One of the main objectives of the MAX project is to advocate for the integration of makers’ mobility schemes into CCI’s policies and programs. As part of this mission, MAX has facilitated on the 3rd of December 2021 “MAXimizing Policies” – a workshop for makers’ mobility supporters.
In this occasion, the project partners (ECHN, FabLab Barcelona, UPTEC and Makery) have invited stakeholders and policy-makers to join the workshop and co-design possible policy solutions for some of the main challenges encountered in makers’ mobility. The 22 participants composed a diverse group of professionals, policy-makers and stakeholders from the creative sector; this in turn allowed a farther-reaching approach, with every participant offering their own specific perspectives and expertise.
The previous work and research undertaken by the MAX project brought to the surface four urging challenges to tackle during the workshop: devising effective mobility formats that combine online and physical exchanges; bringing into play the makers’ interdisciplinarity as a core feature of the community; pursuing inclusiveness in makers’ mobility programmes and favouring skills development for guests and hosts in mobility exchanges. Participants were divided into four teams and worked to produce a series of policy recommendations linked to each challenge. Every team identified strategies to make use of existing opportunities, to overcome possible barriers and to meet the needs of the industry; ultimately, the most high-impact solutions were selected to design two policy recommendations per team, one with a short-term effect and one with a long-term effect.
The outcomes of this workshop play a big role in identifying policy recommendations to advocate for at the European level. To stay up to date with MAX’s upcoming mapping of mobility schemes, check the Publications section of our website!