How to access £millions of Funding for Culture & Media from the European Union
18 January 2010
How do you get the maximum out of the European Union funding programmes for culture and media projects? A conference in Luton on 29th January, organised by the East of England Regional Assembly (EERA) in partnership with the East of England Development Agency (EEDA), offers you the opportunity to find out how.
The conference ‘Culture & Media Funding from the EU’ will inform delegates about the substantial European sources of funding available for Culture and Media related projects. They will be offered first hand information on how to be successful in applying for funding; hear case studies from previous regional recipients who have benefited from the funding; and given an opportunity to raise questions with the agencies in the UK engaged to promote these programmes.
Delegates at this free event will include local authorities and other public bodies; private commercial organisations and members of the public interested in accessing European funding for culture and/or media related projects.
The event will be chaired by David Morrall, EEDA’s International Director and a member of the Arts Council England, East. Speakers will include funding representatives from MEDIA Desk UK, Screen East Venture Capital Fund, The Arts Council and EUCLID (until recently Cultural Contact Point UK). Dien Luu, Co-ordinator of Luton Voices, will provide feedback on the recent Luton Voices project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and John Marshall, the Regional International Trade Advisor for the Create and Media Industries, will explain the support that UK Trade & Investment and East of England International can provide to businesses in the area.
The event is taking place at The Hat Factory, Luton, on 29th January from 13.00pm – 16.40pm.
Cllr Marco Cereste, Co-Chair of EERA’s Europe & International Affairs Panel and EEDA Board Member, said: “We cannot protect our creative industries from the realities of recession so the opportunity to bid for European funding is great news for the region. The Media programme is designed to help organisations adapt to the changes that digitalisation is producing in the audiovisual sector. This will give our industries a chance to stay at the cutting edge of technological changes which will ultimately contribute to the economy of the region”.
Cllr Bryony Rudkin, Co-Chair of EERA’s Europe & International Affairs Panel, added: “The Culture programme supports projects and initiatives that celebrate Europe’s cultural diversity and our shared cultural heritage. If you are planning a project collaboration or if you simply want to know about the EU funding opportunities available to the cultural sector, this seminar is for you!”
David Morrall said: “The arts play a vital role in our region, economically and culturally. We want to continue to create the right kind of environment where artists, entrepreneurs and businesses can thrive and grow the region’s market share in the creative economy, nationally and internationally. European funding can really help stimulate this area and so I’m keen that we use this event to raise awareness of EU investment and international partnering opportunities and our overall levels of success.”
To reserve your place, go to http://events.eera.gov.uk/conferences or contact Lesley Rayner, Senior European Policy Officer, East of England Regional Assembly by email: lesley.rayner@eera.gov.uk or tel: 01284 729414.
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For press queries or to arrange an interview with an EERA spokesperson please contact Claire Sefton on 01284 729427 or email Claire.sefton@eera.gov.uk
For further information on this event or other sources of European Funding go to http://www.eera.gov.uk/What-we-do/representing-the-region/europe or contact Lesley Rayner on 01284 729414 or email: Lesley.rayner@eera.gov.uk or Michelle Armstrong on 01284 729415 or email: michelle.armstrong@eera.gov.uk.
Notes to Editors:
MEDIA 2007
The Media 2007 programme focuses on activities before and after production, offering support for training, project development, distribution and promotion, including in relation to the changes that digitisation is producing in the audiovisual sector. The budget for the period 2007-13 is £675m.
The programmes objectives are:
· to preserve and enhance European cultural diversity and its cinematographic and audiovisual heritage, guarantee accessibility to this for Europeans and promote intercultural dialogue;
· to increase the circulation of European audiovisual works inside and outside the EU; and
· to strengthen the competitiveness of the European audiovisual sector in the framework of an open and competitive market.
CULTURE 2007
The Culture programme supports projects and initiatives to celebrate Europe’s cultural diversity and enhance our shared cultural heritage through cross-border co-operation between cultural operators and institutions.
The budget for the period 2007-13 is £360m.
The programme has 3 objectives:
· to promote cross-border mobility of those working in the cultural sector;
· to encourage the transnational circulation of cultural and artistic output; and
· to foster intercultural dialogue.
East of England Regional Assembly
1. The East of England Regional Assembly is independent of Government and is not a Government agency or quango. It represents the regional interests of people living and working in the East of England.
2. The Assembly has 105 members of which two thirds are elected councillors (from the 52 local authorities in the region) and one third are stakeholder representatives. Its meetings are open to the media and general public.
3. The Assembly is the designated Regional Planning Body for the East of England until March 2010 when it will cease to exist.
4. During 2008/09 EERA’s work included:
- £1 billion bid for investment in public transport and roads across the region including final stretch of A11 dualling
- Campaigned against a second runway at Stansted Airport
- Held EEDA to account at six Economic Summits
- Influenced European funding programmes worth £500 million to support employment, skills, climate change and low carbon economic growth
- Delivery of 328 training courses to develop thousands of local authority employees and councillors in the region
For more information on EERA, see the website at www.eera.gov.uk
Europe and International Affairs Panel:
Cllr Marco Cereste, EEDA Board Member, Co-Chair of the EIAP, 01223 200879
Cllr Bryony Rudkin, Labour, Co-Chair of the EIAP, bryony.rudkin:@btinternet.com
Cllr Graham Butland, Conservative, Group Leader of the EIAP, 01376 345681
Cllr Ian Mack, Liberal Democrat, Group Leader of the EIAP, 01366 500942