On July 13th, ARC Fund hosted an event at its offices where European Union supported actions to strengthen the creative industries were presented. The event included a walk-though of the ‘How To Grow’ platform, the culmination of the efforts of the BCreative project. This project is funded through the Europe Innova Initiative of the European Commission under the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP). The platform provides online business support tools for those in the creative industries, including information on ‘getting finance’, ‘building networks’, and ‘gaining knowledge’, and is also the host for the platform of the European Creative Industries Alliance. This alliance is a policy initiative of the European Commission aimed at exchanging best practices in the support of the creative industries. It also includes eight concrete actions, four of which include the design and implementation of innovation vouchers to help bridge the gap between the creative industries and traditional industries, as well as to provide business support services to creative industries companies. Another two actions focus on access to finance, as well as two actions focusing on the improvement of cluster management in the creative industries.
In addition, the Boosting European Games Industry (BOO-Games) project was showcased. This project aims to support regional public authorities in understanding the importance of the digital games industry, and will suggest mechanisms through which it can be supported. Various types of support will be assessed within the project, including public funding schemes, private investment incentives, talent incubation and cluster development. These instruments will be paired with regional needs, which were identified through interviews and surveys with those working in the field. Study visits will be conducted for public authorities in regions where digital gaming support is strong. Additionally, a guide with identified good practices and an integration plan will be developed in order to streamline the integration of these practices into the target regions.
