IDA Hub, the film and multimedia innovation center in East-Viru County, northeastern Estonia, is to start working with content so that it can be ready to serve international film productions in Estonia and so support the development of audiovisual work in the country.
The hub has been developed by the Ida-Viru Investment Agency Foundation (IVIA), the Ida-Viru Ettevotluskeskus (IVEK) enterprise center, and the Tehnopol Science and Business Park.
The IDA Hub film and multimedia innovation center is being set up to develop the film talents and smart leaders of the future. Siting the hub in East-Viru County supports one of the key goals of the European Union’s Just Transition Fund of diversifying the economic model of the region and supporting the development of small businesses there. The strength of the IDA Hub is its complex solutions and its capacity to marry together technological development with the needs of the film industry.
The Ida-Viru Investment Agency Foundation (IVIA) will have responsibility for actually building the hub and designing its interior, and for running it and managing it later on. It is planned that the cornerstone of the hub will be laid in the second half of this year. The Ida-Viru Ettevotluskeskus (IVEK) working with Tehnopol will create the content of the film innovation hub, which will involve launching an incubation program with an innovative concept, creating a community, and supporting the local economy by offering a platform for affiliated companies.
IVEK will launch an incubator program in April aimed at companies in the creative industries, and it will be open for companies and individuals that are already working or just starting out, and that want to work in the audiovisual industry.
“Participants in the incubator will get support as part of the program in the form of personal mentoring and practical training to help them develop their businesses. The new program will cover the basics of film production, marketing, business planning and the green economy,” coordinator of the incubation program Britta Merirand said.
The program will be run online during its pilot year, allowing companies across Estonia to participate. Participants will be assigned a mentor, who will be an expert on film production and multimedia, to be on call as needed, and business consultants who will give them support in running their business. The new incubation program will support the changes that are needed to make the economic model of the region more diverse. Application to the incubation program is open from March 14 to April 12, 2024.
The Tehnopol Startup Incubator is opening an accelerator program focused on film and multimedia at the IDA Hub, where startup companies with ideas for how to use technology to shake up film production can take a leap forward.
Program manager Olga Kurdovskaja emphasized that film production is in a constant state of change and flux and that technology plays an important role in making films, especially in creating hi-tech special effects and virtual scenes.
“The film innovation hub that is being set up will not only support the creation of the infrastructure needed, but it will also provide innovative opportunities for startup companies and creative companies. Through the incubation program and by working together they will create an environment where new ideas for developing film production can be realized. Our goal is to create a strong and dynamic ecosystem that supports the development of film in Estonia and helps promote new ideas, new technologies and talent. If you have a technology startup, a dedicated team and an idea that has reached the MVP or prototype stage, then you definitely want to apply to the film and multimedia accelerator. Applications can be submitted until April 30, 2024,” she said.
The aim of the first test cohort is to test out how the services work, get feedback, and develop a strong and holistic incubation programme to support the whole sector by spring 2025. The IDA Hub film and multimedia innovation center is being funded by the European Union.
Source: BNS
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