Architects’ Council of Europe announces start of CONNECT ARCH project

The Architects’ Council of Europe (ACE) has announced that it has been successfully selected to run a project co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme, called Connecting Architects in Europe (CONNECT ARCH). This four-year project will aim to reinforce the sector’s capacity and help the profession to face current and forthcoming challenges: cross-border and trans-national mobility, increased competition from outside the EU, adaptation to digital technologies, acquisition of new skills and competences, to name but a few.

In the autumn of 2016, ACE submitted a bid in response to a call for proposals from the Creative Europe Programme, the EU Commission’s financing instrument that supports Europe’s cultural and creative sectors. The European Networks sub-programme is designed to help the cultural and creative sectors to operate transnationally and to strengthen their competiveness, notably by providing professionals with specific skills and experience, to enable them to expand their careers in Europe and beyond.

The successful ACE project proposal, called Connecting Architects in Europe (CONNECT ARCH), will aim to reinforce the architectural sector’s capacity and help the profession to face current and forthcoming challenges. It is made up of 10 activities grouped under four inter-related over-arching objectives, namely:

  1. Strengthening the ACE network and increasing collaboration among its members – notably by increasing knowledge-sharing and peer-to-peer learning among ACE members and enhancing their ability to engage in EU policy and law-making processes;
  2. Improving the transnational mobility of European architects – to contribute to the realisation of the full potential of EU Internal Market legislation, notably by identifying and promoting opportunities and partnerships in the EU and beyond;
  3. Enabling European Architects to build up their professional and business skills – notably by organising CPD modules to help architects and firms to maintain and acquire new skills to remain globally competitive and flourish in new markets;
  4. Creating an Observatory for the architectural profession – to inform EU and national policy-makers of market conditions and trends, on various aspects of the profession, by providing comparative, quantitative and qualitative data on sector developments.

CONNECT-ARCH will enable ACE to run many varied activities to strengthen the capacities and visibility of the profession at EU level and beyond, for the benefit of its Member Organisations, and ultimately all European architects. With this project, ACE is tackling the challenges of today and invest in the future.

Visit the ACE website to remain informed of forthcoming activities.

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