European Expert Network on Culture (EENC)

cultural values

Tobias Harding

Tobias Harding is as an expert at the Department of Culture and Society at the Linköping University. His main research interests concern concepts of democracy, culture and Bildung institutionalised in various modes of organizing. His additional interests involve third sector politics, national identity, cultural policies in Sweden, neo-institutionalism in cultural policy, education policy and culture.

His Ph.D. disertation at the University of Linköping concerned national cultural policy in Sweden where he analysed institutionalization of Swedish culture between 1970-2002.

Tobias is the Head of the Swedish Cultural Policy Observatory (SweCult) as well as Swedish reporter for the Council of Europe Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe. He is also a memeber of the editorial board of the Nordisk Kulturpolitisk Tidskrift (The Nordic Journal of Cultural Policy) and a member of the scientific committee for the Nordic Conference on Cultural Policy Research.

Tags: cultural identity, cultural policy, cultural research, cultural values, culture and society, Education and Culture, Sweden

SI – Swedish Institute

The Swedish Institute (SI) is a public agency that seeks to establish cooperation and lasting relations with other countries through strategic communication and exchange in the fields of culture, education, science and business. SI also supports Swedish language instruction at foreign universities. SI works closely with Swedish embassies and consulates around the world. The agency pursues its activities in accordance with following objectives:

to promote Sweden’s international position by establishing cooperation in wide range of fields and paving the way for new partnerships, exchanges and trade;
to foster creativity, innovation and development both in Sweden and in partner countries by encouraging exchanges of knowledge and know-how;
to facilitate cooperation and encourage sustainable development, progress towards human rights, freedom of expression and gender equality;
to support partner countries’ economic, social and cultural development, as part of Sweden’s development cooperation effort;
to help reducing tension and the risk of conflict by encouraging knowledge-sharing, dialogue and understanding between people both in Sweden and in other countries.

The Swedish Institute supports exchanges, promotes and funds projects with other countries in the spheres of culture, education, research and public life. The Swedish Institute in Paris (Institut Suédois à Paris) is SI’s sole branch office, and the only Swedish cultural centre outside Sweden.

Tags: cultural cooperation, cultural diplomacy, cultural policy, cultural values, EU, funding, intercultural dialogue, Sweden

IRL – Institut Ramon Llull

The Institut Ramon Llull is a consortium made up by the Government of Catalonia and the Government of the Balearic Islands dedicated to the international promotion of the Catalan language and the culture of the areas in which Catalan is spoken. The IRL forms part of the Fundació Ramon Llull, which was established by the governments of Andorra, the Ramon Llull Institute, General Council of the Eastern Pyrenees, the city of Alghero, and the Network of Valencian Cities, and has its central offices in Andorra. IRL’s activities are divided within three main departments:

The Language Department
The Artistic Department
The Department of Humanities and Sciences

The Ramon Llull Institute’s main objective is to promote Catalan language and culture abroad. In order to achieve its mission, IRL:

fosters Catalan language classes in universities and other centers of higher learning, placing special emphasis on the study and research of Catalan language and culture beyond its linguistic domain;
promotes the teaching of Catalan to the general public beyond the linguistic domain;
broadens the familiarization with Catalan literature on an international level by encouraging and supporting translations into other languages and corresponding promotional activities for such works when deemed appropriate;
contributes to the international dissemination of works of philosophy and research by providing support for translations into other languages, organizing meetings, seminars and exchange programs and other activities towards the advancement of the Catalan academic, intellectual and scientific community abroad;
promotes and provide support to international Catalan societies in their initiatives, projects and activities;
further the international impact of Catalan visual arts through the use of appropriate promotional strategies and activities, encourages the internationalization of outstanding artistic work, provides aid towards the exposure of artists and artwork abroad and broadens the international awareness of Catalonia’s art
promotes collaborations, projects and joint initiatives with institutions and organizations dedicated to the diffusion of Catalan culture.

Tags: cultural cooperation, cultural diplomacy, cultural education, cultural policies, cultural values, EU, Spain

National Cultural Fund

The Hungarian National Cultural Fund operates under the supervision of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and it aims to support creation and preservation of Hungarian cultural values and their promotion on national and international level, new cultural initiatives and scientific research on culture. The National Cultural Fund distributes grants and it has supported international cultural exchanges and programmes in the field of architecture, environment, fine and applied arts, libraries, national archives and theatre.

Tags: Central Europe, cultural heritage, cultural values, funding, sponsorship

HFC – Hellenic Foundation for Culture

Hellenic Foundation for Culture (HFC) is a cultural and educational organization, which aims to promote Greek language and Greek culture. It has branches in Alexandria, Berlin, Odessa, London and Moscow. The Foundation offers Greek language courses, organizes cultural events, publishes books and operates lending libraries in its Branches, open to the public. Furthermore, HFC provides assistance to institutions that promote Greek language for conferences, publications, language lessons at universities and schools. HFC is the head of the Greek network of the Anna Lindh Foundation for Euro-Mediterranean Partnership and Dialogue between Cultures, and is a member of the European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC).

Tags: cultural education, cultural values, EU, funding, Greece, Mediterranean, sponsorship

John Holden

John Holden is an associate at the think tank Demos, where he was Head of Culture from 2000-2008. He is a Visiting Professor in Cultural Policy and Management at City University, London. John holds Masters Degrees in Law and in Design History and has been engaged in numerous projects in the cultural sector dealing with music, film, theatre, heritage, museums and libraries, and concerned with policy issues, evaluation, leadership, workforce development and learning. He has worked with governments, funding bodies, trusts and foundations, agencies, and major cultural organizations, including the Royal Shakespeare Company, the British Museum, the Sage, Gateshead, V&A, and Tate. He is a Trustee of the Hepworth, Wakefield, a member of the Strategy Committee of the Clore Leadership Programme, a member of the Advisory Board of the Arts and Humanities Research Council, a member of the European Expert Network on Culture and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. John has delivered many keynote speeches in the UK, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, the US and Canada. His publications on cultural policy issues include Culture and Class, Democratic Culture, Capturing Cultural Value, Cultural Value and the Crisis of Legitimacy, Creative Reading, Culture and Learning, Hitting the Right Note and Cultural Diplomacy. Together with Robert Hewison, he wrote The Cultural Leadership Handbook: How to Run a Creative Organization.

Tags: cultural and creative industries, cultural heritage, cultural policy, cultural values, EU, United Kingdom

The EENC has been set up at the initiative of the European Commission Directorate General for Education and Culture. The project comprises a group of high-level experts in the field of cultural policy who provide reports and studies on a range of topics according to requests of the European Commission. The coordination of the network has been entrusted to a consortium led by Interarts and Culture Action Europe following an open call of tender launched in 2010.