What is a Pilot Project
A pilot project is an actual implementation of the working system with real people, but on a limited scale.
European Union with Erasmus or Creative Europe formed exchange program to encourage the mobility of citizens in Europe, but at this stage, the makers movement can only make it by hand, in small quantities.
Some of the makerspaces are interested, but we need more makerspace-use to iron out the kinks, and justify the scaling-up of maker mobility programs in Europe.
Vulca want europe to try and test the makers mobility in Europe since 2015. Also, we ask them to make a research on such a topic to see if it make sense to create a specific program of mobility dedicated for Makers and and hackers
VULCA’s STRATEGY
In order to reach the attention of European insitutions to take into consideration the Makers Mobility topic as potential key point for a new EU program we worked between 2015 and 2020 on
#VulcaTour
It allowed us to identified hundred existing makers mobility from the field.
#VulcaSeminar
It allowed us to bring hundred makers, hackers, policy makers and researchers to meet and discuss about Makers Mobility
#VulcaResearchers
It allowed us to better understand the maker movement and help us to be connected with other researchers papers.
#VulcaPolicyMakers
It allowed us to bring to MEPs all contents from the field for a presentation in front of the EC in October 2018.
A bottum up approach
In between 2015 and 2020 we made a bottom up lobbying for bringing this citizen idea to Policy Makers.
While we were linking the makers and hackers movement around the concept of having a M_Hackers Movement exchange program we figured out the European Union with the DG Joint Research Center was also trying to better understand the Makers movement and wrote 2 main reports
A FIRST STEP TOWARDS
MAKERS MOBILITY PILOT PROJECT
Creativity has had a crucial impact on today’s interconnected world. Co-creation and open sources have transformed today’s innovation and production processes. Innovation must be allowed through bottom-up processes. Are part of that all open creative hubs, hackerspace, maker-spaces, fab labs, biolabs, where volunteers, freelancers, makers, hackers, creative co-workers involve.
The proliferation of Makerspace and similar structures have proven how these new models of co-creation have not only had an impact on production processes, but on society at large scale and the well being of people. High rates of youth unemployment in some European countries and regions have led to high popularity of such “3rd spaces”, which also have an important role to play in terms of social inclusion and integration. The crossovers between the cultural, creative and other sectors are of crucial importance.
They are a mechanism of combining knowledge and skills specific to the cultural and creative sector together with those of other sectors in order to generate innovative and intelligent solutions for today’s societal challenges. The maker movement, and fablabs are at the center of these developments and are rapidly developing, but their development has not been paralleled by full interconnection between the centres concerned.
Following
2 reports from the European Commission
Vulca’s main objectives
At the moment, Vulca’s main objective is to understand the impact of makers & hackers on mobility throughout Europe.
To demonstrate this impact, we have inspired a research project about makers & hackers and their mobility via several networks, including Fab Labs, Biolabs, Makerspaces, Hackerspace, open fabfarms…
the pilot project will focuses on the following areas:
Mapping of existing and proposed initiatives
Involvement of existing European networks
A small-scale mobility scheme testing
Assessing existing programs covering makers mobility
Inclusion and skills development
Policy Recommendations concerning a European Framework
RESULT
The European Commission has signed a grant agreement with the following Consortium:
European Creative Hubs Network (ECHN) (Coordinator)
The ECHN is a peer-led network
with a mission to enhance the creative, economic and social impact of hubs.
Associação de Transferência de Tecnologia da Asprela (UPTEC) (Member)
The UPDTEC supports the creation and development of business projects in the arts, sciences and technologies, through sharing knowledge between the university and the market
The duration of the project shall be 18 months and will start in March 2020
PRESENTATION
MAKERS MOBILITY PILOT PROJECT
We invited the selected organisation to come to the Vulca Seminar 2020 to present the proposal of their consortium.
Come in Zadar for the next Vulca Seminar and grab the chance to meet European Creative Hubs Network to know more about their ambition and discuscuss directly with them.