Munich and Amsterdam are moving closer together: Mayor Josef Schmid signed a letter of intent today in the Creative Quarter together with Pieter Litjens, Vice President of Amsterdam. The document outlines the future close cooperation between the two cities in the cultural and creative industries. The signing took place as part of a delegation of Dutch companies to Munich.
“Creative Embassy” is the title of the cooperation, which is an initiative of Creative#olland and the Competence team for cultural and creative industries of the state capital of Munich. With this program, the two institutions are creating low-threshold contact points for mutual exchange in Amsterdam and Munich. The focus is on networks, ideas, concepts, experiments, and the people behind them. Their shared interest is to drive innovation through exchange projects, motivate stakeholders, initiate interactions, and share knowledge.
New synergies through collaboration
Munich and Amsterdam possess similar potential in the cultural and creative industries. The 2012 and 2016 Creative Industries Reports of the Munich Metropolitan Region, as well as the 2012 Bavarian Creative Industries Report, both found similar gross value added and employment levels in the Netherlands compared to Bavaria, and Amsterdam compared to Munich. However, the internal structure is very different, and increased cooperation therefore suggests synergies – for example, in the design and media industries.
Schmid hopes for a creative partnership
The aim is, for example, to facilitate an exchange of information between the two cities' public funding institutions – on their respective approaches to funding the cultural and creative industries, sector-specific approaches, collaboration between creative companies and traditional businesses, and consulting approaches. In the real estate context, the focus is on exchanging experiences regarding interim and permanent uses for the creative industries. Universities will also be involved through the networking of specialized training institutions in order to develop international employment prospects and open up new markets.
Mayor Schmid commented:
"Munich and Amsterdam, the Netherlands and Bavaria, are natural partners in the development of their creative industries. With equal employment and gross value added, our creative partnership promises promising collaborations in the areas of innovation, sustainability, and employment."
