Edinburgh Culture Summit gets £50K UK Government grant

Circus show at Edinburgh Festival Fringe - credit edinburghblog

The Edinburgh International Culture Summit is to receive £50,000 of funding from the UK Government.

The biennial program involves culture ministers, artists and arts leaders from around the world discussing the value of the arts, culture and the creative industries in encouraging international cooperation.

This year’s summit in August will be the third such event, which coincides with the Edinburgh International Festival.

Sir Jonathan Mills, Director of the Edinburgh International Culture Summit Foundation said:

“For the best part of the last 70 years, Edinburgh in August has been a collection of cultures from around the world.

“This financial support from the UK Government, alongside the Scottish Government, British Council, Scottish Parliament and Edinburgh International Festival, will enable the excellent work the Edinburgh festivals and summit do in demonstrating the importance of soft power and the UK’s lead in this area.”

The theme of this year’s summit, which will be held at the Scottish Parliament, is on “Building Resilient Communities”, and sets out to “reflect the Summit’s strong belief in the vital role that culture plays in the life of successful communities”.

The program is set to interlink culture with the three distinct strands of heritage, economics and participation.

Scotland Office minister Andrew Dunlop said: “The Edinburgh International Culture Summit is a key global arts forum. Alongside the Edinburgh Festival and Fringe, it puts Scotland on the map, highlighting the important role culture plays in our international relations and economic prosperity. 

“I am very pleased that the UK Government is able to support this year’s Culture Summit with a £50,000 investment, working together with the Scottish Government and other partners.

“I very much look forward to being part of the summit in August, engaging with an international audience and highlighting Scotland’s and the UK’s strong cultural offer.”

Fiona Hyslop, the Scottish Government Culture Secretary said in a recent interview with Holyrood: “There is no other forum in the world that brings together ministers from all over the world.

“You get European summits, but this brings together people from different continents and that is taking place here in the Scottish Parliament.

“That was part of our initiative along with the Edinburgh International festival. It’s about sharing global challenges, not just about how we manage a delegated devolved budget.”

The inaugural Edinburgh International Culture Summit in 2012 involved 33 international delegations.