Boosting The Nordics – 23 new projects
Record number of applications
The call for project-funding applications is one of several initiatives designed to implement the strategy for the international profiling and positioning of the Nordic Region, which was set in motion by the ministers for Nordic co-operation in 2015.
A total of 57 applications were submitted, all of which scored highly on the selection criteria, e.g. Nordic value, inter-sectoral collaboration, high PR potential and creativity. Tobias Grut, brand manager and project manager for the Profiling Project, says:
“Interest levels were at a record high. We are delighted that more and more stakeholders, organisations and companies are looking into the options for Nordic co-operation based on our shared values, and coming up with exciting new projects and events around the world.”
One of the points of the Profiling Project is to re-think the traditional concept of place branding. One way of doing this is to convey how Nordic values make an impression at international level, instead of simply showcasing what already exists in the Region.Creative talents try new routes
Applications were invited in two categories: “Supportive Co-operation” (up to DKK 250,000) and “Creative Talents” (up to DKK 50,000). Fifteen of the 23 successful applications are in the category “Creative Talents”, which reflects a conscious strategic choice. Tobias Grut continues:
“One of the points of the Profiling Project is to re-think the traditional concept of place branding. One way of doing this is to convey how Nordic values make an impression at international level, instead of simply showcasing what already exists in the Region. This is the core of the concept ‘Nordic Traces’ and the ‘Trace Explorers’ campaign, which was launched earlier this spring. Hopefully, some of these new creative projects will identify new ways we can go down in our efforts to increase the visibility of the Nordic Region, and enter into new dialogues and partnerships.”
Intensive autumn ahead
Some of the projects will be run this summer, but most of them start in the autumn, which gets off to a strong start in New York with a new collaboration between the Nordic tourist boards and Munchies (one of the world’s coolest digital platforms for food), which seeks to enhance Nordic sustainability, gender equality and innovation.
Keep up to date with all of the new projects and other news from the Nordic Council of Ministers Profiling Project via social media. The next call for applications will be announced in September.
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/NordicTraces
- Twitter: @The_Nordics
- Instagram: @The.Nordics
- Website: www.thenordics.com
The following projects have received funding from the Profiling Project
Supportive Co-operation:
Arena New York, November 2017
Arena New York will showcase Nordic fashion and act as a knowledge-sharing forum for responsible innovation – from the designers’ drawing board to the customer’s wardrobe.
Partners: Norwegian Fashion Institute (lead organisation), Danish Fashion Institute, Finnish Textile & Fashion, Swedish Fashion Council Association of Swedish Fashion Brands, Agenturföretagen, Iceland Design Center, Norwegian Fashion Hub, Abelia, NICE Brands
Nordic Nights in Los Angeles, November 2017
Nordic Nights seeks to nurture curiosity and create a warm, friendly space for networking, where people can share their experiences of and interest in the Nordic countries.
Partners: Volcano, Denmark (lead organisation); Innovation Norway; Consulate General of Finland
Stories from the North (digital platform), September–November 2017
A digital storytelling platform for authentic personal stories told by young and old people from the Nordic countries.
Partners: Digital Storylab (lead organisation); Faculty of IT & Design, Aalborg University; Reykjavík Academy; World Wide Narrative, Norway; Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences; Nordic House, Faroe Islands
Spirit from the North: Nordic Art Cargo in the Baltics, October–November 2017
A modern symbol of trade, exchange and travel: a 20-foot shipping container full of Nordic art, music, colours and sounds. A vibrant cultural centre hosting a series of events.
Partners: The Royal Norwegian Embassy, Vilnius (lead organisation); Nordic Council of Ministers, Lithuania; Nordic Council of Ministers, Latvia; Danish Cultural Institute, Riga
World Stories, Africa, 2017
World Stories promotes Nordic values by bringing socially conscious human interest-focused documentary to some of the poorest and most underserved communities across the globe.
Partners: The Why Foundation (lead organisation); International Media Support, Denmark; Swedish Film Institute; BBC, United Kingdom; DR, Denmark; SVT, Sweden; FUTURA TV, Brazil
Nordic Energy Days, South Africa, September 2017
The focus of Nordic Energy Days is not only on creative marketing, but also on building relationships. Seminars cover topics such as energy policy and reform, grid technology and clean technology.
Partners: Embassy of Sweden in Pretoria (lead organisation); Royal Embassy of Denmark in Pretoria; Embassy of Finland in Pretoria; Embassy of Norway in Pretoria; Business Sweden; Innovation Norway; The Innovation Hub
Munchies, New York, September 2017
A platform not only for food, but for addressing a range of themes, such as the next New Nordic Food, sustainability, gender equality, innovation and social quality.
Partners: Visit Denmark (lead organisation), Visit Sweden, Innovation Norway, Visit Finland, VICE
Nordic Green – Nordic paths to sustainable energy, Dublin, October 2017
The project explores the different Nordic approaches to green transition and sustainable energy, and highlights their key characteristics and what makes them a source of inspiration.
Partners: Royal Norwegian Embassy in Dublin (lead organisation), Consulate General of Sweden in Dublin, Embassy of Denmark in Dublin
Creative Talents:
New Music Incubator, Warsaw, September 2017
New Music Incubator is an international exchange programme for professional composers and performers. Every day, the participants will work together to compose new pieces.
Applicant/lead organisation: Martin Q Larsson
The Nordic Sustainability Podcast
The podcast will present to a global audience inspiring examples of Nordic approaches to global sustainability, and report on the latest global sustainability news and developments.
Radioarctica, August–December 2017
Radioarctica is the collective voice of the inhabitants of the Northern regions – a polyphonic, multilingual personal and richly emotional broadcast by the people of the North.
Applicant/lead organisation: IP Khadartsev/Friday Milk
Chart Emerging at SALTS, Basel, November 2017
Chart Emerging is a new, ambitious exhibition displaying young and new Nordic art, in collaboration with curator Helga Christoffersen from the New Museum in New York.
Applicant/lead organisation: CHART
Climate Change in Lapland: What can we do? Bonn, November 2017
The exhibition aims to raise public awareness about climate change and its effect on biodiversity in Lapland, while also offering examples of how people can lower their impact on the environment.
Applicant/lead organisation: Stéphanie C. Lefrère
Fraternally Yours (digital platform), October 2017
A map-based online culture platform about global sister cities, and about how Nordicness is imagined around the world.
Applicant/lead organisation: Charlie Robin Jones
Nordic lullabies. Sound Art, London, December 2017
A sound art installation that examines the sculptural and psychological potential of sound. The work uses Nordic lullabies as a means to explore the folk song tradition and the cultural roots of the Nordic countries.
Applicant/lead organisation: Kirsten Bertelsen
Nordic Traces: A Social Media Campaign & Podcast Series, August 2017
A curated social media and Instagram series that celebrates traces of the Nordic Region through the eyes and inspirations of key creatives and influential people around the world.
Applicant/lead organisation: Oak Publishing
Brazilian and Nordic Sustainable Fashion, 2017
A film about Nordic fashion and sustainability, based on the story of Oskar Metsavath, one of the forerunners of the sustainability movement and pioneer of “New Luxury”.
Applicant/lead organisation: Future Place Leadership
Nordic Experience – Science, Technology and Innovation collaboration in Japan, 2017
Japanese innovation systems in science and technology have many values in common with those of the Nordic countries. The project aims to increase awareness of the Nordic countries in Japan.
Applicants: Embassies of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden in Tokyo
GreenTech 2017: Nordic Forum on Renewable Energy, Buenos Aires, June 2017
GreenTech 2017 will match Nordic technology and investments with Argentine demand for renewable energy solutions, in order to create a win-win situation for both the Nordic countries and Argentina.
Applicant/lead organisation: Royal Norwegian Embassy in Buenos Aires
Nordics in the Balkans – Nordic Glass and more, Montenegro, 2017
Accompanying the exhibition “Nordic Glass” will be an open-air cinema showing Nordic movies and a creative industry conference where young people will devise solutions to local problems.
Applicant/lead organisation: Royal Norwegian Embassy in Belgrade
Fast Forward to the Future, St. Petersburg, September–December 2017
Fast Forward to the Future is a discursive platform that will bring together artists and researchers from different Nordic and other European countries who have never before worked together .
Applicant/lead organisation: The Creative Association of Curators
Nordics Exposed, Croatia, June–September 2017
The project seeks to increase public awareness of the Nordic peoples – their values, ideas, co-operation, humour and challenges.
Applicant/lead organisation: Royal Norwegian Embassy in Zagreb
Nordic Place Branding Conference, Copenhagen, 2017
Nordic Place Branding Conference is an annual conference focusing on place branding, -development and -attractiveness, investment promotion, destination marketing and attracting talent.
Applicant/lead organisation: Future Place Leadership
