About
The Creative Innovators Programme ran from 2018-21 in the Philippines. It aimed to contribute to more sustainable and impact-led creative hubs that can better support the Philippines’ creative industries. It was supported by the regional programme, Creative Hubs for Good, which saw hubs as catalysts for growth in cities. Its objectives were to build stronger organisations that can better support the creative industries, to create more inclusive cities and communities; and to better connect the creative communities of the Philippines and UK. The project was delivered in partnership with the Department of
Trade and Industry and Design Center of the Philippines. It also involved Apl.de.Ap Foundation and Thames International.
Summary of programme achievements
The programme directly impacted the professional development of 12,665 hub leaders, artists and creative entrepreneurs in the Philippines
- The programme gradually built its role as a cultural broker that bridges, links and mediates between hubs, citizens, policy and decisionmakers with different cultural backgrounds for positive change.
- It significantly helped increase the local and international networks of creative hubs, which was key in hub sustainability, sector development and resilience during Covid-19.
- It strengthened advocacy and policy for the creative economy in the Philippines, which informed the country’s prioritisation of arts and creative industries, as seen through the development of new policies.
- It proved to be a good model for supporting the ecosystem across arts, creative industries and other sectors, such as marginalised groups, and science and technology.
The partnership with the Design Center of the Philippines led to increased trust and understanding with UK partners, leading to new and high-impact collaborative projects.
Research report
The programme focused on three areas of work:
| Hubs capacity and leadership | Support and recognition for hubs | Exchange and collaboration |
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- Hub management workshop
- Mentoring scheme
- Leadership bootcamp
- Sharing grants
- Conferences
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- Hub management workshop - Mentoring scheme - Leadership bootcamp - Sharing grants - Conferences |
- Fellowship of hubs
- UK study tour
- Collaboration grants
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It was preceded by an extensive research exercise across the region which took place in 2017, to identify needs and inform the structure of the programme.
Future opportunities and other insights
- Hubs remain centres for creative production, cross-sectoral links, innovative thinking and alternative learning.
- Intellectual Property (IP) understanding is identified as a big gap for creative professionals and hubs can serve as centres for IP creation, development and enforcement.
- There is a high demand for learning new skills from creative professionals through online courses, especially amidst Covid-19 impact.
- Developing more established hub networks in the UK could further strengthen international.
Resources
- Get valuable insights on arts and creative economy in the Philippines
- Launch of the Creative Innovators Programme
Contact us
For inquiries on partnerships, please email arts@britishcouncil.org.ph.