O principal objectivo deste projecto é reforçar o crescimento das PME pela integração de artistas em projetos de TIC, visto que a maioria das políticas disponíveis é concebida para uma era da informação e do conhecimento (mesmo para uma era industrial) que não é mais predominante. A oferta de suporte ainda está fragmentada. Os programas de apoio público são muito rígidos e faltam ocasiões para colaboração e divulgação. Há também a necessidade de uma linguagem comum: as iniciativas existentes geralmente partem do setor criativo e alcançam as TIC, ou vice-versa, ou seja, ambas as partes não estão envolvidas como parceiros iguais.

Como Indústrias Criativas, e para esta exploração, estas são as áreas profissionais consideradas: Publicidade, Arquitetura, Arte e Mercado de Antiguidades, Artesanato, Design, Moda, Cinema e Vídeo, Música, Artes Cênicas e Publicações.

Nesta pesquisa, num universo de 61 criativos autónomos, 49 questionários foram realizados por meio de formulários do Google e 18 entrevistas cara-a-cara. Essa variedade de abordagens forneceu-nos não só dados quantitativos, mas também uma perspectiva qualitativa das necessidades, aspirações e preocupações dos trabalhadores independentes desses sectores. Os participantes deste estudo foram alcançados através das redes de vários centros criativos e as entrevistas foram feitas em espaços de coworking e mercados de arte e artesanato.

The brief investigation and data analysis present in this report is the result of the need of exploration of the motivations and reasons behind some behaviours and facts observed by the manager of CRU Cowork, a coworking space for creative activities based at Porto, Portugal.

Tânia Santos works with professionals from the Creative Industries Sector, as manager and community lead at this creative hub since 2012, that aims to be the friendly and nourishing environment for this creative and independent workforce. This space has a daily frequency of almost 40 freelancers or solopreneurs.

For a better understanding of what are the actual needs of creative independent workers and their thoughts about freelancing or entrepreneurship at the creative or cultural sector, Tânia had integrated this subject into her studies in her Master of Economics and Innovation Management helded at Faculty of Economics at University of Porto.

As Creative Industries, and for this exploration these are the professional areas considered: Advertising, Architecture, Art and Antiques Market, Crafts, Design, Fashion, Film and Video, Music, Performing Arts and Publishing. 

At this research we had reached 67 people, from which 6 interviews were discarded as the subjects were not self-employed creatives. From the universe of 61 self-employed creatives, 49 questionnaires were performed via google forms and 18 were face-to-face interviews.

This variety of approaches gave us not only some quantitative data but also a qualitative perspective of the needs, aspirations and concerns of these sector’s independent workers. The participants of these study were reached through the networks of several creative hubs and the interviews were made in coworking spaces and art&crafts street markets.

Resumo do projeto

Durante a última década, tem havido um crescente reconhecimento da importância dos processos artísticos e criativos como catalisadores de inovação, algo particularmente notado nas Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação (TIC) que se cruzam em muitos campos com processos artísticos.

No entanto, como salientado pela Agenda Digital para a Europa, a Europa continua a “subutilizar a criatividade das PME”. Para resolver este problema, em 2016 a CE lançou a iniciativa «STARTS» (Ciência, Tecnologia e ARTS) ao abrigo do programa Horizonte 2020.

Mas não é uma tarefa fácil. A maioria das políticas disponíveis é concebida para uma era da informação e do conhecimento (mesmo para uma era industrial) que não é mais predominante. A oferta de suporte ainda está fragmentada. Os programas de apoio público são muito rígidos e faltam ocasiões para colaboração e divulgação. Há também a necessidade de uma linguagem comum: as iniciativas existentes geralmente partem do setor criativo e alcançam as TIC, ou vice-versa, ou seja, ambas as partes não estão envolvidas como parceiros iguais.

Project Summary

During the last decade, there has been an increasing recognition of the importance of artistic and creative processes as catalysers of innovation, something particularly noted in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) that intersect in many fields with artistic processes.

However, as stressed by the Digital Agenda for Europe, Europe continues to “under-use the creativity of SMEs”. To tackle this, in 2016 the EC launched ‘STARTS’ initiative (Science, Technology and the ARTS) under Horizon 2020.

RegionArts partners are convinced of the need of integrating arts in ICT for SME innovation and competitiveness. As regional authorities, business development agencies and creative clusters, they have been working on promoting these cross-overs for the last years.

But it is not an easy task. Most policies available are conceived for an information and knowledge age (even for an industrial age) that is no longer predominant. Support offer is still fragmented. Public support programmes are too rigid and there is a lack for occasions for collaboration and outreach. There is also a need for a common language: existing initiatives often start from creative sector and reach out to ICT, or vice versa, i.e. both parties are not involved as equal partners.

ECHN aims to enhance the ecosystem that supports the development and growth of the creative and cultural sector by supporting the subsistence and growth of creative hubs in Europe, creating a community of experienced creative hubs leaders across Europe from a variety of sectors and promoting hubs as innovative models to support the creative economy in Europe.

As focal points for creative businesses, hubs offer the most effective way to support the growth and development of creative industries. To achieve this, hubs themselves need to network, to pool resources, share best practices, and build on advocacy, policy and opportunities.

It is clear that the European Creative Hubs Network offers the best route to support hubs, and hence Europe’s creative industries.

You can know more about this network here.

ECHN aims to enhance the ecosystem that supports the development and growth of the creative and cultural sector by supporting the subsistence and growth of creative hubs in Europe, creating a community of experienced creative hubs leaders across Europe from a variety of sectors and promoting hubs as innovative models to support the creative economy in Europe.

As focal points for creative businesses, hubs offer the most effective way to support the growth and development of creative industries. To achieve this, hubs themselves need to network, to pool resources, share best practices, and build on advocacy, policy and opportunities.

It is clear that the European Creative Hubs Network offers the best route to support hubs, and hence Europe’s creative industries.

You can know more about this network here.