ENCATC CONGRESS 2025 – The Future Is Cultural: Policy, Practice, and Education 

ENCATC, the leading European network on cultural management and policy, has launched the 2025 edition of their flagship Annual Congress. This year, the network invites participants to engage with the theme The Future Is Cultural: Policy, Practice, and Education. The Congress is organized in partnership with Universitat de Barcelona, ESPRONCEDA Institute of Art & Culture, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, and Universitat Oberta de Catalunya.

The 2025 Congress spotlights culture as the backbone of quality of life of individuals and communities, and aligns closely with the upcoming MONDIACULT 2025, where culture is recognised as a vital force for sustainability, wellbeing, and transformative change.

The programme includes keynote lectures, panel discussions, paper presentations, project showcases, workshops, and networking opportunities – fostering interdisciplinary dialogue across education, research, and practice. Participants will explore how cultural management and policy contribute to meaningful, thriving lives, with particular attention to the role of education in cultivating regenerative thinking.

The Congress will feature in-person meetings of the ENCATC Focus Groups, whose work contributes to the ENCATC Policy Paper for MONDIACULT 2025, and of the Think Tank’s Focus Groups. It will also host the presentation of the ENCATC Research Award and the Award for Outstanding Contribution.

This is a unique opportunity to reflect, connect, and co-create knowledge for regenerative futures. Whether you are shaping policy, managing cultural programmes, researching innovative practices, or educating the next generation, the 2025 ENCATC Congress offers a vital platform to learn, share, and lead. A pre-Congress Study Tour will take place in the days before the Congress. Learn more about the Congress and register on: https://encatc.org/en/events/encatc-congress-2025/

FINAL SESSION AT ESPRONCEDA – 17 SEPTEMBER 2025

As one of the main institutional partners, ESPRONCEDA Institute of Art & Culture is proud to host the final session of the ENCATC Congress 2025. Our space will serve as the setting for the closing discussions and networking programme, in alignment with our mission to foster interdisciplinary collaboration, cultural innovation, and critical thinking in the arts and society.

The Congress activity also aligns with NEB & Inclusión 2025, Espronceda’s annual artistic research program inspired by the New European Bauhaus (NEB) initiative.

Location: Carrer d’Espronceda 326, Nave 4–5, 08027 Barcelona
17 September – 19:15 to 21:05

PROGRAMME:

ENCATS Art Talk: Art Markets dynamics

19:15 – 19:50

Welcome
From ESPRONCEDA Institute of Art & Culture Dr. Henrik Sprengel

Introduction to the talk

Anne-Sophie V. Radermecker, Co-Director, Research Group on Science of Arts and Culture, Université libre de Bruxelles, Belgium

Panelist:

Isabel Causadias, Professor, University of Barcelona, Spain

19:50 – 20:05


Conference sum up and closing remarks

Gerald Lidstone, ENCATC President
GiannaLia Cogliandro Beyens, Secretary General, ENCATC

20:05 – 21:15

Networking time and drinks

We are honoured to contribute to this meaningful gathering of cultural professionals and institutions, and to support collective thinking towards regenerative futures.