Istituto per il Credito Sportivo is partner of DNAitalia:” Dnaitalia is an interesting multiparticipated community for us, where we can meet many of the actors that are part of the cultural chain”. Interview with Maria Lucia Candida (general director of Istituto per il Credito sportivo).

For over fifty years ICS has been the reference bank for the sport and the cultural environment. ICS will be present, as a partner, to DNA.italia, the one and only marketplace focused on the Cultural heritage. How is born the choice of supporting and following this innovative event?

I want to have with a clarification first. The Credito Sportivo can be definitely considered, looking back to its 50 years of activities, the reference bank for sport and cultural environment. Many of the 150000 existing structures in the country have been realized with the support of ICS and if,for a long period of time, our mission has been to give the territory structures capable of satisfying the increasing demand of sport asked from the citizens, now the policy of the bank wants to favor the maintenance and regulation of the existing structures, wants to favor the multi functionality of the structures and the sustainable economic management of the same.
In the cultural world instead we are moving our first steps, even thou we are pursuing important projects, such as the financing of the Genus Bonomiae project of Bologna – an open air museum with routes around the city – which are the kind of virtuous experience we are looking at. This is the reason why we decide to support the pilot edition of DNA.italia, because we have glimpsed that this “container” is more than just the standard exhibition that you can use as a promotional channel, it is a multipartecipated community where you meet many of the actors that are part of the cultural chain, to whom you can “tell” the first important case history financed by the institute and which represent, from our point of view, valuable projects because of the social, economical and managerial value that they have been able to produce in the territory where they where born.

DNA.italia goal: to create synergies between companies, designers, finance, institutions and associations working in the cultural heritage field. Lied at the base, the consciousness that our cultural heritage is the viaticum which will be able to enhance this broad satellite industries. What is the role and future of ICS in this context?

The role that Credito Sportivo aims to cover for the future is to position itself also in the cultural sector as a financing credible partner that will be able to offer different suitable solutions for facilitating the access to the credit, offering customize products tailored on the characteristics and the purpose of each activity.

What programs and activities will be provided by ICS DNA.Italia event?

We are still defining the communication’s content that we will be presentino at DNA.italia 2011. We are closing on a research project with the University, that aims to describe the demand of finance among cultural operators, both from a quantitative both on qualitative point of view in order to be able to define and promote a coherent offer within the real need of the sector. It is not to be escluded that DNA.italia could be the occasion in which to present the first result of the survey.

Which players ICS presence is turned to at DNA.italia and which are the chain’ actors ICS would like to talk in more detail? And with what messages?

In conducting its activities, the Institute works with  municipalities, provinces and regions, public institutions, Coni Servizi SpA, national sports federations, companies, associations and sporting bodies to promote sports recognized by CONI, Cultural companies and associations; cultural institutions that promote culture and entertainment, as well as any public or private operator, that will pursue, even indirectly, sports purpose, recreation and development of cultural heritage and cultural activities. Therefore, all the actors that will be in DNA.italia are our stakeholders and potential interesting customer to directly contact and do networking with.

ICS is committed to ensuring a sustainable development of sport and culture, promoting, for example, projects that encourage the use of renewable energy sources. Will it be discussed at DNA.italia?

The 2011 ICS Commercial Plan was just born under three concepts: energy efficiency, security and multi-purpose that today constitute the k-words for a sustainable management of Sport and Culture. The two sectors, indeed, though different in many respects, have this common theme. Our commitment starts from indicating the need to think about Sport and Culture as two sectors for which the sustainable management of the infrastructures has to be considered crucial if we want to create chains capable of enhancing and preserving the cultural and sport heritage of the country. One enhancement that is born by the usage, intended like the multipurposeful of the structures, use of frontier technologies and local marketing. Only in this way, in my opinion, it is possible that the cultural heritage can be progressively transformed from public capital waster to magnet of private investment which they foresee in its proper enhance also a source for generating added economic value.
Among the emerging issues related to the overall management, conservation, protection and enhancement of this heritage, there are some that we consider of great importance: the security, the energy sector, the use of new technologies that open up spaces for innovation until recently is simply unthinkable, and for which they are studying a series of specific products, some of which are sure to be presented during the DNA.

In the current political landscape of the Italian economy, what is the importance of this project and what do you expect? According to your vision and knowledge of the facts,the future scenario will change in the cultural heritage?

Our bank believes that the "Culture" and the Cultural Heritage world is a privileged opportunity to communicate their proximity to communities and to convey, in a coherent and effective way, a new and different approach of "making bank". In this context, DNA.italia as a communication event can become a container / generator where will take shape a significant amount of information and promotion activities of the Institute; the engine from which all the inward and outwards’ actions of promotion and enhancement in the field of heritage and culture can start and become stronger.