Creative Brno: Key to Unlocking the Long-Term Rejuvenation of a Former Prison

Creative Brno: Key to unlocking the long-term rejuvenation of a former prison

• Innovation • Outflow of creative talent • Cross-sectorial collaboration • Economic development • Urban regeneration • New business models

Context Brno is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, located in the heart of the South Moravian region (SMR). It is an academic centre of 14 universities with almost 90,000 students. It is also a city with a long history and rich cultural heritage, including the Villa Tugendhat, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Today Brno is a growing city whose leaders and residents are exploring future possibilities. Many fast-growing business, trade, science, information technology, and research institutions are located in the city (such as the JIC South Moravian Innovation Centre and the CEITEC Central European Institute of Technology, etc.). The Brno Exhibition Centre is among the largest exhibition centres in Europe (and 23rd largest in the world) attracting visitors from all over the world as well as foreign investment.

Local development strategy The Czech state-funded Arts and Theatre Institute (ATI) conducted a research project called “Mapping Czech Cultural and Creative Industries (2011–15)”. Its outcome the impacts of CCIs demonstrated in the subsequent report revealed a need for better strategic support for the sector. It then became clear to the Czech Ministry of Culture that CCIs needed to be better linked to the use of EU Structural Funds. Therefore, dedicated provisions for CCIs were included in the policies of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, and the Ministry of Regional Development. The Smart Specialisation Strategy of the South Moravian Region (RIS SMR) 2014- 20 and the Integrated Strategy for Brno Metropolitan Area Development incorporate CCIs among their strategic priorities and aim at preparing the proper foundation for education, creativity, research and business development. Creative Brno Creative Brno started out as a platform for creative persons to advertise their events and activities, and developed into a community of professionals seeking, as of 2015, to build an incubator. It has become a multifocal project that seeks to 1) monitor the current state of the creative sector in the city and in the region; 2) propose further steps for action in the creative sector and 3) develop a physical space to provide facilities for the development of culture and creativity (rehearsal rooms, offices, space for cultural and community events, studios for rent, etc.). Creative Brno is driven by the city of Brno through its economic development strategy, which aims to foster a rich creative ecosystem. It operates jointly © Creative Brno with JIC South Moravian Innovation Centre. While its flagship physical space (Creative Brno Centre) is the Creative Centre project in the former prison” led under construction, it strongly supports networking to the city initiating the project preparation. In 2016 between CCI and non-CCI enterprises in order to raise funding will be allocated from ERDF funds and in awareness of the importance of the contribution of 2017 the building permit should allow the start of creative and digital industries to other fields. construction work. Of course, Creative Brno has developed plans for CCIs (especially SMEs) before the Another related initiative is “Creative Credits”, which completion of construction. The project will support promotes commercial projects between industries new entrepreneurs in the creative industries, attract so as to showcase the innovative potential of creative new investors connected to creative industries and industries and their added value to SME growth. Other retain talented professionals in the city. The project will additionally help to liven up a neglected part of the city (the “Bronx”) and make it more attractive.

Challenges The main issues the initiative Brno Creative Centre encountered were: • The lack of networking and cooperation in the Czech Republic’s CCI sector. • The ecosystem supporting CCIs used to be weak and required a significant overhaul. © Creative Brno smaller-scale actions are also carried out, such as • The outflow of creative talent from Brno to other helping CCIs access investment via alternative ways, Czech cities (especially Prague) and abroad. such as crowd-funding (advice on campaigning), • The low level of technical and spatial and facilitating access to facilities (agreements with infrastructure for the creative sector. office space agencies). • The deprived area known as “the Bronx” The “Regional Film Office” is an initiative to support surrounding the future physical space. film productions abroad and to promote film shooting in the region. It organises “120 seconds”, a special networking event that helps stimulate cooperation between innovative companies, in which each company has two minutes to present its products, activities and fields of potential cooperation, followed by informal networking. By 2019, the Brno Creative Centre is expected to be housed in a former prison and city archive. In 2014, the conclusions of the “Feasibility study of Budget and origin of funds Impact The estimated costs for the whole Creative Brno The initiative has not yet been evaluated. However, project until 2019 amount to around €13 million. some impacts have been noticed already: • Reduction in the number of creative persons leaving Brno (thanks to the provision of working space and entrepreneurial support). • Increased visibility of Brno as a creative hub of the Czech Republic (owing to increased interest from investors). • Launching of the rejuvenation of the only brownfield owned by the city. • Enhanced quality of life in the city centre. Some of the aforementioned initiatives have already generated impressive figures. Thanks to Creative © Creative Brno Credits €1.16 million has been distributed over six years to almost 300 applicants for creative and/or innovative projects. As for “120 seconds”, throughout the 22 events organised since 2010, the 700 participants have made more than 2,400 new contacts, which in turn led to 1,100 new collaborations (though measuring the actual outcome in terms of new products or services remains a challenge).

© Creative Brno Transferability Management level and partners So far, key success factors include strong political Partners involved are the city of Brno, the South support, which has enabled the project to be Moravian Region, universities, colleges (arts, crafts, gradually integrated within the city and regional design, business), companies and SMEs, art development strategies; to ensuring systematic organisations, the South Moravian Innovation Centre support/development of the creative industries and and NGOs. The initiator of the project is the city of strengthening their linkages with other key industrial Brno while feasibility studies were carried out by the sectors in SMR. South Moravian Innovation Centre (JIC). Mistrust between CCI practitioners and the city can Brno Creative Centre will also look for other potential pose a challenge in implementing such a project. partners that could be involved in the realisation of Clear and engaging communication played an specific parts of the project thus gathering alternative instrumental role in clarifying the project’s purpose resources. and how the city’s different stakeholders can benefit from it. Research into the city’s CCI potential was crucial to determining the city’s policy agenda. Creative Brno has taken steps in this direction through the mapping research project and by exploring the local “creative potential” across the whole city.

Links : Contact : www.creativebrno.cz Tereza Chrástová, Creative Industries Manager [email protected]