MAPPING THE CULTURAL AND CREATIVE INDUSTRIES WILL PROVIDE IMPORTANT INFORMATION ON THEIR CONTRIBUTION AND NEEDS

A national mapping of the cultural and creative industries (CCIs) is taking place in the Czech Republic this year and next. In practice, these are two multi-year calls supported by the National Regeneration Plan under the Cultural and Creative Sector Development component managed by the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic.

The main objective is to revitalise the sector after a period of pandemic crisis. The outputs of the research projects will serve as a source of information on the structure and needs of the sector in the future. They are intended to be used both by the regions when formulating strategic materials and by the Ministry of Culture when optimising its subsidy programmes and when looking for further possibilities of supporting these sectors from EU funds.

In 2022-2023, the Ministry of Culture has launched two separate grant calls to support multi-year research projects. The first call involved all 14 regions of the Czech Republic with projects mapping cultural and creative sector actors operating in the respective regions. The second grant call involved 12 entities, sectoral and professional associations, and research institutes with projects mapping the sector from the perspective of individual industries. Almost CZK 40 million were distributed in both calls. Partial outputs from the mapping are published continuously by individual researchers, and the Ministry of Culture will continue to work with the data and documents after the completion of the supported research projects in mid-2025. They can become the argumentative support for the introduction of new forms of support for cultural and creative industries, both at the state level, regional strategies, and European subsidy programmes.

“Methodological guidance and regular coordination meetings with the research teams are important for the successful course of the mapping. The nearest meeting with representatives of the regions is scheduled for 22 October, which should be followed by a meeting with the researchers of the sectoral mapping on 5 November,” says Zuzana Zahradníčková, Director of the Department of Arts, Libraries and Creative Industries at the Ministry of Culture.

“Although the aforementioned grant calls are part of the implementation of the National Regeneration Plan, we see the collection of data on the creative sector as an activity we want to continue in the future. Similarly, we would like to continue to work more closely with the researchers of individual projects and the Czech Statistical Office,”

adds Zahradníčková.

In addition to the regional authorities, regional mapping projects are also implemented by some organisations mandated by the region, such as Kreativní Praha (Creative Prague), Jihočeský vědeckotechnický park (South Bohemian Science and Technology Park), Ostravská univerzita (University of Ostrava) or Technologické inovační centrum Zlín (Technological Innovation Centre Zlín). Projects under sectoral mapping are implemented by professional associations or research institutes. They cover nine areas - Books and Publishing, Music, Film and Video, Television and Radio, Game Development, Architecture, Advertising, Design, and Event Industry. Researchers include the Prague University of Economics and Business, Masaryk University, the Technical University of Ostrava, the Association of Commercial Television, the Association of Communication Agencies, and the National Information and Advisory Centre for Culture (NIPOS).

The mapping is divided into a uniform quantitative part and a qualitative part, which can be supplemented by the specifics of individual research areas. The output will be a set of analytical materials on the state and needs of companies and associations of entrepreneurs in CCIs so that the state can get a more accurate picture of the number, size, benefits, and needs of these industries. The quantitative analyses of the individual areas will be complemented by aggregated economic data prepared for the purpose of the project by the Czech Statistical Office. The qualitative research will focus on the development and innovation potential of companies not only in the fast-growing technological areas but also on the expectations regarding the competencies of recent school graduates. Emphasis will also be placed on estimating future trends and new opportunities and threats in CCIs.

“As members of the Cultural and Creative Industries Section of the Czech Chamber of Commerce, we have been striving for the implementation of a nationwide mapping for several years. While some professional associations already conduct their industry surveys, we now have an exceptional opportunity to conduct a comprehensive mapping of this disparate and dynamically developing segment of the economy according to uniform criteria for the first time. Equally important for us is the awareness-raising dimension, because unfortunately, we still encounter the fact that few people imagine the whole diverse range of business entities under the acronym CCIs,"

adds Marie Fianová, Chairwoman of the Cultural and Creative Industries Section of the Czech Chamber of Commerce, which brings together most of the researchers of the national mapping.

Details of the research are available on the website of the joint platform of project researchers: mapovani-KKO.cz where respondents from some areas can directly fill in the questionnaire.

What is the cultural and creative sector?

The cultural and creative sector (CCS) is an ecosystem consisting of for-profit and not-for-profit, public and private entities, encompassing both the production and distribution of cultural and creative assets. These are areas at the intersection of arts and culture as well as business and technology.

We define CCS as areas with activities based on cultural values or artistic and other individual or collective creative expressions. This may include activities involving the development, creation, production, dissemination, or preservation of goods and services that represent cultural, artistic, or other creative expressions. Similarly, it may involve related activities in the field of education or management. All of the above have the potential to create innovation and jobs, in particular through the creation of intellectual property. Indicative examples of sub-sectors include architecture, archives, libraries and museums, artistic crafts, audiovisual, cultural heritage, design, festivals, music, literature, performing arts, books and publishing, radio, and visual arts.

What are the cultural and creative industries?

We define cultural and creative industries (CCI) as economic activities within the cultural and creative sector that use the talents and skills of citizens and are based on cultural values or artistic expressions. Cultural and creative industries include those cultural and creative sector actors that are not primarily dependent on public resources, i.e. are more than 50% financially self-sufficient. The cultural and creative industries serve, among other things, to create wealth mainly using intellectual property. Creativity is a key input, not an item to be resold. Nevertheless, distribution chains are an essential part of the development of CCIs and are an associated activity (Strategy for the Development and Promotion of Cultural and Creative Industries, Ministry of Culture, 2021).

Source: culturenet.cz