A new NDPC project for the support of sustainable cross-innovations

The NDPC has been granted small-scale project funding to support the emergence of creative cross-innovations in the Northern Dimension region.  The project will be implemented until 12/2023 and consists of two elements: (1) practical pilot and method development “Creative Residency for Sustainability” and its evaluation tool and (2) small-scale benchmarking process of creative cross-innovations in a global context.

We refer to creative cross-innovations as collaborative processes where professionals from the arts, culture, and creative fields (CCIs) share information, working methods, creative approaches, and “cross-over” to other sectors and traditional industries in order to collaborate in new ways with professionals from other fields. The aim of creative collaborations is to tap into the potential of creative know-how, to promote new thinking, access creative activities, and through cross-disciplinary activities to boost creative co-creation within society, e.g. in the fields of health and wellbeing, research & technology, urban development and sustainability, etc. See mapping: Collaboration and Innovation in the Northern Dimension Countries (2021).

As part of this project, the NDPC is developing and carrying out a creative cross-innovation method pilot. Under the auspices of this method, the process of artistic residencies will be reshaped in the context of non-CCI organisations. For three months, one artist will undertake an artistic residency in a non-CCI public or private organisation and explore topics of sustainability through artistic practice. The aim is to create new dialogues between the arts and organisations and approach sustainability in explorative ways.

The NDPC, in collaboration with project partners Havremagasinet (Sweden), Tromsø Art Academy (Norway) and BusinessOulu (Finland), will develop the method, prepare a tool for evaluating the value created and share the outcomes in a tool-box format. To further explore the topic and to engage diverse audiences (students, CCI developers, businesses and innovation networks etc.), several open events will be organised within the project.

The project will conduct small-scale benchmarking of creative cross-innovations in a global context. This information gathering exercise will locate creative cross-innovation developments in various continents. The process will provide knowledge about the locations of the latest capacity areas, clusters of excellence and key actors internationally. This process will be led by an external expert commissioned by the NDPC.

During the first phase, a virtual benchmarking process will be carried out. On the basis of the results, the NDPC will continue the process by making two study visits to the most acknowledged hotspots. The results of the benchmarking will be shared during the autumn of 2023 in the form of an open webinar and online article.