Joanne Garde-Hansen will be running a British Council/FAPESP funded workshop at the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil 23rd-24th April. This unique collaboration between Joanne, Prof Gilson Schwartz (USP), Prof Anna Reading (KCL), Prof Michael Pickering (Loughborough), Paulo Nassar (Aberje, Brazil) and Prof Lucia Santaella (PUCSP) tackles the theme of Beyond the Digital - Collective Memory and Social Networks in Emerging Global Conflicts. The methodology of the workshop is a combination of keynotes, discussion activities, presentations, visits, group work and hands-on guidance. The aim is to engage 10 UK Early Career Researchers with 10 Brazilian Early Career Researchers in cross-culturally developing and designing one or more international research proposals with potential to be submitted for funding. The workshop will cover the following:

1) The exploration of innovative areas of media, culture, arts and technology research in the context of global innovation and change

2) The role of memory, heritage, culture, archives and history to an emerging global democracy

3) The debate around the role of economics in cultural exchange from an international perspective

4) To be engaged, generate ideas, communicate and be committed to the workshop

5) To be exposed to new cross-disciplinary, cross-sector and cross-cultural ideas and opportunities

6) To share knowledge for trans-cultural research with a view to tackling future research issues and pathways

Joanne has said: "The workshop presents not only a first for the Centre for Cultural Policy Studies, collaboration with Brazilian researchers, it also lays the foundations for extending the reach of the Centre's influence into Brazil, a key area in our exploration for recruiting the brightest global citizens to our well established postgraduate media, arts, creativity and cultural management programmes."

Yesterday, 23^rd January saw the Warwick Commission on the Future of Cultural Value meet for its first working day exploring how we invest in our cultural life. High profile Commissioners drawn from the arts, business and academia are working together with their Chair, Vicky Heywood (Chair of the RSA) and Warwick academics to develop new thinking around cultural value, and to start a national conversation of the role of the arts and culture in contemporary society, and the ways in which the richness and diversity of the cultural ecosystem can be preserved and nurtured in difficult economic times.

The Centre is proud to be heavily involved in this exciting and bold new project, which is led by Dr Eleonora Belfiore, together with Prof. Jonothan Neelands of Warwick Business School. Dr Chris Bilton, Centre Director and Prof. Oliver Bennett, founder of the Centre are members of the Commission’s internal academic reference group, which supports the Commission with specialist expertise.

Warwick Creative Exchange is a network of Warwick University researchers, cultural practitioners and producers looking for new ways to collaborate. The Warwick Creative Exchange website went live on 6^th December. And on 5^th February the Exchange will be running a Building Partnerships Workshop in which participants will identify and work with partners from academia and the arts to create viable collaborative projects (development funding will be offered to the most promising projects). See more...