional and local level. In particular a common framework, at EU level, on artistic crafts is needed. This framework should be included in the more general definition of “Cultural and creative industries” used by the European institutions • Harmonize and synchronize the Laws on Crafts within the European Union legal framework and with the national and regional legislation and regulations. To reach this objective a stronger cooperation/coalition building between Regional Authorities and cities is envisaged.

• Analyse what the ACC existing regulations are for each partner in order to increase information and research on the artisanal sector (definition of artisan and handicrafts, artisan accreditation and recognition of master craftsmen, the repertoire of existing trades, the different types of handicraft enterprises, the umbrella brand identity that includes labelling and designation of origin, among other items) • Develop a campaign that strengthens awareness of its relevance as part of the creative and cultural industry and preservation of cultural heritage as part of sustainable local development.

The campaign in media for the popularisation of modern crafts will build a modern image of craftsmanship with the aim of attracting young people to the crafts professions and of disseminating the values of handicrafts in order to encourage consumption and appreciation.

The campaign could include the establishment of a presentation of arts and crafts sector to the general public (eg European Artistic Craft Days).

• Seek partnerships with various related sectors: fashion, architecture, ecology, tourism, among others.

• Generate collective projects (training, business, sales and marketing) to prevent isolation and to show effective results from networking (physical and online) while also seeking more balance between territories (rural/urban).

• Preserve the heritage of handicrafts in endangered trades through the recording of the work process used (videos, publications) and in partnership with museums and interpretation centres.

• Strengthen the promotion measures for the crafts activities through EU programmes (such as Creative Europe and INTERREG) and the integration at programme level about funding programmes (e.g. between INTERREG and ERDF or ESF) • Simplify the rules and regulations for craftsmen who intend to take part in the European programmes and projects financed from EU structural funds related to the promotion, education, and vocational training of craftsmen. Programmes have extremely burdensome application and approval procedures and also payment under those programmes is made past the date of completion of the activities, which additionally prevents some of the candidates from applying for those programmes, as it requires a serious initial investment.

• Development of a social security system for artisans to protect again volatility of selling volume and guarantee long term income, since in some countries the choice or the crafts could lead to the absence of a pension.

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3.5 Access to finance

• Facilitated access to loans, risk capital and grants to ACC firms.

• Develop a financing tool directed at increasing productivity

and innovation, thus competitiveness and international visibility, brand and reputation building.

• Develop an ACC market shares system to promote smooth turn over of ACC firms and the entry of young persons in established firms.

• Reduce administrative burdens to access financial support (grants and concessional loans), including financial support foreseen in European Union projects.

• Providing counter-guarantees and other risk-sharing arrangements for guarantee schemes and direct guarantees by the Loan Guarantee Facility for Growth (LGFG).

• Exploring the way the existing LGFG could be used to share the risk of SME exports at EU level, taking into account state aid rules and the market gap justifying additional EU support.

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4

Conclusions Rosy Greenlees

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4.

CONCLUSIONS

Rosy Greenlees

Executive Director British Crafts Council

4.1 Introduction INNOCRAFTS is an Interreg IVC funded programme working with partners across Europe with the overall objective of improving the effectiveness of regional policies and instruments in support of craft.

I am delighted to have been asked to write this external assessment and conclusion for what has clearly been a major initiative in developing craft policy.

My conclusion will do three things. First, I will consider the extent to which the project achieved its objectives; second, to consider some of the themes emerging from this project; and third, to outline a small number of areas that could be considered further or provide the basis for a second project building on this existing evaluation.

The fourteen partners of the INNOCRAFTS project reflect the full breadth of craft in Europe. The the majority represent cities from Riga to Barcelona and Florence to Burgas whilst others are area based organisations including the Crafts Council of Ireland and the Regional Association of Municipalities in Bulgaria. These partners represent both long term members of the EU and more recent joiners.

The spread of membership across Europe is fairly even although there is less representation from north and northwest Europe and in some countries – Bulgaria and France - there is more than one partner.

There is also diversity across types and structures of organisation ranging from the sole University partner, Vaasa University of Applied Sciences, to business and enterprise organisations, for example, Budapest Enterprise Agency or the Chamber of Commerce of Barcelona and government authorities – Reims City Council and the Municipality of Florence. Some are focussed entirely on craft, for example, the National Institute of Arts and Crafts and some are engaged in a much wider brief, for example, Vilnius Old Town Renewal Agency.

The language used, and forms of craft, promoted by each of the partners range across a continuum from the folk and heritage craft of Riga, Burgas or Andalucia through to the artisan craft of Florence

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to the contemporary craft of Ireland and ultimately to the design craft of Finland and Barcelona.

The means of delivery ranges from UNESCO World Heritage sites to creative and cultural incubation units. Accordingly the craft participants vary from artisans and professional craftspeople through to unemployed women or young people seeking retraining and a job.

It is an encouraging list of partners because it demonstrates the breadth of interest engaged in supporting and developing the craft sector in Europe. However, it also raises issues for identifying shared objectives and good practice or indeed a shared set of definitions of craft.

4.2. INNOCRAFTS objectives The Innocraft project’s main aim can be broken down into three key objectives 1. To promote entrepreneurship and business creation 2. To improve the effectiveness of regional/local development policies 3. To share and exchange information, good practice and examples A considerable amount of activity has taken place over the life of the project and the reports describe a very active and engaged group of partners. On the evidence given in these reports is it possible to assess the extent to which the INNOCRAFTS project successfully addressed its objectives?

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To promote entrepreneurship and business creation There is a very strong focus on this area of activity with a wide range of examples shared amongst the partners. This is perhaps to be expected given the strong representation of enterprise and business organisations. For example, for the Budapest Enterprise Agency the driver is for competitiveness.

The needs of craftspeople in this area are clearly identified - business skills, networking and access to funding and the mechanisms to address this are fully explored.

However, the areas I would emphasise are that of growth and scalability in the sector and access to markets.

Governments can often prioritise investing in high growth industries which give good economic returns making it difficult for local and regional agencies to argue their case for craft. Craft is not a sector with a small number of large companies liable to high growth rather it is a plethora of small enterprises and sole practitioners which collectively have the potential to grow. The arguments to address this with government are not yet fully explored.

Secondly, whilst there is potential for growth makers are often constrained by their reluctance to scale up. They may focus on the making rather than accepting the wider tasks integral to a business.

This coupled with a lack of confidence to employ staff is a challenge to growth.

Access to markets is also a key to successful businesses. Many of the examples here rely on local markets albeit often composed of tourists. Where there is the opportunity to trade internationally there have been challenges in, for example, the need to adapt products to an extent that they lose

their integrity or that the cost of time to develop a new market is impractical.

Is there a fundamental contradiction in craft businesses scaling up? Are they by definition small?

What arguments can we use to ensure governments and other policymakers recognise their value?

It is clear that business models and services are more complex when considered in a European context. For example, of the models considered transferable; only two provided ongoing business support; whilst the other three gave financial support or access to work space in a specified time and place. In the case of Taito and the National Confederation for Artisans, Professions and Services the emphasis is on training and professional development and in the other models, for example, Oltrarno Call, the support is for access to physical or financial resources.

Finally, an assessment of the lifespan of craft businesses would be an interesting exercise to consider.

In the UK the births and deaths of craft businesses compares favourably with other business sectors – what would it look like in a European context and would this be available or useful data in understanding the needs of craft?

To improve the effectiveness of regional/local development policies An ambition within the project has been to strengthen the policy capacity of the partners. It asks: how can local implementation plans enable cooperation both on a horizontal level across local government and at a vertical level from the local to the European?

There are some useful references in the evaluation to how this might work in the support of innovation in craft. However, this objective is a more difficult one to assess within the timescale of the project.

Improving regional and local development policies is a long term objective and the efficacy of this work will not be apparent for some time.

It is clear that most partners have identified other models of practice they wish to consider further.

Here, the question is whether those partners do indeed adopt those models and secondly whether those models are appropriate and deliver results for the partner. What are the criteria by which a partner would deem success – should there be a shared understanding of what those criteria might be?

Furthermore, is adopting a model enough? What are the strategic approaches that can embed the principles of these models in policy work? Whilst the partners can deliver much themselves what strategic or policy measures do they want from others? For example, the Slovak Chamber of Commerce has lobbied to reduce the tax burden on craftspeople.

A more detailed set of recommendations of how to improve the effectiveness of regional and local development policies emerging from the project might be a useful next step.

Sharing good practice There is a very strong evidence base for this. The wide range of examples of good practice is a

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fascinating picture of craft and small business development in Europe. All project members shared examples of their own models and most identified other models they planned to adopt or explore further. A quick analysis of the partners’ choice of models as identified in the evaluation shows that the Crafts Council of Ireland’s initiative FUSE, which brings makers and designers together was a model which half of them identified and its education project Crafted was jointly second along with Florence’s Vecchio Conventino project. Improving design skills and the passing of craft skills is clearly of pressing concern to at least some of the partners. This may reflect the stronger representation of heritage craft where there is concern about the loss of traditional skills and where design skills are not necessarily implicit.

The challenge of identifying transferable models is addressed in the evaluation; rather identifying the driving principle is the key to a successful transfer of expertise. Whilst a number of models are cited against the project strands a more detailed assessment of these against shared criteria would have been interesting to really interrogate the success of these models. This would have helped in understanding why certain models were popular and deemed successful and what was the driving principle that could be transferred.

4.3. Emerging themes

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A clear set of themes were identified as areas for exploration by the partners and are fully addressed in the evaluation reports. However there are some other issues less prominent that I wish to comment on here.

Passing on of skills As already mentioned the Crafted and the Vecchio Conventino projects were both popular models with the partners which demonstrate different approaches to the passing of skills and nurturing of a new generation of craftspeople and appreciators of craft.

The first being about the passing of time honoured traditions onto another generation. This is, in part, a much wider cultural issue: that of intangible heritage and the need for countries to conserve and maintain their traditions. Florence, Riga and Bratislava are all engaged with programmes where young people are being trained and skilled up in these traditional crafts.

Secondly, there is the nurturing of creativity and making skills to seed the passion and love of craft in young children. Here there is a broader strategy of creating new appreciators of craft as much as new professionals. The Crafted project reflects this ambition as does Burgas Municipality which has created a youth organisation encouraging new approaches and innovation in craft.

We need to encourage a wider understanding and appreciation of making and craft in our society because this provides a positive operating context in which arguments for retaining those traditions as well as the funding and support are more likely to be well received.

Craft as a cultural and social driver Craft can have both cultural and social impact as well as driving economic value.

Cultural activity is about a wider appreciation and demonstration of civil society. Its value is intrinsic.

The structures for delivery are in subsidised museums and galleries, festivals or heritage centres. For example, in Riga the driver is to engender a new generation of artisans and to sustain their heritage but the commercial value is in tourism which in turn is supporting makers’ businesses.

Similarly, projects that have a strong social driver are seeking to provide employment and purpose for target groups. Here the imperative is meaningful and sustainable employment and craft is the vehicle to achieve this. Conversely this model can sustain craft traditions and making. The Public Foundation the Legacy of al-Andalus is using its heritage to address job creation and local and rural development particularly amongst women and young people. In the case of Teixidors de Terrassa people with learning difficulties are benefiting from employment and improved motor skills.

This is arguably a very different way of sustaining craft making compared with business support for professional crafts people or artisans where the driver is more economic. In which case whilst these socially driven models can be considered as job creation can they be considered in the overall strategy to promote entrepreneurship?

Designer v craftsperson A strong theme in the evaluation is the need to improve the design skills of craftspeople – at least in the traditional and heritage crafts. It is important to note that craftspeople can be as creative and have the aesthetic acuity as any designer if trained appropriately. And that this relationship must be equal and reciprocal.

Craftspeople can provide skills and expertise to designers as well as to other markets. There is a huge potential for craft to have spill over value into other sectors. Promoting the craftsperson and the value they bring to other industries whether, for example, in fashion, design or architecture is one that could be exploited further because this is where innovation thrives. Business incubators such as those developed by the Development Agency of Latvia or the RAM Central Stara Planina which promotes craft as part of the creative industries provide the potential for such exchange.

It would also be interesting to explore where the exchange of design skills and thinking could be enabled between craftspeople. Successful craftspeople themselves could be supporting and mentoring their peers. How might the networks discussed in the evaluation enable this?

Place-making Craft and makers have a great deal to contribute to place-making. Whether it is the use of sites of historical importance, for example, where traditional craft has been manufactured - or areas that require regeneration.

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Cities such as Riga and Reims have focussed on the craft centre – a physical building or place - as a means to provide profile and business for makers at the same time generating cultural activity and tourism. Similarly, the Centre International d’Art Verrier in Meisenthal is an interesting example of where a very strong tradition of making is integral to the project combining contemporary glass making alongside its heritage.

There is also the craft product itself that speaks of a specific place. The Empremtes de Catalunya produces and designs work in an area where handicraft production is a historical tradition. In Troyan the National Exhibition of Arts and Crafts has become the biggest tourist attraction of the region promoting local craft in the context of a major religious festival.

And there is the use of craft businesses to assist in urban regeneration. In Vilnius Old Town the promotion of traditional craft assists in the development of its historic urban landscape and the town of Colle Val d’Elsa is revitalising its urban heritage through crystal.

4.4. Areas for future consideration

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Digital technology is now well and truly embedded in our lives and it is widely used by craftspeople.

The marketing of craft combining a physical presence in a locality with digital access to a global market has huge potential for the sector. This could be an important foundation for the development of international markets. It is clear from the project that international work is slow burn and costly.

The impact of such projects is difficult to measure and takes time to build up a customer base.

Using digital technology across all platforms – social media, blogging, websites etc - to promote and profile work has huge potential to be explored further.

Similarly, there is the potential use of digital technology to network amongst craftspeople and to share knowledge and expertise, informally amongst each other, but also formally through the provision of training and business advice and tools as evidenced in the Taito and Barcelona projects.

An assessment of the needs of craftspeople in digital provision, marketing and branding would help drive a wider market for their products.

Education This is of paramount importance because without the next generation of makers we will have no craft. The emphasis by some partners on education and training is clear. The question of routes into the sector is one which would merit further investigation – how an apprenticeship could be developed that meets the needs of craftspeople in the 21st century and how these work for small businesses and micro enterprises. What sort of education do we need our craftspeople to have?

How craft is being, and should be, taught in our schools across Europe is a fundamental question

identified within the evaluation.

These are big issues which clearly could not be addressed in the current project but are ones that need answers for the future of craft.

Measuring the sector There is considerable diversity across the partners in respect of information and data about the sector. We know that the size of businesses, breadth of operating structures – as demonstrated in this project – lead to a fragmentation of the craft sector which doesn’t help data collection.

Some partners are clearly very robust in their collection, knowledge and analysis of the sector. For example, the National Institute of Arts and Crafts has carried out a very detailed assessment of the crafts in their country and Bistrita Municipality has identified the need to create a database as a direct result of its participation in the INNOCRAFTS project.

Of course such work may not be within the remit or resources of the partner. However it would provide an important and useful picture to understand what is happening to the sector and a baseline from which to measure the impact of various policies and actions by local and regional development agencies.

I would argue that this basic information is crucial for all countries to be able to understand the craft sector and to make the case for support. The INNOCRAFTS network is a good platform for knowledge transfer - sharing data and the tools - to conduct research in this area.

4.5. Conclusion The energy and diversity of activity which is apparent in the INNOCRAFTS project is evidence of a very positive and successful project. Working across such a breadth of partners could have been a major obstacle and it is inevitable that some organisations may have benefited more than others from the programmes.

It is clear that identifying transferable models and the common principles and drivers that can assist in developing those local and regional development policies is difficult. However, the key themes of the INNOCRAFTS initiative are central to the success of the craft sector and it is clear that each partner has a rich supply of material and good practice to take from the project.

The challenge now is for each of the partners to take that knowledge and expertise and strengthen their policies to ensure the future of a vibrant and sustainable craft sector. I both congratulate them on the success of INNOCRAFTS and wish them well in implementing the learning they have taken from the project.

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DISCLAIMER Neither the European Commission nor any person acting on behalf of the European Commission is responsible for the use which might be made of the information contained in this publication. Any information given does not necessarily reflect the official position of the European Commission. In this regard, it should be made noted that the information provided is considered to be of a preliminary nature and users should contact the competent authorities and other public or private organisations for the more detailed information or for advice on particular courses of action.

CREDITS This publication is a result of collaborative work of INNOCRAFTS project staff Edited by Municipality of Florence and INNOCRAFTS partners Photos and graphic elaboration by ANCI Tuscany Visual design Marcello Bucci, Osman Bucci, Sandro Bartoletti October 2014

NOTES

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