The IN SITU project’s final international conference, “Culture Matters Here. Cultivating Creative Place-based Innovation in Non-urban Communities,” will be held 11–13 May 2026 in Valmiera, Latvia.
The event will gather researchers, cultural practitioners, artists, policymakers, and community leaders to explore how culture and creativity can drive innovation and sustainable development in non-urban areas across Europe and beyond.
Organised by the Latvian Academy of Culture and the Centre for Social Studies of the University of Coimbra, in collaboration with Culture Action Europe, the European Network of Cultural Centres, and local hosts Valmiera County Municipality and Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences, the conference will mark the culmination of the IN SITU – Place-based Innovation of Cultural and Creative Industries in Non-urban Areas project, funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme.
The conference invites proposals on themes including:
- Strengthening cultural and creative practice and place-based innovation
- Fostering cross-sectoral collaboration and partnerships for local benefit
- Advancing planning and policy frameworks for creative work in non-urban areas
The call for proposals is now open, with submissions due by 8 December 2025.
Further information on conference subthemes, call for papers details, registration, and travel arrangements is available on the conference webpage here.
For further information:
Nancy Duxbury – IN SITU Project Coordinator
Centre for Social Studies (CES) at the University of Coimbra, Portugal
Email: in-situ@ces.uc.pt
Tel: +351 239 855 570
Web: https://insituculture.eu
The “IN SITU: Place-based innovation of cultural and creative industries in non-urban areas” project combines research and experimental actions to advance the innovation-related practices, capacities, and potential of cultural and creative industries (CCIs) based in non-urban areas of the EU. The project is funded by the European Commission under the Horizon Europe Program (project no.101061747). It began on July 1, 2022, and will run for four years. The IN SITU project consortium comprises 13 Full Partners from 12 countries, consisting of 11 research institutions, a European-wide cultural network, and a national cultural foundation.
