Cool Industries for the Creative City (CICC)

The Institute for Development and International Relations, in cooperation with the UNESCO International Fund for Cultural Diversity, has launched a project called the Creative City. Results have been achieved already within the first few months, while the project continues with the ultimate goal being the overall development of the city.

Last September, the Institute for Development and International Relations, in cooperation with the   UNESCO International Fund for Cultural Diversity, launched the project Cool Industries for the Creative City – CICC which lasted until April of this year. This was a research – consultancy project in the field of cultural/creative industries of the city of Zagreb.

The importance and the benefit of the project will be seen in the overall city development, mainly in the increase in the income from cultural/creative industries, in the urban development and cultural tourism development, as well as in the increased vibrancy of the city.
Additionally, the project is aimed at the diversification of the tourism offer, increased economic competitiveness of the city and new creative products.

The implementation of the project has yielded very tangible results. Creative individuals, companies, products and the creative tourist resources of Zagreb have been mapped out and some of the data was collected in a searchable on-line data base which is being continuously updated. Furthermore, a proposal was drafted for the calculation of the so-called creative city index which serves to measure the city’s competitiveness based on creativity and the SWOT analysis of every single sector of cultural/creative industries; a proposal was made for the establishment of the Centre for Creative Industries in the City of Zagreb. Its main goal would be the implementation of cultural/creative industries into the public policies. Also, a letter of intent was signed for the establishment of such a centre at the HGK – Croatian Chamber of Economy. The goal of the latter would be to promote and internationalize products, companies and individuals active in the field of cultural/creative industries and to come up with a new syllabus entitled “Creative Laboratory” which would  be taught at various colleges of the University of Zagreb. The entire project has been accompanied by the printing of promotional brochures, posters, billboards and radio and video commercials as part of a promotional campaign for cultural/creative industries; the goal was to raise awareness of the cultural/creative industries in Zagreb and to inspire and boost consumption of their products.

The project does not stop there. The data base will continue to be updated with information on the creative potentials of Zagreb. Therefore, the Institute for Development and International Relations invites all creative individuals to send their data to cicc@irmo.hr, and it has also announced the implementation of some concrete projects that have already been proposed within the framework of the CICC, for example, thematic linking of all public institutions, internationalization of the music industry, establishing stronger ties between culture and industry, etc.