UNESCO, BNU started Start-up, Accelerator creative bussiness training programmes

ISLAMABAD, Oct 29 (APP):The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in partnership with Beaconhouse National University (BNU) started a five-day Start-up and Accelerator creative business training programmes.

The training programme was being offered under the Pakistan’s Creative Future project with support from the Korea Funds-In-Trust (K-Fit), said a press release issued here on Tuesday.

Within the framework of the strengthening regional and national capacities to develop cultural and creative industries in Asia and Pacific project, UNESCO was seeking to empower creative entrepreneurs in Pakistan and to raise awareness of the importance of the cultural and creative industries for sustainable development.

The motivation behind the programmes was to inspire and cultivate entrepreneurial potential in the Cultural and Creative Industries including Cinema/Audiovisual arts, Design, Media art, Music, Performing arts, Publishing, Visual arts, Cultural management and Digital cultural, and creative sectors.

The business training programme was tailored to the needs of enterprises in the creative and cultural industries, reflecting a contemporary understanding of how a creative business operates and thrives locally, and the skill set that is required to drive success and growth, including the understanding of intellectual property rights, international collaboration and trade and values inherent in UNESCO 2005 Convention.

The open call to apply for the programmes was made through an online application form floated over social media in the last week of August, 2019, received a very encouraging response resulting 240 applications for 12 slots on the programmes.

The received applications for the programme featured applicants from all over Pakistan including urbanized cities as well as far-flung districts. In terms of sectors within the Cultural and Creative Industries, the applicants’ profiles on the longlist represented Cinema/Audio-Visual (14.8%), Cultural Management (14.8%), Design (31.1%), Digital Culture & Creative (14.8%), Media Arts (3.0%), Music (5.9%), Performing Arts (3.0%), Publishing (5.9%), and Visual Arts (6.7%).

The programme design is the outcome of a close collaboration and intensive deliberation between BNU, UNESCO and K-Fit teams and experts spanning many months.

It is a fully-sponsored, action-packed, in-residence training package tailored to the needs of Pakistani creative businesses.

The training methodology employs an indigenous case-study based approach offered at both early-stage and intermediate-stage start-up levels, delivered by national and international experts.
The week long program will conclude on November 2, 2019.