Thursday 05 June 2026
After two meetings at the "Ple Image de Lige (PIL)" and the "Muse des Beaux-Arts de Mons (BAM)", the High-Level Group, constituted within the framework of the Wallonia European Creative District (WECD) project, met on April 29 in the new premises of NEST'up, located in the Axisparc of Mont-Saint-Guibert. Launched just a year ago, the WECD project is cofinanced by the European Commission, under its Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme.
As a reminder, Wallonia was recognized by the European Commission at the end of 2012 as European Creative District. Until summer 2015, the academic experts and operators of this group will be responsible for four tasks : discussing the strategy and methodology of the WECD project; assessing the Creative Wallonia plan; analyzing the results of the WECD project and making recommendations; indicating the tools of the Creative Wallonia plan (coworking spaces, master in creativity...) that could be exploited on an international scale.
The first results of the assessment of Creative Wallonia
After Lige and Mons, the experts namely responsible for assessing the Creative Wallonia programme gathered in the brand new premises of NEST'up. Scheduled for this workday, the visit of the NEST in the morning with, in particular, the focus on the specificities of the place as an accelerator for start-up (collaboration with coaches-entrepreneurs, premises composed of numerous open spaces and innovative facilities promoting collaboration and mutual support, presence of an incubator extending the initiative..).
In the afternoon, the eight experts discuss the contents of the assessment of the Creative Wallonia programme. The Technopolis office has indeed come to present the first results derived from an assessment conducted in recent months. The related survey was sent to beneficiaries and operators of the framework programme. Discussions on four issues (Creative People, Creative network, Creative Wallonia, an international brand? and Creative products),have also been conducted. Finally, interviews with people who have experienced success stories related to Creative Wallonia were also organized. The High-Level Group was mobilized on these different contents to get in return some recommendations.
Following the presentation of many intermediate results, the High-Level Group was able to analyze the content presented and issue some recommendations, particularly in terms of actions potentially "transferable" on an international scale.
Initiated in 2010 by the cabinet of the Minister of Economy, Creative Wallonia has been heavily involved since its launch in the enhancement of the image of Wallonia abroad. Following the success of the Competitivevess Clusters, Wallonia is now seen as an innovative, original territory at the forefront of innovation. Recently, a new partnership has been established with the State of Rio de Janeiro and Colombia was very interested by the measures dedicated to boosting the creative economy in Wallonia.
The European Creative District project is evolving and continues its actions. Collaborations established within the project are taking shape and the first results are emerging.