ENCATC

What ENCATC does

ENCATC (European Network on Cultural Management and Policy) is a Belgian non-profit founded in 1992 and headquartered in Brussels, operating as a membership-based professional network for cultural educators, researchers, policy makers, and cultural management professionals. The organization is co-funded by the European Union's Creative Europe programme and offers annual membership tiers for individuals and institutions, with pricing not publicly disclosed.

Its core offerings span events, education, research, and publications. Flagship programs include the annual ENCATC Congress (2022 in Brussels, 2026 scheduled for Nice), the ENCATC Academy for professional development, ENCATC Talks (virtual discussion series launched May 2020), the ENCATC Research Award for doctoral excellence, /encatcSCHOLAR (a free teaching resource launched in 2013), the ENCATC Magazine, and the European Journal of Cultural Management and Policy published via Frontiers Partnerships. Specialized outputs include Research Interest Clusters (launched 2021) and the Expert Group on Art Markets and Cultural Goods Integrity (established 2025). The Knowledge Hub aggregates resources, an Experts Database, teaching materials, and EU policy developments.

The revenue model rests on two pillars: recurring membership fees (individual and institutional subscriptions on an annual billing cadence) and EU Creative Europe programme co-funding for operations, events, and transnational projects. Distribution relies on the encatc.org website, direct membership sales, annual Congress and Academy events, virtual Talks/webinars, and an active social media presence. The organization operates a multi-continent footprint through partnerships in Europe (primary), Asia (ASEF, TACPS, UNESCO Bangkok), Africa (University of the Witwatersrand), and the Americas (Brazil via Goethe-Institut consortia).

Name

ENCATC

Legal name

ENCATC - European Network on Cultural Management and Policy

Website

https://encatc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ENCATC is a Brussels-based non-profit membership network founded in 1992 that connects cultural management educators, researchers, policy makers, and professionals across Europe and globally through events, publications, and EU policy advocacy, co-funded by the Creative Europe programme.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Network Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Educational Services (611), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Intergovernmental Education Cooperation & Bilateral/Multilateral Programs (EDADALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Erasmus+ and Government-Sponsored Exchange Partnerships (EDAIABAJ), Technical Committees, Working Groups & Expert Panels (BPADANAB), Conferences & Conventions Operations Services (Registration, AV, Logistics) (MPAGAGAM), Virtual/Blended Exchange (COIL) Partnerships (EDAIABAH)

Keywords

• Cultural management network
• Cultural policy research
• Arts administration education
• Professional development events
• Membership organization services

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: ENCATC operates a membership model offering various membership types with benefits including access to resources, events, networking opportunities, and professional development.
2. EU Funding (Creative Europe): ENCATC is co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union, providing substantial operational funding.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ENCATC operates as a membership-based European professional network that empowers cultural educators, researchers, policy makers, and professionals through a portfolio of interconnected services including an annual Congress, ENCATC Academy training programs, ENCATC Talks virtual discussions, peer-reviewed publications, research awards, and policy advocacy initiatives such as the Culture Compass for Europe. The network provides access to teaching resources, expert databases, and research collaboration platforms to support a resilient and financially sustainable cultural sector across Europe and globally.

Product overview

ENCATC operates as a membership-based professional network rather than a product company. The organization provides a unified portfolio of interconnected offerings for cultural management education, research, and policy: ENCATC Congress serves as the flagship annual gathering; ENCATC Academy delivers professional development; ENCATC Talks provide virtual peer discussions; the ENCATC Research Award recognizes doctoral excellence; /encatcSCHOLAR offers teaching materials; ENCATC Magazine and the European Journal of Cultural Management and Policy provide publications; the Knowledge Hub contains resources including an Experts Database and Teaching Materials; Research Interest Clusters (RICs) enable collaborative research communities; and the Expert Group on Art Markets addresses specific sector concerns. These offerings are designed for cultural educators, researchers, policy makers, and professionals to connect, learn, and drive innovation in the cultural sector.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ENCATC Academy: Educational programs and training offerings by ENCATC
• ENCATC Talks
• https://encatc.org/encatcSCHOLAR
• ENCATC Research Award
• ENCATC Congress
• European Journal of Cultural Management and Policy
• ENCATC Ambassadors
• ENCATC Members Talks

Products and services

• ENCATC Congress Annual international congress bringing together cultural management and policy professionals, researchers, and educators to discuss contemporary issues in the cultural sector.
• ENCATC Academy Educational platform providing professional development and training programs for cultural sector professionals.
• ENCATC Talks Virtual discussion series providing a space for the cultural management and policy community to exchange practice, methodology, ideas and project proposals.
• ENCATC Research Award Annual award presented to a recently defended doctoral/PhD thesis, exemplifying scholarly excellence by addressing contemporary issues and demonstrating potential to influence policy.
• https://encatc.org/encatcSCHOLAR Free resource reference tool for education and lifelong learning on cultural management and cultural policies, enabling the exchange of teaching methodologies and knowledge.
• European Journal of Cultural Management and Policy Peer-reviewed journal published in partnership with Frontiers, gathering global perspectives and contributing to the European Research Area.
• Knowledge Hub Comprehensive resource center offering Resources, Experts Database, Teaching Materials, and Policy Developments for the cultural management community.
• Research Interest Clusters (RICs) Professional networks launched in 2021 enabling individuals with shared research interests to connect and collaborate on specialized topics within arts and cultural management and policy.
• Expert Group on Art Markets and Cultural Goods Integrity Expert group established in 2025 promoting holistic understanding of art markets at the intersection of culture, economy, heritage, and society through interdisciplinary collaboration.
• ENCATC Book Series Publication series featuring scholarly works on cultural management and policy topics, including governance and institutional modeling.
• ENCATC Membership Program Membership program offering various membership types for individuals and institutions, providing benefits including access to resources, events, networking opportunities, and professional development.

Quantifiable outcome

• Annual ENCATC Congress bringing together hundreds of cultural management professionals
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership on Cultural Diplomacy Lab in Prague and ENCATC Members Talk on cultural diplomacy, building on successful Asia-Europe collaboration.
• UNESCOmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Historic partnership since 2017 for intangible cultural heritage education projects including 'Learning on intangible heritage: building teachers' capacity for a sustainable future' and ongoing collaboration on ICH safeguarding with UNESCO Bangkok.
• Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for ENCATC Talks on cultural mobility and Asia-Europe dialogue, including the event on 'The Status and Working Conditions of Artists and Cultural & Creative Professionals in Asia' and Virtual Crossovers exchange program.
• Association of Arts Administration Educators (AAAE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partner in ENCATC Members Talks series, providing collaboration on professional development and research initiatives for arts administration educators globally.
• Taiwan Association of Cultural Policy Studies (TACPS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partner in ENCATC Members Talks series, contributing to Asia-Pacific perspectives on cultural policy research and education.
• CHARTER AlliancemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlueprint alliance funded by Erasmus+ with 46 cultural heritage institutions working to bridge skills gaps between education and occupational systems. ENCATC joined to contribute to education and training development.
• EU Heritage ProjectmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerErasmus+ funded project creating transnational curriculum for cultural heritage professionals focused on digital skills, transferable competences, and soft skills. ENCATC is a proud partner.
• HERITAGE-PRO ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEU heritage project represented at ENCATC Members Talk focusing on innovative training schemes for cultural heritage professionals.
• ILUCIDARE ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational cultural heritage project coordinated by International Cultural Centre (ICC) in Poland, presented at ENCATC Members Talk.
• UNESCO BangkokminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on inter-regional collaboration among higher education institutions for intangible cultural heritage safeguarding.
• European CommissionmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunding and policy partner through Creative Europe programme; collaboration on Capacity Building for European Capitals of Culture project and Culture Compass for Europe initiative.
• World Leisure OrganizationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on MONDIACULT 2022 discussion and analysis of UNESCO World Conference outcomes.
• Goethe-InstitutminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead of consortium implementing Creative FLIP project (EU co-funded Preparatory Action) on transformation policies in culture.
• InterartscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Capacity Building for European Capitals of Culture project alongside CAE and AEIDL.
• Culture Action Europe (CAE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Capacity Building for European Capitals of Culture project alongside Interarts and AEIDL.
• Association Européenne pour l'Information sur le Développement Local (AEIDL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead partner in Capacity Building for European Capitals of Culture project alongside Interarts and CAE.
• United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Capacity Building for European Capitals of Culture project for local government cooperation.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• IETM – International Network for Contemporary Performing Arts: Brussels-based international network for performing arts professionals with membership-based funding and EU programme engagement. Overlaps with ENCATC in cultural management professional development and EU policy advocacy for the cultural sector.
• Association of Arts Administration Educators (AAAE): North-America-based association of arts administration educators, explicitly named as an ENCATC international partner. Addresses an overlapping academic/professional membership focused on cultural management education and research.
• ELIA – European League of Institutes of the Arts: Pan-European network of higher arts education institutions, very close in mission and member base to ENCATC's higher education and research focus. ELIA and ENCATC frequently co-engage the same arts universities and cultural management researchers across Europe.
• Culture Action Europe (CAE): Brussels-based European cultural policy and advocacy network serving a largely overlapping membership of cultural professionals, policymakers, and institutions. Directly comparable to ENCATC on EU policy engagement and member services, and in fact a confirmed ENCATC project partner via 'Capacity Building for European Capitals of Culture'.

Broad incumbents

• European Cultural Foundation (ECF): Larger, Netherlands-rooted foundation funding and advocating for culture across Europe with a much broader mandate and bigger budget than ENCATC. Operates in the same cultural sector space and competes for EU-aligned cultural policy mindshare and partner mindshare.
• Goethe-Institut: Large publicly-funded cultural institution operating globally with a much broader scope than ENCATC but working in overlapping spaces on European cultural policy, training, and Creative FLIP project implementation where ENCATC participates.
• Europa Nostra: European cultural heritage federation with broad institutional membership and EU partnership status. Comparable as a Brussels-facing membership cultural network, though primarily focused on heritage rather than cultural management and policy.

Regional players

• UNESCO Bangkok (Culture Unit): Asia-Pacific UNESCO office collaborating with ENCATC on intangible cultural heritage safeguarding. Operates in a different region but jointly produces programmes and shares mission focus on culture, education, and policy.

Others

• Creative Europe Desk (European Commission): EU programme network that helps applicants access the same Creative Europe funding stream that supports ENCATC. Not a competitor but the principal EU-side counterpart that ENCATC coordinates with on programme promotion and applicant support.
• Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF): Intergovernmental foundation linking Asia and Europe through dialogue and cultural exchange. Strategic partner of ENCATC and an adjacent enabling organisation for cross-continental cultural management programming.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ENCATC
• Facebookfacebook.com/ENCATC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/encatc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ENCATC