The European Union is a major funder of the culture and heritage sectors and a significant catalyst for transnational cooperation – from the level of individuals right up to government bodies.
In research conducted by the International Resource Office at TEH, we found 22 active EU projects either originating in Skåne or with partners in the region. Between them they have received more than €20 million in support from European Commission programmes. They range from large-scale cooperation projects investigating new business models and arenas for arts activities, to small-scale Erasmus+ grants that support cultural exchange and individual mobility.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Malmö and Lund are the most active localities, but we also found projects in Kristianstad, where the Stiftelsen regionmuseet i Skåne is sending fifteen staff members to shadow peers in museums with a strong reputation for fostering adult learning; in Helsingborg, where Teater Arken are hosting volunteers in a project focused on visual design and communication (including scenography, prop and costume making, and web and print design); and in Hässleholm, where the municipality has formed a network of towns that seek to improve the integration of migrant and refugee populations – including through the use of art and culture.
Alongside its support of projects, the Creative Europe programme also funds a small number of international platforms and networks – which constitute just one slice of a much larger body of membership networks that operate on a European scale. In total, we found around 50 cultural organisations in the Skåne region that were members of European networks and platforms. We cover the network landscape in part II of this article, and for now will take a closer look at granted projects…
Projects Supported Under Creative Europe
The Creative Europe programme is divided into two categories – Culture (covering the broad cultural area) and Media (specifically for the film and audiovisual industries). Under the Culture strand, a major source of funding comes in the form of support for transnational cooperation projects that involve a project leader working with a number of partners. These projects are divided into ‘smaller scale’ (involving at least three organisations from at least three countries; up to €200,000) and ‘larger scale’ (at least six organisations from at least six countries; up to €2 million).
In the category of larger scale cooperations, Creative Lenses is a project which looks to improve the sustainability and resilience of cultural organisations, led by Helsinki’s Cable Factory and with Trans Europe Halles and Lunds Kommun as partners. Slated to end its four-year programme of activities in May 2019, Creative Lenses has already produced a number of publications and other materials (available on the project website). A final conference will take place in Helsinki 24-25 April 2019.
Europe Beyond Access is a four-year programme, running 2018-2022, that will support disabled performing artists and expects to involve over 900 artists and nearly 7000 cultural professionals. The project will commission a number of new performances, organise residencies and artistic laboratories, and present work through festivals, showcases and online platforms, also seeking to make a long-term impact on the development of national policies. Among the seven core partners in the project is Skånes Dansteater, which has been integrating disabled dancers into its repertory company since 2014.
The smaller scale project Culture Luggage, led by Greece’s Theatro Topos Allou, and with Lund’s Teater Sagohuset among the partners, seeks to improve the integration of refugee populations by working with fairy tales (which often share common roots and patterns) in order to bridge cultural differences. Working with stories from Afghan, Iranian, Syrian, Lebanese, and other cultures, the project works with refugee groups to create multilingual performances shown to refugee and local audiences.
Within the Media programme of Creative Europe there are a number of funds to support everything from film festivals to video games to the online distribution of films and audiovisual work. Among the grants made to projects in the Skåne region are a TV Programming Support award for the drama West of Liberty, produced by Lund’s Anagram, and Jozi Gold, a documentary produced by Malmö’s WG Film about the mining industry in Johannesburg.
Led by Skåne organisations:
| Project | Lead Organisation | Total EU Grant (€) | Project Term | Grant Programme |
| Cultural and Creative Spaces and Cities | Trans Europe Halles, Lund | 1,780,000 | 01/11/2018-01/03/2021 | Culture: Policy Project |
| Jozi Gold | WG Film AB, Malmö | 98,804 | 16/05/2017-15/11/2019 | Media: TV Programming 2018 |
| From Uzbekistan with Love | Auto Images AB, Malmö | 129,874 | Media: TV Programming 2018 | |
| Guitar on Fire | Auto Images AB, Malmö | 25,000 | Media: Support for Development of Audiovisual Content – Single Project | |
| West of Liberty | Anagram Sverige AB, Lund | 500,000 | 30/11/2016-29/05/2020 | Media: TV Programming Support 2017 |
With Skåne partners:
| Project | Lead Organisation | Skåne Partner | Total EU Grant (€) | Project Term | Grant Programme |
| Creative Lenses | Kiinteistö Oy Kaapelitalo, Finland | Lunds Kommun / Trans Europe Halles | 1,964,950 | 01/06/2015-30/05/2019 | Culture: 2015 – Larger scale cooperation projects |
| Europe Beyond Access | The British Council, UK | Skånes Dansteater AB, Malmö | 1,998,192 | 01/09/2018-31/08/2022 | Culture: Support for European cooperation projects 2018 |
| Culture Luggage | Aeroplio-topos Allou Theater, Greece |
Foreningen Sagohuset, Lund | 199,096.39 | 01/11/2017-30/10/2019 | Culture: 2017 – Smaller scale cooperation projects |
Projects Supported Under Erasmus+, Europe for Citizens and Horizon2020
Alongside Creative Europe, the European Commission manages a number of programmes that aren’t targeted to culture but have a broad remit that can encompass cultural activities.
Erasmus+ is the EU’s programme supporting education, training, youth and sport – with grants for both individuals and institutions. Currently there are eleven projects active in the Skåne region that have received Erasmus+ support. These include two large grants for Joint MAs led by University of Glasgow and offered in conjunction with Malmö University (Children’s Literature, Media and Culture) and Lund University (Tourism Development and Culture). However, the bulk of Erasmus+ grants are for small-scale projects that support the learning mobility of individuals or the exchange of good practices among organisations. The Malmö-based organisation Kontrakultur has developed a number of Erasmus+ projects over the years, and currently has two initiatives, Kontrapunkt Creative Cooperatives and Kontrapunkt 2018, that support volunteers to join the organisation in carrying out its community work and in running its own culture house and social centre. In the area of ‘cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices’ the project AGORA – Access to Global Collaborative Arena is being led by Malmö’s STPLN, with SwIdeas among the project partners. Described as a ‘kickstarter programme for projects in the cultural and creative industries’, AGORA is a year-long mentorship programme that helps young people to take an idea and develop it into a company, association or long-term career.
On a different tack, and often a different scale, Horizon2020 is the European Commission’s flagship research and innovation programme, touching on a multitude of areas including science, health, food and agriculture, citizenship and technology. For the cultural field it has opened the door to interdisciplinary collaborations and projects that seek to shift the underlying models and structures of the creative industries. In the Skåne Region, there are two H2020 projects. FuturePulse involves the Malmö-based independent record company Playground Music Scandinavia, and is developing predictive analytics and recommendation services that can be used by the music industry. Developing Inclusive & Sustainable Creative Economies, led by University of Turku and with Trans Europe Halles as a stakeholder partner, is taking a deep look at the development models that underpin the cultural and creative industries.
Led by Skåne organisations:
| Project | Lead Organisation | Total EU Grant (€) | Project Term | Grant Programme |
| Kontrapunkt Creative Cooperatives | Kontrakultur, Malmö | 11,727 | 01/08/2018-31/01/2020 | Erasmus+: Learning Mobility of Individuals |
| Interdisciplinary Communication | STPLN, Malmö | 31,760.20 | 01/09/2018-30/06/2019 | Erasmus+: Learning Mobility of Individuals |
| Kontrapunkt 2018 | Kontrakultur, Malmö | 19,064 | 12/01/2018-11/07/2019 | Erasmus+: Learning Mobility of Individuals |
| Vibrations of music: music as a key for development, inclusion, interculturality and norm critical approaches | Lillstjärnans förskola, Malmö | 45,250 | 01/09/2017-30/09/2019 | Erasmus+: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices |
| Lärande som integrerad del av museet | Stiftelsen regionmuseet i Skåne, Kristianstad | 19,300 | 01/09/2018-30/11/2019 | Erasmus+: Learning Mobility of Individuals |
| Multimedia and Art for the Theatre | Teater Arken, Helsingborg | 19,398 | 03/09/2018-02/09/2019 | Erasmus+: Learning Mobility of Individuals |
| AGORA – Access to Global Collaborative Arena | STPLN, Malmö | 85,990 | 01/02/2018-30/11/2019 | Erasmus+: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices |
| European Local Authorities Integration Network 2 | Hässleholms Kommun | 118,440 | Europe for Citizens: Strand 2 Measure 2.2 Networks of Towns Selection Year 2018 Round 1 |
With Skåne partners:
| Project | Lead Organisation | Skåne Partner | Total EU Grant (€) | Project Term | Grant Programme |
| Children’s Literature, Media and Culture | University of Glasgow, UK | Malmö University | 3,929,000 | Erasmus+: KA1 – Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees Call for proposals 2018 | |
| Tourism Development and Culture | University of Glasgow, UK | Lund University | 3,831,000 | 01/09/2018-31/08/2024 | Erasmus+: KA1 – Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees Call for proposals 2018 |
| PACE – Partnerships in Arts and Cultural Education | Leeds City Council, UK | Malmö stad | 22,750 | 04/09/2017-03/08/2019 | Erasmus+: Learning Mobility of Individuals |
| Ventspils Mūzikas Vidusskolas Audzēkņu Mācību Prakse Ziemeļvalstu Jauniešu Orķestrī | PIKC Ventspils Muzikas vidusskola, Latvia | Lunds Kommun | 8679 | 31/10/2018-30/10/2019 | Erasmus+: Learning Mobility of Individuals |
| FuturePulse: Multimodal Predictive Analytics and Recommendation Services for the Music Industry | BMAT Licensing SL, Spain | Playground Music Scandinavia AB, Malmö | 2,249,150 | 01/09/2017-31/08/2020 | Horizon2020: INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP – Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies – Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) |
| Developing Inclusive & Sustainable Creative Economies | University of Turku, Finland | Trans Europe Halles, Lund | 2,940,495 | 01/01/2019-31/12/2021 | Horizon2020: TRANSFORMATIONS-06-2018 – Inclusive and sustainable growth through cultural and creative industries and the arts |
The examples in this article are drawn from the selection results published by the European Commission. If you see something missing or have your own activities to report please get in touch with Partnerships Manager Lina B. Frank on lina@teh.net
For info on networks and platforms see part II of this article here.