Bernd Fesel, managing director of the European Creative Business Network (ECBN), took part in the CCIs and Innovation Contrast project, organised by the Basque Government and developedthroughout 2021, which brought together European experts to discuss the topics of innovation in the CCIs, R&D and the measurement of R&D&i.

Bernd Fesel was involved from the outset in the CCIs and Innovation Contrast project, an ambitious initiative developed by the Department of Culture and Language Policy of the Basque Government, with the participation of a large group of international European experts and key local actors such as the Basque Cultural Observatory (BCO). Bernd Fesel acted as international scientific coordinator of one of the three working groups, the one devoted to innovation in CCIs.

The general objective of this project was to obtain knowledge that will enable the development of policies and initiatives to support innovation in the cultural and creative sector (CCS). These sessions with international experts are part of the Basque Government’s efforts to create spaces for the exchange of good practices and knowledge development.

The working group coordinated by Bernd Fesel delved deeper into the concept of innovation, focusing on the Oslo Manual and the objectives of innovation, as well as discussing the value of culture in relation to the three-dimensional model and its dimensions (instrumental, intrinsic, and shared social value). The work of this group served as a basis for the other two, on R&D – coordinated by Pier Luigi Sacco, and on the measurement of R&D&I – coordinated by Luca dal Pozzolo and Valentina Montalto.

On the 11th and 12th November, the Open Conference CCIs and Innovation Contrast took place in Bilbao. This event was the culmination of all the work developed throughout 2021. Bernd Fesel’s online intervention took place on the morning of 11th November, where he dealt with topics such as: “New Innovation and a New Normal”, innovating the concept of innovation, the new consensus on innovation and on measuring innovation, the new approach to accounting the non-countable and the impact of CCIs within innovation. The latter issue addressed the importance of innovation and culture in relation to climate change. For this, Bernd Fesel spoke about the impact of the New European Bauhaus and the green fashion within CCS and other related issues.

The main outputs of this working process can be checked online at the General Outcomes document, which will be soon updated with the Open Conference results.