International culture strategy: survey

1. Introduction

The Scottish Government has committed to developing a strategy to support the international aspirations and potential of Scotland's culture sector. Through this survey we want to understand views of all interested parties in this work to inform the shape the strategy takes.

Scotland's culture sector undoubtedly has a strong international reputation. For a small country, Scotland has an impressive number of internationally important cultural assets and international recognition of our many strengths. However, there is a need to better coordinate and focus the public policy landscape that aims to support the sector's international activity.

A Culture Strategy for Scotland, published in February 2020, sets out a range of ambitions in this space. However, major disruptive events since its publication, including Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic, have affected the ability of cultural professionals to work internationally and have imposed additional costs and administrative barriers.

The development of an International Culture Strategy ('the strategy') will seek to provide greater coherence to how the Scottish Government supports international cultural activity. It will focus on the motivations of culture sector stakeholders in working internationally, while recognising that such work has wider impacts on Scotland's international reputation and relationships.

However, the sector is currently experiencing significant concurrent challenges and the development of a strategy must be set in that context. It must support sectoral resilience, recovery, and long term development and be one way through which current challenges can be addressed.

1.1 Who is this aimed at?

This survey is aimed at cultural organisations, creative industries companies, and individual practitioners who work internationally and those with aspirations to do so. We would also welcome views from organisations from outside of Scotland who have worked with Scottish partners or wish to do so.

We are seeking views on:

• Current international activity in the Scottish culture sector, its importance, and motivations behind it.
• The rationale, principles, and objectives of the strategy.
• The current support available for international cultural activity and its appropriateness.
• How this work might help to address current major challenges, such as cost of living, recovery from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the impact of leaving the EU.
• Geographical priorities and focus.

1.2 How responses will be used

Responses will be used to inform the development of an International Culture Strategy. Views and information provided will shape the content of the strategy and help to develop actions proposed under it. They will help us to understand sectoral needs, aspirations and motivations in terms of international activity.