The Margareta of Romania Royal Foundation, as project promoter of “Young Talents – Supporting Artists and Professionals in the Creative and Cultural Sectors” organized the project’s launch conference. The event took place online on November 3 and was addressed to professionals in the creative and cultural fields and to the target groups directly interested in the activities carried out within the project. The conference presented participants with information about the project’s activities and objectives and also included an information session about the targeted groups and the application and selection methodology.

The project Young Talents – Supporting Artists and Professionals in the Creative and Cultural Sectors runs from September 2021 to August 2022 and aims to foster the sustainable and innovative development of Romania’s cultural and creative industries by stimulating aptitudes and developing the skills of young visual artists and musicians.

The project’s overall objective is to support artists and professionals in the creative and cultural sectors, increase public access to culture, and accelerate creative and cultural entrepreneurial initiatives. The project aims to:

• Improve the skills of 30 professionals in the creative and cultural fields, organize an exchange of experience for the Foundation’s specialists, a mobility program for 30 emerging artists, and a creative camp, over a period of 8 months.
• Increase access to culture through 6 contemporary art initiatives for the general public, a mentorship program for 30 emerging artists, 8 thematic video tutorials for young people, a debate, and a best-practices guide, over 12 months.
• Strengthen economic development by implementing an entrepreneurial acceleration program including workshops and consultancy for developing business plans for 120 beneficiaries from the creative and cultural sectors, over 12 months.

The project also aims to ensure knowledge transfer from the European level to the local level through exchange of experience, mobility programs, and contemporary art season initiatives in the form of concerts and exhibitions, through bilateral cooperation with P1 – Nedland Kultur from Norway.

The project “Young Talents – Supporting Artists and Professionals in the Creative and Cultural Sectors” is funded by the EEA Grants 2014–2021 under the RO-CULTURA Programme. The total value of the project is RON 963,678 (€195,809.81), of which the non-reimbursable funding amounts to RON 867,310.20 (€176,228.83).

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About the EEA Grants

The EEA Grants represent the contribution of Iceland, the Principality of Liechtenstein, and the Kingdom of Norway to reducing economic and social disparities in the European Economic Area and to strengthening bilateral relations with the 15 beneficiary states in Eastern and Southern Europe and the Baltic states. These funding mechanisms are established under the Agreement on the European Economic Area, which brings together EU Member States and Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway as equal partners in the internal market. In total, the three states contributed €3.3 billion between 1994 and 2014 and €1.55 billion for the 2014–2021 funding period. More details are available at: www.eeagrants.org and www.eeagrants.ro.

About RO-CULTURA

The RO-CULTURA Programme is implemented by the Ministry of Culture through the Project Management Unit and has the overall objective of strengthening economic and social development through cultural cooperation, cultural entrepreneurship, and cultural heritage management. The Programme’s budget is approximately €34 million. More details are available at www.ro-cultura.ro

About The Margareta of Romania Royal Foundation

The Margareta of Romania Royal Foundation was established in 1990 by King Michael I of Romania and Her Majesty Margareta, Custodian of the Romanian Crown. With over 30 years of activity, the Foundation supports children, young people, and the elderly through sustainable interventions based on intergenerational exchange of experience and values. Over time, the Foundation has been involved in numerous social and cultural projects and in supporting education and artistic talent. More details are available at fundatiaregala.ro/.

About Nedland Kultur

Nedland Kultur is a private company from Norway with over 20 years of experience in cultural projects, intercultural collaborations, concert and festival organization, music digitization, and more. The company has implemented projects in Norway, the United Kingdom, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Malawi, Russia, Palestine, Israel, Vietnam, Egypt, and Romania. More details are available at www.nedlandkultur.com.