Decisive steps towards the launch of a global Internet information and monitoring system on cultural policies and trends based on the Council of Europe/ERICarts COMPENDIUM experience were taken September 5 at a preparatory meeting of different stakeholders in Brussels. Sarah Gardner, Executive Director of IFACCA (upper picture), explains the intended "federal" structure which foresees national profiles written by experts in collaboration with governments; regional coordination, quality control and funding assistance by IGOs, foundations and/or networks; and an international exchange and capacity building platform to be provided by IFACCA with the support of the ERICarts Institute, where the results of these exercises will be orchestrated. In the spirit of the OPEN COMPENDIUM initiative, some important steps towards internationalisation had been taken earlier, including e.g. successful implementations of the country profile grid in 8 Arab States and in Australia.
New study finds opportunities and deficits
Together with the Centre for Strategy & Evaluation Services (CSES), the ERICarts Institute conducted a study for the European Commission on the "Contribution of Culture to Local and Regional Development as part of European Cohesion Policy". In an effort to involve as much practical experience from the field as possible, over 80 case studies were collected and edited by the Institute (in charge: Olivier Göbel), several of them also by ERICarts' partners Péter Inkei and János Szabó (BudObs).
Over 100 experts involved in culture-based projects, officials responsible for developing or applying cultural or Structural Fund policies or people with a particular interest in how cultural activities impact on the economy and society participated in the study by either
- Providing information on cultural projects that have received EU Structural Funding and were successful or innovative; orÂ
- Attending a Seminar in Brussels which examined trends and evidence from projects funded over both the 2000-06 and the current programming periods.
The study, led by Mike Coyne (CSES), resulted in a number of conclusions and tools. At the ERICarts Institute, methodological and content input was coordinated by Andreas Wiesand who also presented some of the results and additional information on the issue at different European conferences.
As a preparation for the 4th IFACCA World Summit on Arts and Culture 2009 in Johannesburg, the ERICarts Institute contributed the pilot survey Achieving Intercultural Dialogue through the Arts and Culture? Concepts, Policies, Programmes, Practices. The report mapped views from all parts of the world and collected cases of good practice on the (potential) role of intercultural dialogue in arts policies.
Gender Research Culture-Gates Creative Europe Cultural Policies in Europe Intercultural Dialogue Mobility Matters 
