NSSP seeks to tap the potential of the creative industries (i.e. the film industry) to promote innovation and growth in the NSR and increase the region's competitiveness in a global context. Transnational cooperation is concentrated on common challenges, such as marketing, financing and SME support.

The project aims to tackle issues such as fragmented national markets inhibiting critical mass creation (developing economies of scale), lack of coherence and coordination of actors and actions across the NSR, and loss of talents in more peripheral areas.

Aim
NSSP aims to support the development of existing NSR clusters in film/TV/interactive media sector through transnational working within and between clusters to build the capacity of companies, particularly SMEs, to compete more effectively and to encourage investment outside of metropolitan areas where historically wealth creation/employment has been focused.

NSSP aims to:
Establish a transnational network and locations database to identify existing industry resources to assist production companies locate and work with indigenous companies, as well as partner search for NSR companies. It will promote the NSR as a hub for media production through more efficient delivery of services to incoming production and improved productivity by indigenous companies.

Establish a business development platform engaging NSR screen agencies, policymakers, business support agencies, educational institutes, research centres, media companies to network, identify best practice and deliver workshops and master classes to raise skills levels and promote knowledge transfer.

Raise skills of current and potential workforce via mapping/benchmarking industry learning provision and delivery of a transnational work and training exchange schemes.

Establish a transnational advanced research centre in media productions techniques to act as an interface between research and industry and support technology transfer to companies.

Background
The EU's i2010 Strategy recognises the content industry as being at the vanguard of the digital revolution and that for European creative industries it offers a great opportunity for innovation and growth. In 2006 the EU recognised the need for "content for competitiveness" focused on creativity, co-ordination and coherence.

Moving image production and consumption is the fastest growing sector within the creative industries. To ensure Europe obtains a significant share of this market - pre-production, production and post-production - it is essential to improve the competitive position of both Europe and the North Sea Region.

As an interface with the content/screen sector, the screen commissions and development agencies at the NSSP are in a strong position to foster co-production and transnational co-operation, act as a catalyst for business development, improve inward investment from the media and finance sectors and pilot mechanisms for the exchange and adoption of best practice in areas such as project management, finance and market development.

All of these activities will enable the sector in the NSR to operate in a more coherent and co-ordinated manner, increasing competitive advantage and offering a range of innovative services to encourage development of the entire production chain across the content sector.

• Visual Effects Research Network (VERN) research centre for the North Sea region,
• Master classes in media/production,
• Business Development Platform for NSR film/TV/media companies,
• Transnational Screen Office Network, Locations Service Database,
• Media Cluster Mapping to attract inward investment,
• Database on educational resources, Work and training exchange scheme.