Czechia 3.5.1

Thanks to its strong historical and cultural background, a wide range of study programmes and extensive ICT infrastructure, the CR has a strong position in areas such as the gaming industry, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), design, architecture, film industry or crafts.

A number of Czech designers, especially industrial and product designers, have won the prestigious Red Dot Award and have collaborated with major domestic companies such as LINET or Škoda Transportation. When it comes to smart cities and public spaces, there are many countries around the world that have incorporated Mmcité‘s products into their cities. Domestic companies such as Bomma, Lasvit, Preciosa, TON, Rückl, Moser and many others are renowned global exporters of Czech glass products.

The CR has also built a strong position in the world of the gaming industry thanks to successful games such as Beat Saber (Beat Games), Kingdome Come: Deliverance (Warhorse), Euro Truck Simulator 2 (SCS Software), Machinarium (Amanita Design) or Arma 3 (Bohemia Interactive Studio).

Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI) have long been part of strategic documents at the state level. In 2021, the MC submitted to the Government for approval the Strategy for the Development and Support of Cultural and Creative Industries for the period 2021-2025 and the Action Plan for the period 2021-2023. A Memorandum of Cooperation between the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Industry and Trade (2019) is also expected to contribute to the implementation of the Strategy. Pursuant to the goals of this Memorandum the two ministries will work together to support the development of the CCI while placing a special emphasis on the knowledge economy, the transfer of know-how and technologies, cooperation with creative enterprises within the frame research, development, and innovation, the development of infrastructure to advance the CCI, increasing the demand from industry and state administration for CCI products and services, support for CCI exports, and ensuring systemic support and funding of the CCI. On the basis of this memorandum a working group will be established that will be made up of representatives of the MC and the MIT and will see to the organisation and implementation of work in this area.

The main objectives of the Strategy for the Development and Support of CCI include the establishment of a good infrastructure for support, including close cooperation with other key actors, such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, CzechInvest, innovation and creative centres, etc. The first necessary step of support should be better mapping of the CCI area and data analysis. Support will be directed towards networking and supporting skills development, connecting creatives not only with each other, but also with educational institutions, SMEs and other public administration actors, and support for internationalisation. CCI are also a part of the State Cultural Policy for 2021-2025+.

The CR has a Culture Account (NIPOS & Czech Statistical Office, 2022) which is maintained by the Czech Statistical Office (CSO) in cooperation with the National Information and Consulting Centre for Culture (NIPOS).

The Culture Account de facto encompasses CCI as defined in the Green Paper on Cultural and Creative Industries – Unlocking the Potential of Cultural and Creative Industries.

In 2011-2015 the Arts and Theatre Institute (ATI) conducted a research project called ‘Mapping Cultural and Creative Industries’ (hereinafter just Mapping), which focused among other things on defining cultural and creative industries in the Czech Republic. In the framework of cooperative work on the Mapping project by the CSO and NIPOS a ‘tri-sector table’ was created under the Culture Account that provides a clear but, given the accessibility and accuracy of the data acquired, for the time being only rough overview of the contribution of individual cultural sectors to the data in the account. 

Table 3: Tri-sector table for 2020 (in thousands of CZK) 

Source:     Culture Account for 2020, NIPOS and Czech Statistical Office, Prague 2022

Explanatory notes:

• Estimate based on authors’ calculations using National Accounts
• Only individual data that cannot be published are available on radio broadcasting (export)
• Retail data relate only to columns 1 to 7 and 10
• Not including design or the arts and crafts

From preliminary expenditures for 2020 it can be estimated that production in the culture sector amounted to 353.3 billion CZK, which is 2.88% of national production, and the total GVA amounted to 122.8 billion CZK, i.e. 2.35% of total GVA. The volume of GDP created in culture can be estimated as 93.1 billion CZK or 1.61% of total GDP.

In addition to a definition of CCI at the national level under the Culture Account, there is evidence of an attempt to define CCI at the level of the regions and municipalities of the CR in connection with efforts to map the local performance and situation of CCI. The first basic mapping, and consequently also a definition of CCI, was conducted for the Moravia-Silesia Region in connection with the candidacy of a town in that region for the European Capital of Culture in 2010.

In February 2013 the City Development Authority of Prague, Department of Strategic Concepts, released a study “The Importance of Cultural and Creative Industries in the EU, the CR and the capital city of Prague” that defines and maps CCI in the capital city of the CR.

On the basis of this mapping project a long-term project was created in 2015 called Creative Prague, which is designed to support a conceptual approach to the development of CCI in Prague. Between 2015 and 2020 it was part of the Prague Institute of Planning and Development, from 2021 it is a separate organisation, which is part of the European Creative Business Network of creative centres. They operate the Prague Creative Centre, which as a creative incubator serves as the city’s creative laboratory and meeting point for the academic, private (for-profit and non-profit) and public sectors.

Within the Mapping project or in collaboration with other partner organisations other important surveys have been and are being carried out – mappings at the local and regional level of the Czech Republic (Zlín, Brno, Pardubice, and Pilsen and other cities). These surveys have pursued different objectives depending on local needs; in the cases of Brno and Pilsen the mapping was done in connection with the founding of Creative Centres in those cities, while in other towns it was connected more to the need for development strategies. The goal of the Mapping project was to use these pilot mapping projects to formulate a uniform methodology for mapping CCI.  

The Business and Investment Development Agency CZECHINVEST – the contributory organisation of the Ministry of Industry and Trade – supports projects in CCI. In 2019, it was the coordinator of the Creatinno project funded by the European Research and Innovation Programme H2020, which aimed to increase the competitiveness and skills of SMEs in the European market in the creative industries. Innovation agencies from the UK (Creative England) and Spain (BEAZ Bizkaia) also participated in the project. CzechInvest organizes the Czech national round of the international start up competition Creative Business Cup, which is backed by the Creative Business Network. The competition supports start-ups from the cultural and creative industries, connecting them with each other and helping them find investors and conquer foreign markets. In autumn 2020, the Agency initiated the creation of the Platform for Cultural and Creative Industries with the help of the Creative Czechia (Kreativní Česko) platform and under the auspices of the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Culture. The aim of the project is to spark a discussion on the possibilities of supporting and developing the CCI in the CR. The members of the platform also want to create an overview of them and connect actors at the national and regional level.