Within the framework of the cooperation within the Ulysseus European University, another of the programme activities designed for students and focused on segments of the cultural and creative industries (CCI) took place.

The University of Genoa (UniGe) has prepared the training programme “Entrepreneurship and Innovative Business Models for the Cultural and Creative Industry” (November 2022 – January 2023) for the Ulysseus partner universities. The Technical University of Košice (TUKE) and other partners (University of Applied Sciences The Hague­‑Helia, HH and University of Seville, USE) also participated in its preparation and organisation. The involvement of TUKE in this programme proved to be crucial, especially in terms of the creative and artistic background of the Faculty of Arts of TUKE (FU). Equally important was the expertise in the field of regional sciences and management, with an emphasis on the development of creative industries, provided by the Faculty of Economics of TUKE (EkF). Equally important was also the active personal participation of a group of students and teachers from both participating faculties.

The multi­‑week Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) focused on cooperation in areas that support or stimulate the CCI space, especially in terms of expanding the educational or scientific research base with overlaps into creative practice. Students from the Ulysseus partner universities participated in the programme, including a group of nine students from the FU and EkF.

The programme consisted of an online and a physical component. The online part included topics such as “Measuring Impact in the Cultural Sector” and “Cultural Participation and Audience Development” (Assoc. Prof. Miriam Šebová, PhD., EkF). The physical part of the programme took place on 12-16 December 2022 at the University of Genoa. TUKE was represented by a team of teachers from the Faculty of Arts, who covered key topics such as “Graphic Design and Data Visualisation” (Eva Jenčuráková, ArtD.), “Creative Intermedia Approaches for Data Visualisation” (Martin Kudla, ArtD.) and“ Media Art Strategies, Hybrid Projects and Infosthetics” (Assoc. Prof. Richard Kitta, ArtD.).

What do the participants say about the training programme?

Within the BIP programme, TUKE students were able to get familiar with several basic as well as innovative practices in direct confrontation with experts from various fields. The effectiveness, benefit and importance of the project are also confirmed by the reactions and observations of individual participants:

• “… lots of suggestions, people, and topics, lots of useful information and new contacts. New topics in the cultural and creative field are, for us artists, important.” (Kristína Roxerová, student FU)

• “… it is beneficial to learn more about the“ entrepreneurial” and “innovative” side of the creative industry – just from an economic point of view. I am glad that this programme gave me an insight into this world.” (Rachel Jutka, student FU)

• “… I already have some experience with business in the creative industry, yet I gained a lot of new information. Interdisciplinary collaborations could work more within our university.” (Mgr. art. Patrik Knoblich, PhD. student, FU)

The economic and entrepreneurial dimension of creative projects, including the author's technology transfer, is seen as very stimulating and relevant from an educational perspective for the field of CCI. The event at UniGe, coordinated by Ulysseus Innovation Hub for Tourism, Arts & Heritage, was characterised by such educational strategy:

• “… data processing, the production of statistics in the field of culture or lectures on art itself and its use in practice, as well as working in teams – all of this has broadened my horizons considerably.” (Dominik Jirásek, student EkF)

• “… new knowledge and inspiring people. A useful experience was working in a team with a person with an economic background from another country, which I can transfer to my future projects.” (Karin Kolesárová, student EkF)

• “… to stand your place in the art market in global competition requires a focused approach and a business plan. The BIP mobility in Genoa provided us with valuable knowledge in this area.” (Štefánia Suchodolinská, student FU)

The fact that the ambitions and goals of the BIP have been really met is evidenced not only by the original CCI­‑themed team deliverables, but also by other immediate reactions of the participating students and teachers:

• “… such projects make sense, especially for us artists – to broaden our knowledge, improve our language skills and also to get to know another culture. I took away know­‑how from my stay that you don't just stumble upon.” (Anna Božiková, student FU)

• "… valuable information from foreign experts and a different approach to education. We got to know different professionals who work in the cultural and creative industries.” (Tamara Mišagová, student FU)

• “… further experience and broadening my horizons in the field of CCI. We take away not only experiences, but also skills and knowledge that we can use in artistic creation or teaching practice.” (Mgr. art. Eva Jenčuráková, ArtD., teacher, FU)

This training program resulted in several innovative models as well as theoretical and methodological materials that are designed for implementation within selected creative industries. At the same time, the programme highlights the necessity of linking different fields of education and research, which can initiate innovative approaches and new original solutions.

About Ulysseus

Ulysseus is one of the 44 European Universities selected by the European Commission to become the universities of the future. Led by the University of Seville together with five other universities in Europe (the University of Genoa, Italy; Université Côte d’Azur, France; the Technical University of Košice, Slovakia; MCI | The Entrepreneurial School®, Austria; and Haaga­‑Helia University of Applied Sciences, Finland), the project will allow students, researchers and graduates to move freely between universities, carry out internships in companies and start high­‑impact research projects. The alliance is being expanded by two new university partners: University of Münster (Germany) a University of Montenegro (Montenegro).

More information: www.ulysseus.eu

We thank to Anna Božiková for providing us with the photos from the event.