INSPIRE Project: Capacity-Building and Collaboration-Oriented Efforts to Support Access to International Funding Continue

The capacity-building and collaboration-oriented framework developed within the INSPIRE Project aims to strengthen the preparedness, project development, and international cooperation capacities of cultural and creative sector stakeholders in Türkiye for engaging with EU funding programmes. Within this scope, a combined support mechanism, consisting of clinic workshops held in Ankara on 20-21 August 2025 and in İzmir on 15 August 2025 and a broad-participation webinar series, has been established. The activities focused on fundable project development, call–project matching, consortium building, and alignment with European cultural policies.

Field Clinics: In-Depth Analysis, Diagnostic Review and Practice-Oriented Learning Processes

The field clinic phase of the programme advanced through hands-on sessions centred on Horizon Europe Cluster 2 – Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society calls (particularly HERITAGE-01, HERITAGE-02 and HERITAGE-06) in Ankara and İzmir.

Participants examined the aims, scope, expected impacts and fundability logic of the calls, testing their project ideas within this framework. Key Horizon Europe principles, including impact pathway design, measurable outputs, policy alignment, consortium structure and project management were addressed in detail during both clinics.

• İzmir Clinic adopted a highly participatory and experience-based approach. Focused on Horizon Europe Cluster 2 calls, the workshop allowed participants to concretise their project ideas through project canvases (idea drafts), test their concepts against international funding criteria through long-table interactions rooted in social design, and receive one-to-one feedback. The event aimed to strengthen the capacity of local actors, including municipalities, NGOs and academics.

• The Ankara Clinic was conducted over two days with an intensive technical orientation. The main focus remained on HERITAGE-01, HERITAGE-02 and HERITAGE-06 calls under Horizon Europe Cluster 2. Participants deepened their call analysis and carried out applied work on key Horizon Europe components such as fundability assessment, impact pathway development, consortium structuring and project management.

Webinar Series: A Comprehensive Look into the EU Funding Ecosystem

Complementing the field clinics, the webinar series titled “Introduction to the European Union Cultural and Creative Sectors Ecosystem” was delivered and offering an extensive overview of the EU funding landscape.

• EU Cultural Policies and the Creative Economy Perspective: The first session explored the European Union’s strategic approach to culture, the role of culture in EU policies and its historical evolution. The critical importance of cultural diversity for European identity, the new perspectives introduced by the New European Bauhaus and the European Green Deal, and Türkiye’s position within the EU cultural ecosystem were examined. Collaboration opportunities and the current status of Creative Europe Türkiye were also assessed in relation to potential openings for Türkiye’s cultural and creative sectors.

• EU Funding Opportunities for Cultural and Creative Sector Professionals in Türkiye:The second session provided a detailed overview of the EU funding framework for 2021–2027. The intersection of key thematic programmes; Creative Europe, Erasmus+, Horizon Europe and CERV with the cultural and creative sectors was explained. Funding areas supported under the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA III), along with examples such as CultureCivic, were presented. Participants also explored the functioning of the EU Funding & Tenders Portal and learned about collaboration prospects offered by international cultural networks.

These sessions aimed to equip participants with a holistic understanding of the EU ecosystem and to support the development of strategic pathways for accessing EU funding.

Click here to access the webinar recording delivered within this scope.

Next Step:

Through a capacity-building and collaboration-oriented approach has provided a solid foundation for strengthening preparedness for access to funding processes, impact-driven project design, multi-actor collaboration, and alignment with European Union culture-focused programmes across Türkiye’s cultural and creative sectors. The combination of the hands-on content of the clinics held in Ankara and İzmir with the funding guidance perspective of the webinar series has supported the ecosystem’s capacity to develop fundable project concepts.

With the upcoming implementation of the Istanbul Clinic, which constitutes the third and final field-based activity under this framework, the field-oriented work will be advanced to a concluding and consolidating phase.