International Competitive Projects
CresCine – Increasing the international competitiveness of the film industry in small European markets (2023-2026)
IRMO is one of the 26 partners in the consortium that will jointly work on a Horizon Europe project CRESCINE that aims to, through its research and other activities, contribute to increasing the competitiveness of the film industry across small countries in Europe and improve the international circulation of films and audio-visual content coming from small markets in Europe. This three-year scientific research project (Research and Innovation Action – RIA), coordinated by Lusófona University in Portugal, brings together the academic community and the film industry. It is oriented to direct cooperation with the film community and towards making policy recommendations to improve the work of the European film industry. CRESCINE aims not only to enhance the competitiveness of the European film industry but also to enhance its cultural diversity. This will be achieved by understanding, engaging with, empowering, and ultimately transforming the small markets in Europe, through research and piloting in 7 countries (Belgium (Flanders), Croatia, Estonia, Lithuania, Denmark, Ireland, and Portugal). Due to their “smallness”, obstacles and drivers of film activities in these markets are more clearly visible and should also be considered in other countries that are not included in the research. To increase the competitiveness of the EU film industry, CRESCINE will systematically address the whole film production, distribution, and consumption ecosystem. Through the conducted analyses and the created new tools, it aims to contribute to the creation of an innovative approach at all levels of the value chain, from policies to ways of data management and analytics, production business models, and modes of distribution. The project will develop novel tools, methods, and strategic approaches that all build on the concept of smallness and the positive affordances it entails for the overall competitiveness of the European film industry. CRESCINE will address all expected outcomes through the lens of the selected European small film markets that stand for the majority of film markets in the European Union. CRESCINE will establish an innovative model of analysis and evidence collection across the value chain that is framed by cutting-edge data analytical models and comparative benchmarks promulgated in light of the best available evidence. The findings will lead to innovative solutions and testing of new tools, policies, business models or financing schemes, and green strategies. These activities feed the overall impact of the project and its ability to present new tools, recommendations, and guidelines to the film industry and exploit results that will enable the transformation of not only the film industry in small European markets but also beyond.
CRESCINE is organized into eight work packages (WPs) which are mutually interconnected in an iterative process having as a common denominator the focus on the challenges and affordances of six exemplary small European film ecosystems that represent seven small European countries. The first work package (WP1) deals with project management, while the second work package (WP2) tackles the overall project data pool. The third work package (WP3) will provide a comparative analysis of the film market, while WPs 5 to 7 will focus on the dynamics across the value chain and users’/viewers’ preferences. The fourth work package (WP4) will identify and pilot innovative, scalable, and sustainable business models, while the WP8 will exploit the results from previous WPs and propose recommendations for further developments while also disseminating the results of the project.
The project consortium includes: Lusófona University, Portugal (project coordinator); Storytek Innovation Lab, Estonia; SOGOFIF, France; Tallinn University, Estonia; CINETOSCOPIO, Portugal; Aarhus University, Denmark; Aarhus Kommune, Denmark; Munster Technological University (MTU), Ireland; Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT), Ireland; Institute for Development and International Relations – IRMO, Croatia; Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Belgium; Baltic Film and Creative Tech Cluster (BFCT), Lithuania; Zaisan B.V. (Europechain), Netherlands; DAIN Studios, Germany; Lumiere Publishing, Netherlands; European Film Academy (EFA), Germany.
The project consortium will benefit from the work of several associated partners that include professional associations and other stakeholders from the industry, both from Europe and the USA: Cine-Regio (Belgium), Fonden Creative Business CUP (Denmark), Screen Producers Ireland (Ireland), European Film Agency Directors – EFAD, Animation Ireland (Ireland), Europe Analytica Limited (UK), Online Film Financing – OLFFI, International Cinema Technology Association (USA). From Croatia, the associated project partners are Zagreb Film Festival and Propeler Film.
MTaV - More than a Village – Interreg Centar Europe (2023-2026)
In Central Europe, approximately 30% of people live in rural regions. Therefore, the quality of life of nearly one-third of the people in Central Europe depends on the quality and level of rural development, as well as the conditions for development of rural SMEs. In this respect, regardless of the country, most rural areas within Central Europe are still lagging behind and suffering from a variety of problems such as low levels of entrepreneurship and digitalization, the outflow of mainly young residents, and the aging population. The objective of the “More than a Village” project is to test and develop different models of a smart village in the Central Europe region context that will increase the attractiveness of rural areas and create favorable conditions for local businesses. By exploiting the potential of rural regions, the project will aim to create new jobs, stabilize the rural population, and strengthen the economic resilience of non-urban areas. The project’s innovation lies in the innovativeness of its smart village approach which is still not widespread in Central Europe. The main project’s outputs are: 1) a joint strategy on smart village transition, followed by action plans for selected territories, 2) three pilot actions consisting of testing different smart village models, 3) joint solutions to be applied in rural areas in CE and beyond.
The direct beneficiaries of these outputs are small businesses, local communities, local authorities, active NGOs, local action groups, and other stakeholders, who will benefit from smart village instruments to improve the attractiveness and competitiveness of rural areas. Problems related to improving attractiveness and development in rural areas are complex and specific to all 5 countries participating in the project (PL, HU, SI, HR, and IT). Therefore, transnational cooperation will help to exchange experience and find joint solutions.
platEU - European Union Policies and the Platformisation of Cultural and Audio-visual Sectors (2020-2022)
IRMO was the coordinator of this two-year Jean Monnet project that promotes discussion and reflection on the role that European Union policies have on the online platforms impacting cultural and audio-visual sectors. The project was implemented through events, research, and dissemination: a five-day postgraduate course on policies related to the platformisation of cultural and audiovisual sectors in the EU, a masterclass on the role that the European Union plays for audiovisual platforms, and lecture/debates on the European dimension of the (creative) platform economy. In the project’s events, the emphasis was put on the active participation of the students and young professionals, enabling them to encounter various stakeholders (e.g. policy-makers, and experts) for in-depth discussion and reflection. To provide for the decentralization of activities, the planned events were organized with local project partners in Dubrovnik, Rijeka, Zadar, and Zagreb. Project ‘platEU’ aimed to ensure the better position of the EU digital and cultural policies research in the curricula of existing and future programs, and to kindle interest in digital culture in Europe. The research stream of the project was dedicated to the development of open-access policy briefs and the publication of the special issue of a scientific journal. The outputs served as educational materials on EU digital policy issues, in the framework of the existing European studies and cultural and media policy programmes.
Rapids and backwaters. Adapting fast and slow to a digital cultural turn (2020-2023)
Digitalization affects all fundamental elements of cultural production and economy: cultural producers, supply and demand for cultural products, as well as various regulatory measures, through subsidies, legislation or other types of cultural policy influence. Digitization of content, digital tools and digital distribution have changed the field of cultural production. The threshold for the creation and distribution is lowered, and the input costs for the production and/or distribution of cultural content are very low owing to cheap and widely available digital technology. Such a development can be seen as a threat to professionalism or as a democratic blessing that allows everyone to get involved and share their creativity at a low cost. Cultural production increasingly includes an element of self-promotion and reputation economy, but we lack insight into how and to what extent these changes affect cultural workers, and knowledge about the professional strategies of artists and cultural workers in this situation. Digitization of culture affects the choices of ‘users’ of culture who make their choices through the act of clicking. The consequences for actual consumption patterns and for business models and cultural policies that must be linked to these patterns are not clear.
Since the basic logic of cultural policy and copyright is based on analog and/or material production and distribution of cultural expressions, digitization represents a challenge for cultural policy in general, and for copyright in particular. Copyright and intellectual property rights in general are increasingly an integral part of such policies. Cultural policy is inevitably oriented towards value, identifying market failures, ensuring production, subsidizing distribution and consumption, ensuring the creation, dissemination and appreciation of cultural value. The mix of values contained in any cultural policy varies according to the national model of such a policy and the prevailing political ideology, but it usually consists of economic and non-economic values. In short, the main difference between the cultural policy systems consists in the strength of the market distrust of the production and dissipation of quality culture. This means that cultural policy and cultural production are characterized by a double set of values, because cultural products are both goods and symbolic objects that have an economic as well as a cultural value.
The project aimed to investigate how digitization affects different types of value generation in the field of cultural production, as well as how legislation and regulation – copyright and cultural policy – have adapted to digital production and distribution of culture. The main research questions posed by the project were how have producers and policy makers adapted to digital transformation, in what ways has digitization affected the creation of value and income streams for cultural workers, and what changes would need to be made in the copyright system and in cultural policies in general to adapt to the new reality that resulted from the digital transformation of the sector and society. To answer these questions, the project combined analysis of policy, economics and practice through five integrated work packages.
Innovations in sustainable tourism of EUSAIR for TSG4 (2020-2022)
The project deals with monitoring the process of development of innovations in sustainable tourism through the implementation of projects in the area of EUSAIR with the creation of recommendations for EUSAIR. Annual reports follow innovations in the establishment of tourism policy at the EUSAIR level, i.e. innovations that imply destination management, and the coherence and synergy of the impact of innovations on the tourism industry in problem areas:
- Innovation and innovative processes in the market positioning and promotion of sustainable tourism of EUSAIR destinations: a) trends and users – innovations in research and access to users; b) new technologies in the function of visibility and promotion;
- Innovation and innovative processes in the management of EUSAIR destinations – in planning and stimulation of: a) structural content of destinations – sustainable use, evaluation, presentation, and interpretation of natural and cultural attractions; b) infrastructure contents of destinations (accommodation, hospitality, traffic, information contents, applied new technologies…), c) supporting contents of destinations (activities in destinations); d) relations with the local community (participatory and interactive models of cooperation…)
- Planning and stimulation of innovative processes of development of business models and products of sustainable tourism in the area of EUSAIR: a) innovations in the field of entrepreneurial initiatives and the development of companies ; b) innovations in the field of product development; c) innovations in technological support for business models; d) innovations in tourism education.
The goal of the project was to systematize knowledge in the field of innovation in tourism to connect it with the topic of innovation in other thematic areas of EUSAIR, conducive to the innovative development of the entire area.
Results include the development of guidelines with recommendations for innovations in the establishment of tourism policy.
ForHeritage: Excellence for integrated heritage management in Central Europe (2020-2022)
The project deals with the application of specific innovative models of heritage revitalization (e.g. integrated management plans, citizens’ involvement, financial instruments, public-private partnership, circular economy) to specific locations. These models were developed in the framework of previous projects financed under the Interreg CE program (specifically RESTAURA, FORGET HERITAGE, IFISE, CLIC), but it was not possible to apply them. Through a top-down approach, they were applied throughout this project. The most important aspect of heritage revitalization that the project deals with is the socio-economic management of cultural assets, aiming to increase the management capacities of responsible local stakeholders. 8 partners from 4 countries participated in the project: Croatia, Italy, Poland, and Slovenia, with one local/regional unit of local self-government participating in each country, alongside another organization. From Croatia, in addition to IRMO, the City of Rijeka also participates in the project. Application of the results exclusively at the local level has so far proven to be lower than expected, and it is thus that transnational cooperation through this project showed more significant results. IRMO’s role: head of work package T1 – revision and harmonization of existing tools (Manual for capitalizing this knowledge) and creation of a manual for their transfer (E4H toolset), which were applied in pilot actions. The project aimed to systematize the knowledge from previous projects financed through the Interreg CE program and apply it in pilot actions in the 4 project countries. The purpose of the project was to fill the gap in the area of socio-economic management of heritage that is present in most of the countries of Central Europe, which was achieved through specific pilot actions or educational activities. Project results include the development of tools for the effective socio-economic management of cultural assets that were implemented through specific pilot actions in 4 locations. In addition, a series of regional and national educational courses in the field of sustainability of cultural heritage were planned. The expected effect in this sense can be seen in a larger number of cultural heritage buildings managed according to the principles of sustainability.
SoPHIA – Social Platform for Holistic Heritage Impact Assessment (2020-2021)
SoPHIA – Social Platform for Holistic Heritage Impact Assessment´ aimed to contribute to the discussion on the adequacy of the standing models of impact assessment in cultural heritage, and contribute to the introduction of more advanced and coherent models that will foster sustainability based on holistic and multi-domain approaches. Considering the lack of shared standards for the holistic impact assessment, SoPHIA consortium activities included: a) an extensive review of the impact assessments, research, policies, and best practices related to interventions undertaken in the European historical environment and cultural heritage and identify gaps and main issues related to the impact assessment of interventions on cultural heritage; b) developing a model for holistic impact assessment of interventions on cultural heritage encompassing four interconnected domains – social, cultural, economic, and environmental; c) producing a toolkit for heritage practitioners and professionals, useful for implementing the SoPHIA model; d) drawing guidelines for operational programs and public policies and policy briefs with recommendations to support the EU’s future action for implementing and disseminating a shared standard for holistic impact assessment (in the European historical environment and cultural heritage). SoPHIA consortium members include Università degli Studi Roma Tre (UNIROMA3), Italy(consortium coordinator); Interarts Foundation for International Cultural Cooperation (INTERARTS), Spain; Stichting European Museum Academy (EMA), the Netherlands; Institute of Cultural Policy and Cultural Management (EDUCULT), Austria; National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), Greece; Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design & Technology (IADT), Ireland; and the Institute for Development and International Relations (IRMO), Croatia.
BorderPass – Promoting Cross-border Tourism by Tailor-made ICT Solutions (2018-2019)
The project focused on the border regions in the Danube macro-region (Austria, Croatia, and Hungary, specifically the HU-AT and HU-HR borders), intending to promote tourism in the border region using tailor-made ICT solutions. The ultimate goal was to develop a virtual platform that provides users with information about tourism in the cross-border region to integrate or diversify the tourist offer. To establish the BorderPass platform, this project delivered the following results:
- T1: an analysis of the situation in the relevant area (territory analysis, involvement of stakeholders, market analysis, profitability study)
- T2: main project work plan (concept, partnership building, detailed project plan)
- T3: report on funding opportunities (wider and narrower plan of funding sources, project handover plan).
The project includes only the initial phase (Danube Seed Money), while for the continuation of the project itself, which includes an expansion of the geographical area, funds will be sought in the framework of other tenders. The project involved 3 project partners – the Institute for the Advanced Studies (HU), IRMO (HR), Regional Management Burgenland (AT), and 1 associate partner Írottkő Nature Park Association (HU). The goal of this project was to provide an analysis of the current state and prepare an application for the main project, which included a wider geographical border area (Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, Croatia, Slovenia and similarities/differences concerning the situation in Germany, the Czech Republic, Romania, and Serbia).
KEEP ON: Effective policies for durable and self-sustainable projects in the cultural heritage sector (2018-2023)
Sustaining the effects of investments remains one of the most burning problems in the management of cultural heritage. Many cultural institutions have difficulties to cover even basic maintenance costs. This issue is of great importance to the whole EU area, where the recent economic downturn put cultural heritage at the bottom of the priority list. The main aim of the KEEP ON project was to improve public policies in the cultural heritage sector in terms of delivering high-quality projects that allow results to remain sustainable with reasonable public funding and have long-lasting impacts on regional development. Both policy organizations and cultural institutions should plan for sustainability long before the project’s start date. When the public funding is over, how do institutions sustain their work for the future? How do they get funds for their future functioning? How can public policies support beneficiaries in the self-sustainability of their projects? The KEEP ON project addressed these questions from an EU-wide, interregional perspective. The KEEP ON project brought together partners from Southern European countries having extremely rich cultural heritage, but also the most vulnerable economies (ES, PT, IT, GR), accompanied by Poland (largest EU cohesion policy beneficiary), the Netherlands (cultural policy model with high involvement of local communities), and an advisory partner from Croatia. In total, 6 policy instruments (3 structural funds programs, and 3 local/regional strategies) were improved through the interregional learning process. The KEEP ON project intended to provide valuable input to all EU stakeholders, with a special focus on the forthcoming post-2020 cohesion policy.
CULPOL - EU Competences and National Cultural Policies: Critical Dialogues (2016-2018)
The biannual Jean Monnet project ‘EU Competences and National Cultural Policies: Critical Dialogues’ (September 2016 –August 2018) coordinated by IRMO’s Department for Culture and Communication aimed to promote discussion and reflection on the impact of the EU agenda on the Croatian cultural policy. Since Croatia acceded to the EU in 2013, there has not been any visible progress in terms of developing better coordination within the cultural policy research community and between cultural professionals and policy-makers responsible for the implementation of different EU instruments and agendas. The overall objective of the project has been to establish closer cooperation and networking among the cultural policy research community, cultural professionals, and policy-makers responsible for the implementation of different EU instruments and agendas. The project also served as a platform for information and communication about the relevant cultural policy processes at the European Union level that will contribute to enhancing knowledge about the impact of the EU and its processes on the national cultural sector. The focus was placed on the EU’s soft cultural policy instruments and mechanisms (e.g. Open Method of Coordination, Creative Europe program, European Capitals of Culture initiative) that represent a de facto policy approach to the various cultural policy issues and their related instruments. In addition to organizing a series of discussions, lectures, networking meetings, promotional events, building a web platform, and the publication of a series of working papers available on the CULPOL website, the main activities on the project included: 1) an international conference on EU soft mechanisms ‘Perspectives of national cultural policy development in the EU context: critical dialogues’ (in 2017); 2) an international round table on the impact of the Digital Single Market strategy on the reforms of Croatian cultural policy (in 2018); 3) the publication of the special issue of the journal Croatian International Relations Review (CIRR) focusing on the European Union and cultural policy issues (in 2018). The project was open to academia, researchers, cultural professionals, and policy-makers, and a special focus has been paid to the engagement of postgraduate students and young professionals. By bringing them together, CULPOL enabled the cross-fertilization of the ideas and fostering of the dialogue between different cultural-policy stakeholders and contributed to enhancing the knowledge about the relevant cultural policy processes at the European Union level. The special issue of CIRR has served as a tool for knowledge dissemination among a wider circle of Croatian cultural policy researchers and students.
RESTAURA – Revitalising Historic Buildings through Public-Private Partnership Schemes (2016-2019)
The lack of financial resources of most governments remains one of the main burning problems in the protection and maintenance of cultural heritage. This issue is of particular importance to the Central Europe region, where the turbulent history and the geopolitical reconfiguration resulted in a large number of neglected or abandoned historic buildings, which till today are suffering from steady decay. These buildings are often connected to degraded areas with economic and social problems, which require immediate intervention. RESTAURA aimed at identifying, testing, evaluating, and promoting good practices in Public-Private Partnerships in the revitalization of historical cities and buildings. PPP allows for combination of the assets and skills of the public and private sectors while protecting heritage resources at the same time. With limited public resources (national and EU funds), the involvement of private financing and expertise through PPP is the only alternative to save and manage the unique built heritage of Central Europe. Till now, there are only a few examples of PPP in revitalization projects in Europe, here RESTAURA is willing to make a real change in the use of PPP across Central Europe (innovation). The outputs of the project are strategies and action plans, tools, pilot actions, and workshops for public authorities willing to renovate and bring a new life to abandoned and deteriorated historic buildings with the use of PPP models. RESTAURA brought together 4 CE countries: Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Croatia. In each of these countries, a mix of public and private institutions participate (local authorities, research, and education institutions, PPP associations and NGOs, and development agencies) to jointly develop and implement project outputs on a topic, that is still very new to EU Member States from Central Europe, and transnational exchange of experience is needed.
Access to Culture – Policy Analysis (2013-2015)
The project aimed to examine the gap between social reality and political normativity in the area of access to culture, to develop recommendations for raising awareness about these issues both at the national and the European level. The project used a policy analysis approach to examine the European and national dimensions dealing with access to culture. Assessment and development of public policy indicators were also performed, as well as the assessment of the implementation of the policies dealing with access to culture in the EU countries and beyond. The project also aimed to encourage open communication between the stakeholders of the policy process, which is achieved through their involvement at certain stages of the project and through continuous communication and information dissemination both at the national and European levels.
Europeana Awareness – Best Practice Network (2012-2014)
Europeana Awareness is a Best Practice Network, led by the Europeana Foundation. The objectives of the project were to publicize Europeana to users, policymakers, politicians, and cultural heritage organizations in every Member State to encourage the use and contribution of content. This was achieved by public media and user engagement campaigns in the partner countries. To enhance the network, new partnerships were developed with broadcast organizations, as well as with the cultural tourism and genealogy sectors.
MEDIADEM: European Media Policies Revisited: Valuing and Reclaiming Free and Independent Media in Contemporary Democratic Systems (2010-2013)
MEDIADEM is a European research project that seeks to understand and explain the factors that promote or conversely hinder the development of policies supporting free and independent media. The project combined a country-based study with a comparative analysis across media sectors and types of media services. It investigated media policymaking processes in 14 European countries, placing them in their proper socio-political, economic, and cultural context, and examined the opportunities and challenges posed by new media services for media freedom and independence. External pressures on the configuration of state media policies, stemming from the EU and the Council of Europe, were also analyzed in detail.