Furthermore, it will prepare policy recommendations with concrete master plans for implementation on how to better support creative industries.

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1 This initiative is supported by the European Commission s Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry and financed under the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) which aims to encourage the competitiveness of European enterprises.

2 The European Creative Industries Alliance ECIA is an integrated policy initiative that combines policy learning with 8 concrete actions on innovation vouchers, better access to finance and cluster excellence & cooperation. It is an open platform that brings together policy-makers and business support practitioners from 28 partner organizations and 12 countries. The initiative has been set up by the European Commission s Enterprise and Industry Directorate-General with 6,75 million Euro support under the Competitiveness and Innovation Programme (CIP). It is expected to mobilise additional public and private funding of 100 Mio Euro for the creative industries. Its overall aim is to shape a community in Europe that actively supports creative industries as a driver for competitiveness, job creation and structural change by developing and testing better policies and tools for creative industries. Tasks of ECIA To analyse, benchmark and engage in mutual learning in areas such as: innovation support; incubation and access to finance; cluster excellence and co-operation; Furthermore, it will prepare policy recommendations with concrete master plans for implementation on how to better support creative industries. Expected outcomes A practical master plan and roadmaps for future policy action in support of creative industries; A better understanding of the creative and cultural industries; A platform that provides information regarding the creative industries for both entrepreneurs, policy makers and other stakeholders; Policy recommendations regarding to innovation voucher schemes, peer review, cluster cooperation and access to finance; Definition on Creative Industries In ECIA we adopted the definition that was proposed by the EC in the call text on ECIA and the Green paper on Creative Industries. The term creative industries refers to a range of economic activities, which deal with the generation or exploitation of knowledge and information. They comprise those businesses that deal with the creation, production and/or distribution of creative goods and services as well as with the integration of creative elements into wider processes and other sectors. They build upon a rich and diverse core of cultural heritage and skilful arts and other creative crafts and practitioners, supported by entrepreneurial and innovative services bringing creativity to the market. Creative industries thus provide products and services in sectors such as publishing, media, software, consultancy, advertising, arts, entertainment, design and architecture. Many of these sub-sectors are commercially oriented and part of other sectors. The common element is that they deal with the creation, production and/or distribution of goods and services that are strongly based on creativity.

3 How does it work European Commission European Creative Industries Alliance Policy Learning Platform (ECIAP) The consortium of ECIAP is responsible for the daily work of the Policy Learning Platform (PLP). The Amsterdam Innovation Motor from the Netherlands is the coordinator of this consortium. The Province of Milan from Italy, the Berlin Senate from Germany, the Catalan Institute for Cultural Industries (ICIC) from Spain, the City of Tampere from Finland and Nantes Métropole from France being the other committed partners selected to drive the work of the Policy Learning Platform as founding members. There are 3 working groups within the ECIA project that combine the PLP, the ECIAPconsortium and the Concrete Actions. The working groups are on: 1. Innovation Vouchers; 2. Cluster Excellence; 3. Access to finance; The WP-leaders of ECIAP coordinate the working groups. In addition there will be special attention for links with other sectors, internationalisation and demand driven innovation.

4 Concrete actions The concrete actions focus on testing new policy instruments in daily practice. Their results are analysed and up-graded into next practices. The concrete actions work together in close cooperation with the experts and the ECIAP-members to optimize their results and the output of this instruments. It is planned that these results are integrated in the policy roadmap for the creative industries. Concrete actions on better business support through innovation vouchers Redefining Basque Innovation Performance Through Excellent Creative Industry Services ( + Innova Creativity) This innovation voucher pilot scheme will allow companies in traditional industries to access innovative services from creative industries. It is implemented in the Basque Country, Spain, by the Department for Industry, Innovation, Commerce and Tourism of the Basque Government (Gobierno Vasco). +Innova Creativity will promote the excellence of the Basque creative industries and the strengthening of Basque industrial innovation and results through innovative creative services. Creative Challenge Celtic Crescent North West (4CNW) This demand side innovation voucher scheme is led by Sligo County Council in Ireland. It aims to strengthen the role of creativity as a catalyst for service innovation in the North West of Europe. The aim is to achieve this by helping traditional industries in Ireland to access services from strong creative industries' clusters from the North West Region of Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland. Vouchers In Creative Industries (VINCI) The VINCI project will issue vouchers to SMEs in the Salzburg region of Austria to implement innovation projects in cooperation with creative industries. Business service providers from creative industries from the Salzburg region and from other European countries will participate in this pilot. VINCI vouchers will be issued by Austria Wirtschaftsservice (aws), the Austrian business promotion bank. Fashion Audiovisual Design Industries Innovation Schemes (FAD-INS) The FAD-INS project implemented by the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce in Spain aims to demonstrate the viability and efficiency of innovation vouchers as key elements in innovation financing for small enterprises. The objective of FADS-IN is to implement a transnational innovation voucher scheme where specific needs, such as globalisation, capacity building and internationalisation of creative industries will be addressed.

5 Concrete actions on better access to finance: Bringing creative businesses together with investment (C-I Factor) The C-I Factor partnership will work towards improving the conditions of access to finance for creative industries companies across Europe with special focus on ways to improve leverage of crowd funding. With guidance from a Creative Industries Finance Acceleration Advisory Board, the partnership will implement a pilot action to link informal forms of crowdfunding with professional investors like venture capitalists, business angels and the European Investment Fund. Facilitating Access & Mobilisation of European finance for creative industry growth (FAME) The FAME partnership will work towards improving the conditions of access to finance for creative industries companies across Europe. It aims to mobilize additional funding for the creative industries by setting up a new dedicated FAME Pan-European Fund for the Creative Industries by making use of existing funding under the Structural Funds, the European Investment Bank and the European Investment Fund and combining it with private funds from loans, venture capital, business angels and guarantees. Concrete actions on cluster excellence and cooperation European Creative Cluster Lab (ECCL) The European Creative Cluster Lab will develop and test new approaches for better cluster management in creative industries in order to professionalize the support offered to SMEs in creative industries. This cluster partnership aims to link 50 clusters all over Europe and to reach out to 25,000 SMEs in the creative industries. Cluster 2020 The Cluster 2020 partnership will develop and test a blueprint for creative cluster excellence in order to help cluster organisations to provide better tailored, meaningful and effective support to creative industries businesses. This will include trials and tests to optimize co-working and incubation spaces, support services and approaches to foster cross-sectoral linkages, start-ups and internationalisation activities.

6 Want to know more? Please visit our website and register for our newsletter. Or contact the Secretariat via Eva Olde Monnikhof Amsterdam Innovation Motor (AIM) +31(0) Visiting address: De Ruyterkade AA Amsterdam Postal address: Postbus CW Amsterdam The Netherlands This initiative is supported by the European Commission s Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry and financed under the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) which aims to encourage the competitiveness of European enterprises.