In times of COVID-19, one of the sectors mostly impacted by the obligations of social distancing, has been the cultural and creative industry. Artists and technicians working in this field have faced huge restrictions in their ordinary activities.
Many European and national programmes in these months have taken on account the critical situation of cultural professionals. For these reasons, some initiatives deserve huge attention for the support they give to the cultural sector.
One of the most interesting recent European initiatives is the i-Portunus programme. The scheme is funded by Creative Europe, the multi-year framework programme that supports a variety of actions, initiatives, and prizes. In line with the European Agenda for Culture, the European Commission, alongside national authorities, culture sector organisations, and other EU institutions, promotes cultural diversity and dialogue, culture as a catalyst for creativity and innovation and culture as part of the EU’s international relations.
The project scheme I-Portunus has been initially funded as a pilot project, proposed by a consortium headed by Goethe-Institut, with Institut français, and Izolyatsia. It was also based on an operational study demostrating the importance and opportunity of a Mobility Scheme for Artists and Culture Professionals in Creative Europe countries. On 2020, it started its second phase until the end of 2021.
Main focus of the scheme is to boost international cultural collaborations, by supporting mobility experiences in the Creative Europe Partner Countries (1). This will be done via physical mobility but also, if necessary, virtual or blended mobility variations.
The total available budget is 500.000 EUR. A fixed amount is provided per applicant for transportation and per diem, depending on the destination country and the duration of the mobility. On 2020-21, five public calls are scheduled for supporting international mobility projects of artists, creators and cultural professionals in the sectors of music, literature, architecture and cultural heritage.
It will be possible for individual applications to be proposed in an open period of two months for each call. On last 9 December 2020 two calls were published for music professionals and for literary translators.
On last 15 January 2021, there was a new call aimed at mobility projects for architects.
Two other calls are expected for the next 15 February 2021, for music professionals and for professionals working in the cultural heritage sector.
The single applicant has to organize a project with a host institution/partner/fellow in another Creative Europe country. In the application the project must be described with its main objectives, being international collaboration, production oriented residency, or professional development. Applicants should explain how the mobility experience will allow to achieve their creative project. Documents must be provided that demonstrate that a collaboration and a commitment with a international partner have been already started or planned.
Important to know is that the total length of the mobility has to be between 7 and 60 days (including travel days) in a continuous or segmented period.
1. Partner Countries of the Creative Europe Programme are: Albania; Armenia; Austria; Belgium; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Bulgaria; Croatia; Cyprus; Czechia; Denmark; Estonia; Finland; France; Georgia; Germany; Greece; Hungary; Iceland; Ireland; Italy; Kosovo; Latvia; Lithuania; Luxembourg; Malta; Moldova; Montenegro; Netherlands; North Macedonia; Norway; Poland; Portu-gal; Romania; Serbia; Slovakia; Slovenia; Spain; Sweden; Tunisia; Ukraine; United Kingdom.
2. Credit Picture: EvgenyRom/Pixabay