04 March, 2026

The Hincks Centre for Entrepreneurship Excellence recently featured at Munster Technological University’s (MTU) 4th Creative and Performing Arts & Media Annual Research Forum, held at the Bishopstown Campus.

The forum, organised by the Faculty of Creative and Performing Arts & Media and the MTU Arts Office, brought together filmmakers, artists, musicians, designers, and researchers from across MTU. Across 40 presentations and an accompanying exhibition, contributors explored topics including AI in the arts, opera, accessibility in cultural heritage, sound design, creative pedagogy, and collaborative practices, offering a rich snapshot of the creative research ecosystem at MTU.

Representing the Hincks Centre, researcher Fiacre Muller presented “Rethinking Film Producer Training: Strategic Reflection, Trust, and the Hidden Competitiveness Gap in European Film.” The presentation draws on work from the Horizon Europe CresCine project, which focuses on strengthening the competitiveness and cultural diversity of small-market European film industries.

This research examines how structured, low-pressure strategic reflection can support film producers in surfacing their assumptions, recalibrating project direction, and addressing misalignment before it becomes costly. The work suggests that creating deliberate spaces for producers to reflect under conditions of trust may represent an underdeveloped capability layer in European film competitiveness.

The event also provided an opportunity to situate this entrepreneurship-informed perspective within a wider conversation on artistic research and creative practice. Highlights from the day included a keynote address by Florian Schneider, from the Institute for Creativity at the University of Galway, on the current status of artistic research, as well as presentations on AI and creativity, production as pedagogy, and revitalising the cinematic experience.

The Hincks Centre extends its thanks to the organising team, including colleagues in the Faculty of Creative and Performing Arts & Media and the MTU Arts Office, for delivering an engaging and well-attended forum. The continued growth of this annual event reflects the strength and ambition of creative and performing arts research at MTU, and the Hincks Centre is pleased to contribute to its development.

Fiacre Muller, 
Researcher,
Hincks Centre.