New EU innovation plan to boost 'creative clusters'

Hans Martens, chief executive of the European Policy Centre and moderator of the EYCI debates, said Europe has grown too attached to traditional industries at the expense of the creative sector. 

"You could see it in who was bailed out during the crisis. It was traditional industries. We have an emotional attachment to these kinds of large physical businesses," he said. Martens added that "asset-light" companies face a major problem in convincing banks to back them because they do not have any collateral. 

Miguel Silvestre, coordinator of the Óbidos Creative Cluster in Portugal, said the Internet has made it possible for small urban areas to build a critical mass of creative industries. 

"Creativity can act as a driving force for economic development of small and medium urban centres and not just big cities. This can help diversify the economic base and provide opportunities for young people," he said. 

Silvestre said smaller towns find it easier to involve creative people in policy development but added that practical measures are needed to entice creative workers back from major cities. In his area, local authorities have renovated old houses for high-value creative workers as part of efforts to attract and retain talented people. 

Ruta Prusiviciene, director of the Vilnius Festival in Lithuania, said there is a serious threat that the cultural agenda will be erased from government spending plans due to the severe economic crisis. 

The Vilnius Festival, she said, has helped put the cultural sector on the map in Lithuania and now serves as a meeting point where creative people and politicians can discuss how to improve the environment for the arts. 

In Lithuania, this dialogue has resulted in tax exemptions for artists and improved links between arts and business groups. 

Hasan Bakhshi, director for creative industries at the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA) in the UK, said creative industries can have positive "spillovers" for the wider economy. 

He said research indicates that companies that engaged with creative services by working with designers and architects are themselves more innovative. 

"Innovation policymakers need to understand the role creative industries make, not just because of their direct contribution but because, in a more profound way, they influence innovation," he said. 

Anne Marie Boutin, president of the  Agence pour la promotion et la creation industrielle in France, said education is central to building a more creative workforce. She said all industries must become creative and educators should train young people in cross-disciplinary project work. 

"If we want to leave a desirable and sustainable world for future generations, we need to develop creativity in all companies, in public administration, and in civil society," she said. 

Boutin said if politicians want things to change in Europe, they should set a good example by involving designers in policy building.