Spain participates in the final conference of CRAFTS CODE
On April 27, the final event of the European project CRAFTS CODE took place in Florence. The main objective of this project is to improve the competitiveness of SMEs in the craft sector by developing a framework for training, policies and lifelong learning activities in collaboration with all stakeholders, as well as improving the implementation of regional development policies and programs that support SMEs at all stages of its life cycle to encourage and boost its growth and promote innovation.
The event was led by the Italian partner ARTEX and was held at the facilities of the MIDA fair (Mostra Internazionale Dell'Artigianato). The Belgian advisory partner presented a summary of the action plans developed by all partners, which were inspired by good practices from different countries. The most implemented good practice was OPTIMIZE, a program developed by the DCCI (Design and Crafts Council of Ireland), which aims to bring Irish design and crafts to a global online audience.
In the case of Spain, the action plan proposed the development and implementation of two actions. The first action was based on a program for the creation, consolidation and competitive improvement of craft companies, which was inspired by good practice Building Craft and Design Enterprise (BCDE) of Ireland, and another action that is the Observatory of Crafts, which was inspired by the good practices of the CreAction projects of Finland and MakeX of Italy.
After the presentation, there was a round table with Italian professionals from different sectors, and they shared three projects that have also emerged as a result of the CRAFTS CODE project: the “CALLforCRAFT” program of Murate idea Park, the “Walking in Craft” initiative of Firenze Creativa and inspired by the Spanish app of Talleres Abiertos, and the "Connessioni Creative" project, a lesson with a master craftsman. The following day, several study visits were made to two traditional craft workshops in the city, the Traversari mosaic workshop and the Fortepiano workshop, a laboratory for the restoration of ancient musical instruments in Florence.
The project financed by the Interreg Europe program, which lasted from 2019 to 2023, has had a very positive balance on the part of the seven participating partners: Belgium, Bulgaria, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Finland and Hungary, achieving a total of 54 good practices have been included in the Policy Learning Platform, a platform that collects many good practices from different sectors and that have been identified over many years throughout Europe. As a result of the project, four good practices guides have been created on different topics (business models, new markets, innovative tools and financing), together with a total of 15 animated videos, for more dynamic dissemination. Additionally, Fundesarte designed a guide collecting 20 good Spanish practices to disseminate between their stakeholders and the public.
