Description
On 14 May 2025, the European Cluster Collaboration Platform (ECCP), on behalf of the European Commission, hosted the EU Clusters Talk “Creative Crossroads: Building Synergies Across Ecosystems with Cultural and Creative Industries”. The event, co-organized with the FRIEND CCI Eurocluster, brought together more than 60 attendees and stakeholders from across Europe to discuss the untapped potential of the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI) in driving innovation and transformation beyond their traditional boundaries.
As FRIEND CCI aims at creating and developing a European long-term strategic partnership among cluster organisations - to implement supporting measures for SMEs in and beyond the CCI industrial ecosystem, and in mainstreaming their needs into policy and strategy development – this webinar is part of a broader action of networking and strategic support in CCI policy making.
The webinar has explored how clusters can support CCI potential and opportunities unlocking the full value of cross-ecosystem collaboration. The core of the session was dedicated to the role and potential of cultural and creative industries in the European innovation landscape, structured as a dynamic panel discussion featuring: Georgiana Mihailovici (OpenHub Creative Cluster), Raffaele Vitulli (Basilicata Creativa / Heritage Smart Lab), Genoveva Christova (Bulgarian Furniture Cluster & Createch Cluster), Gian Angelo Bellati (Venetian Cluster), and Kati Uusi-Rauva (EIT Culture & Creativity North Regional Hub).
The speakers shared experiences on how cross-sectoral collaboration can boost both creative and industrial innovation, while addressing common structural challenges such as fragmentation and lack of integration into mainstream industrial strategies.
Raffaele Vitulli from Basilicata Creativa and Heritage Smart Lab spoke about the digital transition of the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs). His key points included the challenges and opportunities of cross-sectoral cooperation between the CCI and digital ecosystems, and the role of the European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIH) network in supporting the competitiveness of CCIs. He also addressed how emerging technologies, like generative AI, are affecting the CCI ecosystem and highlighted the role of CCIs as innovation triggers.
Georgiana Mihailovici from OpenHub Creative Cluster focused on the role of innovation as a key driver for resilience in CCIs. She shared lessons learned and best practices from the FRIEND CCI initiative, showing how innovation can help mitigate structural challenges such as a lack of funding, fragmentation, and informal collaboration frameworks. Mihailovici also provided insights on how formalized cluster cooperation models, like the FRIEND CCI Eurocluster, can enhance long-term impact.
Genoveva Christova from the Bulgarian Furniture Cluster and Createch Cluster discussed best practices in cross-ecosystem collaboration. She underscored the importance of cross-sector cooperation to facilitate innovation and growth within the CCI sector.
Kati Uusi-Rauva, Director of the EIT Culture & Creativity North Regional Hub, presented the work of EIT Culture & Creativity, the youngest Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC) of the EIT. With six regional hubs across Europe, the initiative promotes circularity in fashion and architecture, social inclusion, and responsible digital innovation. A key achievement highlighted was the launch of a new Digital Hub for cultural and creative professionals to network, co-create, and influence EU-level policy.
Gian Angelo Bellati of the Venetian Cluster introduced the CR.EU. Metacluster. He discussed its origins, its members, and its future plans. Bellati emphasized the role of a CCI metacluster in fostering cross-sectoral cooperation and innovation across different ecosystems. The Metacluster aims to be a leading reference in Europe for CCIs, helping to strategically position them and influence policy development. The plan is to involve clusters from various ecosystems across EU regions, providing a platform to represent the CCI ecosystem and gather direct insights and data from enterprises.
The overall discussion was moderated by Céu Filipe (AEP Inovação / Enterprise Europe Network), who engaged the speakers with group questions.
The full recording of the Creative Crossroads session is available on the ECCP website (Link), and participants are invited to continue the discussion via the ECCP LinkedIn group.