Long-term support for designers and interactive media creators

The creation of a new division «Design & Interactive Media» comes as Pro Helvetia’s highlight programme «New models of collaboration – Culture and Business» ends. During the financing period 2016-2020, the initiative offered targeted support to up-and-coming talents in the two disciplines, design and interactive media, enabling them to strengthen their networks and achieve their professional objectives. Calls for «Culture and Business» projects have encouraged over 80 projects.

Under the banner Design Switzerland, Pro Helvetia organised presentations and exhibitions for designers within events such as Milan Design Week, Shenzhen Creative Week, London designjunction and Vienna Design Week. For Interactive Media, Pro Helvetia has been accompanying the growing Swiss video game industry since initiation of the since the initial programmes «GameCulture» (2010-2012), «Mobile» (2013-2015) and «Culture and Business». It has organised calls for projects and SwissGames delegations at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, Gamescom in Cologne and the Nordic Game Conference in Malmö.

Building on this success, the Foundation to will henceforth continue to develop its offering ensuring long-term support for Swiss creatives. The support strategy takes effect from 2021 and is included in the new Federal Cultural Policy Statement 2021-24. It maintains its focus research and access to the market for the design and interactive media.

Among the support, measures that were successfully tested during the highlight programme, the following activities and instruments will be maintained:

• Encouragement through calls for projects is continued and expanded.
• Existing formats of coaching, matchmaking and mentoring programmes is broadened.
• Priority is given to organising delegations to major international gatherings.

The creation of this new department within Pro Helvetia has been welcomed by Philippe Bischof, Director of Pro Helvetia: «This inclusion crowns years of work and dialogue in the two domains. The great cultural potential of design and interactive media in Switzerland is widely recognised, and their promotion must be part of Pro Helvetia’s support strategy».

(Press release/RAN)
Photo: Pro Helvetia