Creative sector to benefit from EU-funded project

Funding of €2m has just been announced for a new three-year project to support the creative industries sector in the Western Region.

Creative Momentum will support and connect creative enterprises across the West of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Sweden, Finland and Iceland.

The €2m in funding has been secured from the EU’s Northern Periphery and Arctic (NPA) Interreg programme. The transnational project will be led by the Western Development Commission (WDC), with NUI Galway also participating.

“Over the next three years creative enterprises from across the region – including craftspeople, designers, artists, filmmakers, app developers and musicians – will be able to access a range of new opportunities,” said WDC Chairperson Paddy McGuinness.

“The wealth of creativity in the region means this sector holds great potential for sustainable job creation, including in rural areas.  Creative Momentum aims to help creatives at different stages in their business to take the next step; whether through training, innovation, networking or accessing international markets.”

Some of the supports that will be available include mentoring on access export markets, and  innovation support for new product/service ideas.

Participants will also attend a creative industry event in Northern Ireland, Sweden, Finland, Iceland or Ireland, exhibit at a Trade Fair/Show/Festival anywhere in Europe, and produce a short ‘pitch video’.

To access international audiences, creative enterprises can also create a free online profile on MyCreativeEdge.eu (www.mycreativeedge.eu) to showcase their work.

A total of 550 creatives have already signed up to the site which receives over 2,000 visits a month.