{"id":5469,"date":"2026-01-09T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-09T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hacnumedia.org\/?p=5469"},"modified":"2026-01-12T17:57:16","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T16:57:16","slug":"regional-hubs-a-major-milestone-in-structuring-digital-ecosystems-in-france","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hacnumedia.org\/en\/regional-hubs-a-major-milestone-in-structuring-digital-ecosystems-in-france\/","title":{"rendered":"Regional hubs: a major milestone in structuring digital ecosystems in France"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Launched just over a year ago by the DGCA (Directorate General for Artistic Creation), the program \u201cregional hubs for artistic creation in digital environments\u201d marks a new phase in the French Ministry of Culture\u2019s strategy to support artists and digital professionals. The first national gathering of these hubs provided an initial assessment of this emerging policy\u2014an opportunity to gauge its impact, identify its key challenges, and outline the contours of a scheme set to play an increasingly central role in the digital culture ecosystem. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n

The theatre world has its National Drama Centres (CDN), music its SMAC venues. So what about digital cultures and hybrid arts? Precisely in response to this question, in 2024 five pilot DRACs (Regional Directorates for Cultural Affairs) received support to structure regional hubs for artistic creation in digital environments, relying on designated lead organizations: Stereolux<\/a> (Pays de la Loire), Electroni[k]<\/a> (Brittany), Oblique\/s<\/a> and Station Mir<\/a> (Normandy), P\u00f4le Pixel <\/a>(Auvergne\u2013Rh\u00f4ne-Alpes), and Chroniques<\/a> (Provence\u2013Alpes\u2013C\u00f4te d\u2019Azur). <\/p>\n\n

At the origins of the regional hubs\u2026 <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

To fully grasp the challenges at stake, it is worth returning to the origins. As early as 2022, the Ministry of Culture launched a forward-looking, participatory process, drawing on thematic working groups and an online public consultation. HACNUM was invited to take part in the working groups and actively engaged in the online consultation. It was on the basis of this analysis that regional roadmaps were developed between the pilot DRACs and the designated lead organizations recognized for their expertise in artistic creation in digital environments.On December 3, the DRACs, together with the hubs, reiterated the importance of this foundational work. In Brittany, the reflection was informed by a study on artistic creation in digital environments conducted in 2024<\/a>. \u201cThrough this analysis, the DRAC Brittany sought to understand the specificities of digital creation, identify the actors active across the region, and establish a solid overview to guide its cultural policy,\u201d explains Violaine Dano, Project Officer for Ecological, Digital, and Societal Transitions at DRAC Brittany.While highlighting the dynamism of local stakeholders, the study also pointed to a lack of structuring resources. Its recommendations called for reinforced regional support, \u201cin the form of a hub designed to deploy initiatives at both regional and national levels\u201d (source<\/a>). The conclusions of this Breton study are echoed by a similar study launched in the Pays de la Loire. Christophe Fenneteau, Head of Artistic Creation at DRAC Pays de la Loire, likewise underscores the need for a national-level tool capable of fostering a shared vision. <\/p>\n\n

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Rencontres nationales des P\u00f4les r\u00e9gionaux de cr\u00e9ation en environnement num\u00e9rique – 3 d\u00e9cembre \u00e0 Caen (Photo Jeanne Dubois Pacquet)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

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Resources and prerogatives<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

In practical terms, the \u201cregional hub for artistic creation in digital environments\u201d program enables organizations to bring together professional stakeholders ranging from research to production and dissemination. Ultimately, the goal is to support artists, increase the visibility of their work, and ensure they are clearly identified by local and regional authorities.\u201cPreviously, we didn\u2019t really know who to turn to when faced with requests for hybrid projects. Now, the hubs are our points of contact, and we\u2019re able to redirect requests more effectively,\u201d says J\u00e9r\u00e9mie Choukroun, Coordinator of Cultural and Creative Industries Strategies at DRAC PACA.Beyond their role in supporting artists, each of these hubs also aims to develop resources at the national level\u2014such as Electroni[k], which has become a benchmark in professional training<\/a> on digital transition issues, including digital mediation, cultural action, and creative techniques. <\/p>\n\n

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Photo Electroni[k]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

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This recognition is naturally accompanied by financial support. How much are we talking about? \u201cAround \u20ac400,000 for all five hubs combined. These are modest amounts, but they lay a first foundation,\u201d notes G\u00e9raldine Farage, Director of P\u00f4le Pixel.One of the major challenges facing this emerging network will be to produce more detailed and comprehensive mappings of regional stakeholders, such as the survey currently being conducted by P\u00f4le Pixel.<\/a> This identification work can connect with other initiatives, particularly at the national level. Hannah Lou\u00e9, Project Manager for Digital and Audiovisual Creation at the Institut fran\u00e7ais, points out that a mapping already exists through the IFDigital<\/a> program: \u201cWe have already carried out groundwork, and we will be able to go even further in identifying the actors involved.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

A key link <\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

Beyond analysis, she adds, \u201cthe question will be how the hubs might act as relays for our calls for projects.\u201d This perspective echoes the concerns of Fabrice Casadebaig, Cultural Advisor at the SGPI and lead for the France 2030<\/a> calls for projects in the cultural and creative industries. In his view, another key challenge will be determining how the hubs can support project leaders in preparing their applications. \u201cWe can draw inspiration from initiatives such as the OIR in the Sud region<\/a>, where we have seen better-prepared projects,\u201d he explains.In other words, the regional hubs are intended to become genuine transmission belts between grassroots actors and national funding schemes, helping to strengthen the maturity, clarity, and impact of digital creation projects at the territorial level. The national meetings of the hubs also offered an initial case study focused on artificial intelligence: how can the hubs foster the development of a shared strategy and coordinated actions in a rapidly evolving field?Luc Brou, Director of Oblique\/s, emphasizes that \u201cthe hubs could be involved in major lines of reflection, in a structuring program for the art world, similar to what our Quebec counterparts are doing with Sporobole or the SAT<\/a>.\u201d As AI has become central to creative practices\u2014and represents a significant cost\u2014the idea of a policy for pooling resources, tools, and skills emerges as a concrete and necessary avenue for the years ahead. Links with universities and research laboratories could also be developed in this direction.Another avenue was raised by a participant from the audience: \u201cIt is often difficult to approach tech companies to negotiate partnerships around AI. The hubs would make it possible to have a more substantial interlocutor, able to speak collectively.\u201d This remark illustrates the potential role of the hubs as strategic intermediaries, facilitating collaboration. <\/p>\n\n

Artistic impact of the regional hubs<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

Already, the impact of the regional hubs is evident through distinctive support and production schemes. Chroniques Cr\u00e9ations<\/a> exemplifies this approach. Every two years, calls for projects are opened to artists. Their projects are selected collectively by a jury composed of producers, presenters, and managers of residency spaces from across the region. Once selected, they receive tailored support\u2014production, guidance, networking, and visibility\u2014as illustrated by Jeanne Susplugas, who was present on the day of the selection and expressed her appreciation for the support she has received over recent years. Chroniques Cr\u00e9ations also served as a model for the interregional Ambivalences<\/a> program, jointly run by the hubs in Brittany, Normandy, and Pays de la Loire. \u201cThis program supports both established and emerging artists, all selected collectively by a jury of producers and presenters,\u201d explains Samuel Arnoux, Director of Electroni[k]. Among the projects presented are works by Adelin Schweitzer,<\/a> \u00c9milie Brout & Maxime Marion<\/a>, Isma\u00ebl Joffroy Chandoutis,<\/a> Yosra Mojtahedi<\/a>, Lor\u00e8ne Pl\u00e9<\/a>, and Lukas Persyn<\/a>, as well as a project by the young artist Jingqi Yuan.<\/a> The latter reflects: \u201cBeyond financial support, this program allowed me not to feel isolated in my practice, to exchange with other artists, and to structure my project.\u201d This echoes the words of Etienne Guiol<\/a>, who was supported by P\u00f4le Pixel: \u201cIt concretely helped me structure my activity\u2014not only my production, but also the business development side of my practice.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

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Pr\u00e9sentation de Yosra Mojtahedi – laur\u00e9ate du programme Ambivalences<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

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Outstanding questions<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

These national meetings also highlighted several open questions. One recurring topic concerns the expansion of the network: will additional hubs for artistic creation in digital environments be announced soon, and if so, which ones? The Grand Est and Nouvelle-Aquitaine regions have been mentioned as potential candidates, actively supported by their respective DRACs, though constrained by the current economic context. \u201cHACNUM hopes for this next phase to make the new policy as effective as possible, while avoiding territorial imbalances,\u201d comments C\u00e9line Berthoumieux, Secretary General of the network.Another question relates to support for dissemination. V\u00e9ronique Evanno, Delegate for Multidisciplinary Distribution and Crosscutting Programs at the DGCA, emphasizes: \u201cOne of the next steps will be to address dissemination challenges and consider how the hubs can support the circulation of works at regional, national, and international levels.\u201d This issue is particularly pertinent given the long-term support approach: \u201cToday, we have seven artists who have benefited from the Ambivalences program. In a year, there will be fourteen. In five years, we will start supporting a large number of artists, so the network logic will become even more crucial,\u201d notes Luc Brou. <\/p>\n\n

Finally, the question of artists-authors\u2019 role in the governance of these policies\u2014designed specifically with them in mind\u2014was also discussed. These are legitimate and necessary questions, which in no way diminish the exciting prospects offered by the structuring of the regional hubs. A gesture more than symbolic, which, according to Franck Bauchard, Coordinator for Digital Policies at the DGCA, represents \u201cthe culmination of twenty-five years of public policy and the structuring of hybrid and digital arts.\u201d In a context of austerity, this achievement is all the more noteworthy. <\/p>\n\n

Adrien Cornelissen<\/p>\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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