Good practice:

Research and Innovation funding measures for Cultural and Creative projects (ERDF-ROP, Axis 1)

CCIs represent a key player to ignite non-technological innovation and boost “traditional” industrial sectors. However, they tend to overlook the effects of technologies rather than exploiting them as an asset. This is why several regional measures have been directed to support CCIs in making the most of the advantages stemming from KETs.
The Emilia-Romagna Region has supported public calls selecting "industrial research projects addressing S3 priorities", which aimed at fostering technological advancements of regional productive activities, among which there are CCIs.
Thanks to this measure, between 2015 and 2018, 10 strategic CCI/ICT projects in industrial research were carried out by labs and SMEs and were funded through ERDF ROP 2014-2020: the enterprises involved in the selected projects amounted to 41, whereas labs were 25.
Among the co-funded projects in the current program period:
- The SACHER project: an innovative open source cloud platform for managing the entire life cycle of tangible Cultural Heritage.
- LUME PLANNER project: a tool used to plan trips and cultural visits in historical places, museums, artisan shops, artistic events within the Emilia-
Romagna Region. It provides details on mobility and recommendations based on the context and location of the user.

The Emilia-Romagna Region has has co-financed projects matching CCIs and ICT with € 7.167.977,51 (while the overall resources invested in these projects amounted to € 10.448.741,81).

Projects funded, as L’Immagine Ritrovata Lab, have proven to be excellences and became sustainable. The regional open monitoring system shows the positive outcomes of the projects funded (private funds raised, HR employed, results achieved).
In the framework of S3, within the measure just described and other calls tackling CCIs, more than 200 CCIs projects funded, 6 patents, 24 start-up, 8 research labs with a contribution of 25 ml € by the Axis, 50 ml € of private funds.

CCIs need specific support measures: smaller contributions, evaluation of intangible assets and non-technological innovation. Policy makers designed a new approach to ensure that CCIs get involved in innovation projects: this will need further fine-tuning for better results in the future.

All regions participating in the RegionArts project and a vast majority of EU regions, have foreseen a Smart Specialization Strategy reflecting the needs and expectations of their territory in terms of innovation and economic development and have access to ERDF. Some of them have included, among other sectors, CCIs. A tested funding model supporting projects combining ICT and CCI, such as the one that is currently being tested in Emilia-Romagna, is highly replicable in other regions and can be remodeled according to the specificities of each single EU region.