Registrations are now open for the IN SITU Final Conference, Culture Matters Here. Cultivating Creative Place-based Innovation in Non-urban Communities, taking place in Valmiera, Latvia, from 11 to 13 May 2026. We encourage participants to register in advance for the event. An early bird rate is now out, with a reduced fee available until 12 March.
Organised within the Horizon Europe project IN SITU – Place-based Innovation of Cultural and Creative Industries in Non-urban Areas, the conference will be a vibrant meeting place for exploring creativity, innovation, and place-based approaches in non-urban contexts. It will bring together an international community to reflect on the opportunities, challenges, and future of cultural and creative work beyond cities.
Open to All
The conference is open to all. Participation is not limited to presenters: people from all backgrounds and sectors are warmly invited to attend sessions, take part in discussions, network with international peers, and learn from inspiring research and practice.
An International Conversation
The invited speakers for the conference are experts in the fields of culture and creative industries, regional development, creative work, arts and innovation. We are delighted to announce that the IN SITU Final Conference will feature the following speakers:
Susan Luckman
Susan Luckman is Professor of Culture and Creative Industries, Founding Director of the Creative People, Products and Places Research Centre (CP3), and the ‘Creative Work in the age of GenAI’ Work Package Leader of the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence for Digital Transformations at Adelaide University, Australia. Susan is the author of influential titles including Craftspeople and Designer Makers in the Contemporary Creative Economy (Palgrave, 2020), and Craft and the Creative Economy (Palgrave Macmillan, 2015), among others. She has also authored more than 100 book chapters, peer-reviewed journal articles, and public reports.
Timothy Wojan
Timothy Wojan is an applied economist who has focused on geographical processes of innovation, design, and the arts. He has held positions at the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics within the U.S. National Science Foundation, the Economic Research Service within the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) coordinating reviews of regional development policy for member countries.
Jude Ortiz
Jude Ortiz is Research Coordinator at NORDIK Institute, a research and community development hub affiliated with Algoma University where she is also an adjunct professor in the Community Economic and Social Development Programme. In her dual role as researcher and creative worker, she draws on her lived experience as a micro-business operator and her social and scholarly networks within and beyond the region.
A Rich and Diverse Programme
The event aims to foster exchange, networking, and shared learning, strengthening understanding of rural and non-urban creative ecosystems and contributing to more supportive environments for cultural and creative actors. It will bring together scholars, researchers, artists, cultural practitioners, activists, policymakers, and decision-makers from across the world and a wide range of disciplines. Participation from the European Rural Pact community, including the Community Group on Culture and Creativity in Rural Areas, is particularly encouraged.
Interest in the conference has been strong, with more than 90 proposals received from countries around the world. This enthusiasm ensures a rich and genuinely international programme focused on place-based culture, creativity, innovation, and their transformative potential.
In addition to presentations, the programme will feature keynote speeches and plenary sessions on key and emerging topics, study visits exploring Valmiera’s vibrant cultural and creative scene, and informal gatherings, including dinners complemented by a rich cultural programme, all included in the registration.
Register Now
Registrations are open until 13 April, and all participants are warmly welcome (presenters and non-presenters alike) to take part in this international gathering where culture truly matters… ‘Here’, there, and everywhere.
For further information:
in-situ-conference@ces.uc.pt
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.
