A website has been created in Italy that aims to bring together those wanting to invest in culture and those that have a project in mind. Upaperlacultura.org is the first ever website to promote ''the culture of investing in culture'' and it was presented by Utenti Pubblicità Associati (UPA), an umbrella group for 500 enterprises that invest in advertising and communication in Italy and account for 90% of the entire market. ''We represent about 9 billion euros in investment per year,'' said president Lorenzo Sassoli de Bianchi. ''In recent times we have seen a drop in the culture sector due to the crisis, as well as a lack of easy mechanisms that bring together those seeking and those financing. "Spending on culture in Italy totals 1.2% of GDP compared with a European average of 2.2%. In 2016, for the first time, we will see an inversion of the trend, thanks to an increase in ministry funds and the Art Bonus Stabilization. This is a change of direction that we hope will continue and grow.'' He went on to say that ''we thought up a website that over time can constitute an open database of dynamism for cultural institutions.'' Upaperlacultura.org is thus the first private, non-profit, free website aiming to bring together cultural institutions and enterprises, with two specific sections for them. In the first there is a form to describe a project to be implemented, to be presented one year for the next and at least 6 months in advance; in the second are all the projects inserted, among which enterprises can select based on geographical area and type of activity. ''Today we can finally consider things based on solid benchmarks, which have always been lacking in this sector," said Minister Dario Franceschini. "The ideological, foolish barrier that kept private companies away from the public ones with respect to other countries is largely due to the public sector,'' he said. ''In Italy, with some exceptions, there is no culture of patronage - for small donors as well as for large entrepreneurs who feel obliged to give something back to the community. Of course, where it is, this sensitivity has been helped through fiscal incentives, but the main thing is the educational and sociological side. "We are now working on large cultural attractions so that part of the funds will be for the recovery of the cultural good itself and part for what surrounds it, for which we need the know-how of private entities. "I will make a very specific appeal: I would like 20 large Italian enterprises to each adopt one of the 20 museums that we have made autonomous, becoming their main partner. We are ready to get them involved in their governance, as well,'' he said.
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