Creative Mediterranean – Development of cluster in cultural and creative industries in the Southern Mediterranean

Project Duration
2014 - 2019
Budget
€6.8 million
Status
Ongoing
Learn more about the project

Countries covered:

  • Algeria
  • Egypt
  • Jordan
  • Lebanon
  • Morocco
  • Palestine *
  • Tunisia

Brief Description

The EU-funded project, which also benefits from a financial contribution of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation and which is implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), aims at supporting selected cluster initiatives in cultural and creative industries (CCIs) in the Southern Mediterranean that have the potential to contribute to sustainable and inclusive economic growth.

Countries covered: Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia.

Objectives

This UfM-labelled project seeks to:

  1. Foster co-operation between MSMEs in the creative sector through the establishment of clusters to improve economic competitiveness.
  2. Improve entrepreneurship, innovation, product design and marketing capacities for MSMEs in the creative sector to access to new markets and find new economic opportunities.
  3. Strengthen the capacity of support institutions to provide quality services to MSMEs in the creative sector.
  4. Demonstrate the potential of clusters and creative industries as a driver of economic growth and social resilience in the Southern Mediterranean region.

Actions in brief

Cluster development activities including: establishment of a governance structure for the cluster; recruitment of a cluster development agent which leads new common projects for cluster members.

 

Product development activities including: diagnostic of product development processes; organization of design workshops for the creation of new collections combining design and traditional heritage.

 

Access to market activities including: development of marketing and branding strategies for the new collections created; participation to local and international trade-fairs; development of B2B linkages with local and international buyers.

 

Capacity building activities for support institutions including: establishment of Creative Hubs- platforms that offers services and spaces to the creative sector actors from designers to craftsmen and factories, in order to diffuse design knowledge and culture and improve creativity- in the partner countries in collaboration with partner institutions.

 

Dissemination and replication activities including: training of local public institutions in cluster policy development; development of a vast communication strategy through social media and press relations; presentation of the project methodology in high-level events; organization of a high-level regional conference in Algeria on “Creativity, Jobs and Local Economic Development”.

Implementing partner: UNIDO.

News

Thematics
Employment & Entrepreneurship Sustainable Development