The ECoC evidence base

The Archive

Forty years of European Capitals of Culture in their own words: what cities promised, what they did, and what the evaluations found.

documents: 472
cities: 190
evaluations: 53
bid books: 182; 1985–2031

6 documents of type strategy or other for “Capacity building of cultural sector”

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Ask Encore: “Capacity building of cultural sector”An answer from across the Archive, every claim cited to its document.

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OK Analyza brnenske kulturni sceny ENG 2025_WEB
Brno. Contributed by Brno and published to everyone.

What the document types mean

Bid book (pre-selection): A city's first application for the title, judged by the selection panel to make the shortlist.; Evidence of intent: what a city promised, not what it delivered.
Bid book (final selection): A shortlisted city's full, final application for the title, with its programme, budget and plans.; Evidence of intent: what a city promised, not what it delivered.
Selection panel report: The EU expert panel's assessment of the bids in one competition, with its reasons and its recommendation.; Context: useful background, not a city's own evidence of what happened.
Monitoring panel report: The EU expert panel's report on a designated city's preparations before its title year, with its advice.; Context: useful background, not a city's own evidence of what happened.
Ex-post evaluation: An assessment, written after the title year or a programme, of what it actually achieved, usually by independent evaluators.; Evidence of outcome: what actually happened.
Monitoring or progress report: A city's own report on how its programme is going, written while it runs, with the figures it has tracked.; Evidence of outcome: what actually happened.
Strategy: A city's long-term plan or policy for culture, including legacy strategies and council decisions.; A plan: how a city meant to deliver and keep going.
Action plan: A concrete plan of what a city or organisation will do, by when and with what resources.; A plan: how a city meant to deliver and keep going.
Guide or toolkit: Practical how-to material that others can reuse: guides, toolkits, handbooks and templates.; Context: useful background, not a city's own evidence of what happened.
Research: Studies, frameworks and papers across one or more cities, written by researchers rather than by a city.; Context: useful background, not a city's own evidence of what happened.
Other: Anything else: news, memos, programme brochures and documents that fit no type above.; Context: useful background, not a city's own evidence of what happened.

53 Needs of the sector CATEGORIES DEFINED NEED SPECIFIC SUGGESTIONS Finance increasing financial support to the sector Infrastructure strengthening joint cooperation with contributory organisations, e.g.

Culture and Creative Industries Strategy 2026–2035

BrnoBrno · 2026

…in Brno At the same time, Brno boasts strong participation and an effective dialogue between the city, its residents, municipal districts and cultural or creative actors, which is suppor- ted, among other things, by the Brno Cultural Forum…

Financial Support for Brno’s Independent Cultural Scene

Brno

2026 · Context

Financial Support for Brno’s Independent Cultural Scene

BrnoBrno · 2026

…projects and the level of competition within a given grant programme, to the amount of funding requested and the programme’s current financial capacity.

the_missing_pillar.pdf

Adopt the language of the SDGs One clear challenge for the arts and cultural sector is the need to integrate and adopt the language of the SDGs. There is a need for major institutions to become better at messaging the impact of their work…

DECISION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL renewing a Union action for the European Capitals of Culture for the years 2034 to 2047 and repealing Decision No 445/2014/EU

Cluj-NapocaCluj-Napoca · 2026

The criteria for the assessment of application are as follows: (a) long-term strategy and legacy; (b) cultural and artistic content; (c) outreach, communication and citizens’ participation; (d) management and capacity to deliver.

Strategy in Practice in Brno: Culture Accessible to All

Brno

Plan

Strategy in Practice in Brno: Culture Accessible to All

BrnoBrno

As part of the course Architecture Without Barriers , students have been mapping selected Brno municipal cultural organisations from the perspective of physical accessibility since 2024.