IRMO researchers from the Department of Culture andCommunication and CULTMED project collaborators, Dr. Aleksandra Uzelac, Dr. Ana Žuvela, and Dr. Dea Vidović, participated in the 33rd congress of the European Network on Cultural Management and Policy (ENCATC). The congress, titled “The Future is Cultural: Policy, Practice, andEducation”, was held in Barcelona from 15 to 17 September2025 in collaboration with the Universitat de Barcelona, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, and the Espronceda Institute of Arts and Culture.
This year’s congress programme was designed to encourage debate on the strategic role of culture, not only as a foundation for the well-being of individuals, communities, and organisations but also as a key pillar of society as a whole and as a possible framework for fostering more inclusive, resilient, and equitable development in times of global transformation. The congress brought together experts working at the intersection of research, education, and practice to reflect on and shape what lies ahead. Held in Barcelona just before the MONDIACULT 2025 World Conference, the ENCATC congress provided a unique international platform to advance the global dialogue on the role of culture in a sustainable and regenerative future. The congress featured numerous scientific panels, policy debates, and project presentations.
Ana Žuvela, member of the ENCATC Board and ScientificCommittee, participated at the congress in her role as chair ofthe Working Group on Cultural Rights, where she led thegroup’s work and presented the main findings that will beshared at UNESCO’s World Conference on Cultural Policiesand Sustainable Development – MONDIACULT 2025.
Aleksandra Uzelac and Dea Vidović presented the paper“Reclaiming Culturelink: Rethinking Global Cultural Policythrough a Decentralized Legacy” within the research sectionof the programme. The paper reflects on the Culturelinknetwork as a paradigmatic example of transnational culturalcooperation and analyses its institutional development withinglobal cultural policies from 1989 to 2025.
