The international conference "Culture Matters Here: Cultivating Creative Place-based Innovation in Non-urban Communities" will take place in Valmiera, Latvia, from 11 to 13 May 2026. This final event of the Horizon Europe project "IN SITU – Place-based Innovation of Cultural and Creative Industries in Non-urban Areas" will convene 130 researchers, cultural practitioners, artists, and policymakers from 28 countries to explore the role of culture and creative industries in strengthening the resilience and sustainable development of non-urban areas.

The plenary lectures and main sessions will be available via livestream on the official IN SITU YouTube and Facebook pages. The programme features an opening lecture by Susan Luckman (University of Adelaide, Australia) on innovation in the age of artificial intelligence, as well as contributions from international experts including Tim Wojan, Jude Ortiz, and Nancy Duxbury. Over three days, the conference will feature more than 40 presentations and thematic sessions showcasing IN SITU project results and examples of good practice in cultural policy, heritage, and innovation in non-urban settings.

The conference is organised by the Latvian Academy of Culture and the Centre for Social Studies of the University of Coimbra, in collaboration with Culture Action Europe, the European Network of Cultural Centres, and local partners Valmiera County Municipality and Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences.

More information on the programme and livestream links is available on the conference website.