In my role as a mentor for CIRCE, I provided expert guidance to the CIRCE Artist Fellows, helping to transform knowledge and research into creative practice over the course of 6 months. The Creative Impact Research Centre Europe (CIRCE) is a European think tank that addresses the question of how policy can support the cultural and creative industries and strengthen their impact in post-Brexit Europe.

CIRCE: Practice-orientated research in a European network

For many years, the United Kingdom played a leading role in policy making for the cultural and creative economies. Political decisions regarding the industry's development were significantly based on its scientific evaluations. After Brexit, CIRCE alongside experts from the United Kingdom and other European countries, undertook the task of continuing to utilize and advance the knowledge already gained, thereby ensuring the innovative power and competitiveness of the culture and creative industries in Europe.

CIRCE focused on practice-oriented research in a new network: Five international research labs analyzed established strategies as well as potential new ways to change the political framework (policy making) across Europe, enabling creative innovation to unfold most effectively. Experts in the fields of creative impact, innovation, and cultural and creative economies from across Europe were involved in the project. Through the Creative Impact Fund, CIRCE supported practitioners and companies in working on innovative ideas and approaches to address current challenges and to test best practices for the cultural and creative economies. The Fellowship Programme brought together young researchers and practitioners from the culture and creative economies across Europe. In its first project phase, CIRCE was funded by the Commissioner for Culture and Media of the Federal Government (BKM) with ressources from the Brexit Adjustment Reserve of the European Commission.