Supporting the Creative Economy: CAO and British Council launch first Italy policymakers' training in Bari
Cultural Associates Oxford (CAO), in partnership with the British Council Italy, Puglia Creativa and Bass Culture, has delivered the first in-person Supporting the Creative Economy (SCE) policymakers' training programme in Italy, hosted at Officina degli Esordi in Bari on 19-20 March 2026.
The two-day pilot brought together civil servants, cultural professionals and creative practitioners from across Puglia to build a shared understanding of the region's cultural and creative industries (CCIs) and explore how policy can better support creative placemaking, creative cities and creative tourism.
A global programme
Supporting the Creative Economy is the British Council's global flagship initiative for policymakers, designed and delivered in partnership with CAO over the last four years. The programme has already reached 4,400 participants across 23 countries including Egypt, ASEAN member states and wider Europe. The Bari pilot marked the first EU and Italian delivery, testing how the six-module programme and its case studies can be adapted to Puglia’s distinctive context and used to inform future national roll-out across the country.
CAO's Director, Lucy Shaw facilitated the two days alongside Mirella Arcidiacono, Relationships Manager for Global Creative Economy at the British Council, working closely with local partners Puglia Creativa and Bass Culture. Sessions combined short inputs, facilitated discussion, group work and peer learning, creating space for participants to challenge assumptions and share practice and experiences.
The creative economy in Puglia is already valued at around €2.5 billion with 6.4% growth, yet participants stressed that this contribution remains under-recognised in mainstream economic and regional development policy.
Mapping Puglia's creative ecosystem
Day 1 focused on building connections in the room and mapping the existing creative economy ecosystem in Puglia. Participants identified key regional programmes and agencies, including:
Regional agencies and cultural programmes form a growing but still fragmented creative infrastructure in Puglia
Puglia Creativa links cultural enterprises, universities and research centres across the region
Youth-focused policies are turning public buildings into active spaces for culture and creativity
Data on the creative economy exists in parts of the system but can be incomplete and hard to access
Public funding frameworks offer important support but can be complex for experimental or cross-cutting projects
Private and impact-investment routes for culture are emerging but would benefit from further development in the region
Creative placemaking, cities and tourism: priorities for Puglia
Day 2 turned to the role of the CCIs in creative placemaking, creative cities and tourism. Through case studies and in depth discussions participants explored how grassroots initiatives can catalyse regeneration when supported by enabling policy frameworks. Creative tourism has been the entry point to date, but now there needs to be focus on strengthening creative cities as strategic pilots and deepening creative placemaking at neighbourhood level.
Looking ahead
The Bari pilot surfaced a rich set of regional case studies - from Palazzo Amati/Centro Kètos in Taranto's blue economy to new cultural card schemes and digital innovation hubs.
The CAO team will continue to with the British Council Italy, Puglia Creativa and Bass Culture to document learning from the pilot and explore how Puglia, and Southern Italy’s developing creative economy strategy can speak to, and draw from, international examples while remaining rooted in local assets, cultural identities and both economic and social ambitions.
About the Programme Partners
Cultural Associates Oxford (CAO) is a creative company specialising in strategic leadership, organisational change, workforce diversity and inclusive engagement. CAO works with cultural organisations, governments and institutions across the globe to strengthen their strategic capacity and impact.
The British Council is the UK's international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. Through the Supporting the Creative Economy programme, the British Council works with governments worldwide to strengthen policy environments that enable creative and cultural industries to thrive. https://www.britishcouncil.org
Puglia Creativa is the regional creative industries cluster association, recognised by the Apulia Region and based at Officina degli Esordi in Bari, bringing together over 100 cultural and creative organisations, universities, research centres and trade associations to strengthen Apulia’s creative economy. https://www.pugliacreativa.it
Bass Culture is a Bari‑based cultural agency that manages Officina degli Esordi and programmes major festivals and events, supporting creative practitioners and community‑led cultural initiatives in Puglia and more widely. https://www.bassculture.it