The Culture and Development Program (PON- Culture and development) is dedicated to the five less developed regions (Campania, Basilicata, Puglia, Calabria, Sicily), contributes to the strategic purposes of the 2014-2020 programming co-financed by European funds and defined with the Agreement of Partnership (AdP). The PON Culture and Development aims to increase the attractiveness of the cultural resources of the regions concerned (Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Puglia and Sicily), and therefore to determine more consistent flows of tourist demand and quality cultural enjoyment, also suitable for supporting the strengthening and establishment of entrepreneurial activities (including the third sector) in the supply chain of creative and cultural enterprises.
To achieve this objective, the PON focuses its action on the protection and enhancement of the cultural heritage of excellence (museums, monuments, archaeological areas, architectural and landscape assets) present in the five regions, which can be represented by a single attraction or by several attractors in condition of territorial proximity, capable of promoting significant variations in the demand (current and / or potential) of visitors and tourists. The intervention on these attractors is implemented with projects aimed at determining adequate conditions of conservation, enhancement and use. The attraction area is also considered a priority destination area for interventions aimed, on the one hand, at promoting entrepreneurial initiatives capable of activating cultural and tourist demand and generating added value and employment, and on the other hand to strengthen and to innovate - through targeted technical assistance activities - the governance system of cultural assets and activities.
The PON, in order to implement the strategic priorities agreed between Italy and the European Commission and contained in the 2014-2020 Partnership Agreement, is divided into three pillars, coinciding with the relevant Axes of the Program:
- the first pillar is aimed at strengthening the cultural segment of the demand and supply of cultural attractors of national ownership and / or strategic importance located in Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Puglia and Sicily, also in terms of consolidation and qualification of closely connected services their touristic-cultural use;
- the second pillar is aimed at encouraging the increase in economic activities related to cultural endowments to support the competitiveness of companies in the sector, including social ones, capable of contributing to increasing the attractiveness of the areas identified by the Program;
- the third pillar overall supports the management of the Program and the improvement of the operational capacities of the subjects involved in the implementation of the PON, pursuing efficiency objectives in the various areas involved (administrative-procedural, organizational, technical), also favoring the implementation of the administrative strengthening.
Axis II of the PON is dedicated exclusively to "Cultura Crea", the incentive program in favor of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in the cultural and creative chain, which includes 3 lines of action:
- creation of new enterprises in the cultural and creative industry that promote innovation, technological development and creativity, to which 41.7 million are destined;
- development of enterprises in the cultural, tourism and manufacturing industries, to which 37.8 million are destined;
- support to third sector companies active in the cultural tourism and manufacturing industry, to which 27.4 million are allocated.
Coherently with the aims of the National Program Culture and Development several integrated projects are launched and supported in the national context. Contemporarly with the celebration of " Matera City" as the European Capital of Culture, the MIBACT promoted a show program spread throughout the Basilicata region, also involving the Municipalities of the neighboring Provinces of the Regions of Calabria, Campania and Puglia, through support for cultural initiatives of live entertainment. Meanwhile, Matera Foundation promoted a transnational project "Deus. European open design school for sustainable regional development" variously linked to research and technology centers and public actors, which represent 4 European Capitals of Culture, including past, present and future designated city.
Accorded with the normative Ministerial Decree 27/2017 "Support to Special Projects in the regional territories" the MIBACT promoted, in 2019, a show program in the Verbano area involving the Municipalities of the Provinces of Piedmont and Lombardy that overlook Lake Maggiore, for the cultural and economic revival of a territory, which is characterized by its high cultural, landscape, historical and architectural potential, not yet fully exploited.
To pursue the purposes described above, this year, the Administration intended to pay particular attention to the "Special Projects" presented by the Municipalities of Piedmont and Lombardy that overlook the two shores of Lake Maggiore and that involve tour operators, institutions local and local cultural associations.Three-year inter-institutional agreement (2018-2020) between MIBACT and Regions developed and enhanced the specific function of the Residences in the live entertainment system as innovation factors, dedicated to supporting and accompanying the practices and processes of artistic creation regardless of production results, also through forms of virtuous relationship artists with the places and communities that inhabit them. The agreement (approved by permanent conference between the state, the regions and the autonomous provinces) aimed to development of "Residence Centers" and "Artists in the territories" residency projects. The Regions that have joined the Agreement for the year 2018 are: Tuscany Region, Lazio Region, Emilia Romagna Region, Lombardy Region, Marche Region, Piedmont Region, Puglia Region, Calabria Region, Umbria Region, Campania Region, Friuli Venezia Giulia Region , Basilicata Region, Sardinia Region, Abruzzo Region, Veneto Region, Autonomous Province of Trento and Bolzano.
The increasing of the awareness-raising about the cultural and creative sectors, as well as, the national and international measures adotped during the time allowed the territories to promoting and stipulating the local and regional cultural production and system (e.g. Regional or Local Cultural Districts).
Furthermore since the 2014 the MIBACT launched the annual call so-called "La capitale italiana della cultura" (Italian capital for culture) which is a nominated Italian city is which has the opportunity to express and enhance (for one year period) its cultural life and development.
In additional, is worth to mention two additional and interdependent National Programs:
- "The Metropolitan Cities Operational Program 2014-2020" (PON Metro http://www.ponmetro.it/ )
The PON is a unitary national operational program of interventions for sustainable urban development. The Program, approved by the European Commission on 14 July 2015, has a financial endowment of 892 million euros, of which 588 from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and 304 million from the European Social Fund (ESF) ). The territory of intervention of the Program involves 14 Italian metropolitan cities (Turin, Milan, Genoa, Venice, Bologna, Florence, Rome, Naples, Bari, Reggio Calabria, Cagliari, Catania, Messina, Palermo), with a distribution of resources that sees approximately 90 million euros for each city in Southern Italy and around 40 million for those in the Center and North. The development idea is to field a strong national synergy, safeguarding and enhancing the planning of individual cities on 4 main themes: digital agenda, sustainability of public services (energy and environmental) and urban mobility, innovation and social inclusion. The action of the program focuses on areas that directly impact the life of the citizen and the solutions to the many critical issues have been identified precisely by the 14 metropolitan cities, protagonists of the Program, which have identified projects based on a careful analysis of the needs of the territory. The PON Metro experiments a completely innovative model in which, through a proxy signed by the Management Authority, the capital cities (Urban Authorities) to which the role of Intermediate Body has been entrusted, directly hold economic resources, functions and responsibilities interventions.
- The National Operational Program (PON) for "Governance and Institutional Capacity" 2014-2020 (www.agenziacoesione.gov.it/pon/pon-governance)
The Program managed by the "Agency for Territorial Cohesion" (Agenzia per la Coesione Sociale), represents the main tool for implementing the strategic priorities for the strengthening and innovation of the Public Administration agreed between Italy and the Commission European Union and contained in the 2014-2020 Partnership Agreement. With the contribution of the Union Funds, the PON Governance finances interventions that accompany and implement the PA reform measures established at national level and, through its intervention strategy, contributes to the achievement of the objectives of smart, sustainable and inclusive growth defined by Europe 2020.
The progressive evaluation on the measures adopted at regional and local levels indicate that the cultural and creative sectors are increasingly considered a key factor for the sustainable development for the territories and a tool to promote employability in the cultural and creative sectors, in particular the youth sector, and at the same time to provide economic and territorial animation to policy makers and stakeholders in terms of urban regeneration, social and cultural innovation. The Managing Authority (MA) of the PON, is called to implement all the actions aimed at achieving an optimal monitoring process and flow of information. Evaluation (https://ponculturaesviluppo.beniculturali.it/il-pon/attivita/valutazione/) is aimed at improving the quality, effectiveness and consistency of the Operational Program, as well as its strategy and its concrete implementation.
In this regard, the Managing Authority draws up an Evaluation Plan (PdV) in which it presents the evaluation activities to be carried out during the programming period and defines the financial, human and organizational resources necessary to carry them out. The PON "Culture and Development" PdV aims to oversee and strengthen the conditions for the effective implementation of the Program in terms of:
* achievement of expected results (effectiveness)
* optimal use of resources (efficiency)
* contribution to the economic growth of the territories (impact).
For this purpose, the Evaluation Plan provides for the establishment of a Steering Group, composed of institutional representatives and expert evaluators, with the task of:
* direct evaluation activities;
* oversee the quality, impartiality and independence of the evaluation;
* promote the participatory discussion of the results and therefore the use of the results of the assessments in the Program comparison venues.
Following the latest evaluation process in 2019, the following recommendations emerged.
For studies to be carried out in the near future:
I. There would be a need to do a great deal of in-depth work on the rules and instruments of a legal and administrative nature that can help those responsible for the heritage to draw up effective agreements (memoranda of understanding, program agreements, service contracts, concession deeds, etc.);
ii. There would be a need to carry out more systematic and in-depth studies with regard to the thresholds of economic and financial convenience of management systems and networks;
iii. Finally, there would be an area of study and in-depth analysis with regard to the techniques of involvement by museums of companies in the tourism sector and of those connected to cultural and creative companies. There are many practices in this regard, but the result is often transitory.
For defining policies:
I. The main challenge is continuing to strength the coordination at local, regional and national level. That will contribute to implement an integrated cultural management and policies and to stimulate the cooperation between local development stakeholders.
Several analysis and researches were and still be conducted by stakeholders and cultural institution, such us:
Fitzcarraldo foundation https://www.fitzcarraldo.it/ricerca/pdf/residenze_monitoraggio_2016_repo...
Cariplo Foundation https://www.fondazionecariplo.it/it/progetti/arte/arte-e-cultura.html
Sant'Agata Foundation https://www.fondazionesantagata.it/blog-css-ebla/patrimonio-sviluppo-sos...
Symbola Foundation https://www.symbola.net/tema/cultura-creativita/