Cultural Industries Research Group
Comprehensive Research and Support for the Development of Cultural and Creative Industries in the Olomouc Agglomeration
News
18. 9. 2026
cultural politics
online platforms
film industry
European Quotas Alone Won’t Get Films Across Borders. A New CIRG Study Explores a Path Towards a More Open Audiovisual Market
How effectively does European audiovisual policy support the availability of films and other audiovisual works across…
read moreProjects
ArchAIvist: Methodological and Technological Support for Working with Archival Audiovisual Material
TAČR: Programme for the Support of Applied Research and Innovation SIGMA
The aim of the project is to offer documentary filmmakers tools to address the problems, challenges, and dilemmas faced by creators working with archival audiovisual material—issues that have ethical, legal, and technological dimensions. These tools will include 1) an ethical code and a guide to ethical dilemmas, intended for the professional training of documentary filmmakers; 2) a legal methodology for teaching best practices in handling archival audiovisual materials at secondary schools and universities with an artistic focus on audiovisual production; 3) educational workshops for FAMU students and other interested audiovisual creators; 4) an expert study contributing to the international discussion on the ethics of documentary film; 5) a prototype for the automated extraction and analysis of archival audiovisual content.
find out moreProblems of Access to Cultural Heritage in the Digital Age
Operational Programme Jan Amos Komenský 2021–2027: Social Sciences and Humanities – Humans and Humanity in the Global Challenges of the Present
The objectives of the project are to 1) implement four complementary research agendas focused on addressing problems and conflicts arising in connection with the curation, presentation, and accessibility of cultural heritage and its use for educational purposes; 2) organize a mid-term project conference at which pilot results of the research agendas will be presented to the academic community, project team members, and interested stakeholders from the cultural sector; 3) deepen existing or establish new cooperation between individual research teams and domestic institutions involved in the curation and presentation of cultural content and its educational use through digital tools; 4) deepen existing or establish new cooperation between the research teams involved in the project and international research institutions and teams working in the fields of platformization of media industries, museum education and digital curation of archival content, ethnographic research of media organizations and cultural heritage institutions, and research into the ethical and legal issues related to access to cultural heritage.
find out moreComprehensive Research and Support for the Development of the Cultural and Creative Industries in the Olomouc Agglomeration
Operational Programme Jan Amos Comenius 2021–2027: Intersectoral Cooperation for ITI
The main objectives of the project are to 1) design measures to improve the working conditions of creators in selected cultural sectors in the Olomouc agglomeration; 2) propose measures to balance or eliminate the negative impacts of the copyright system on selected cultural sectors in the Olomouc agglomeration; 3) develop a strategy for regional film offices on how to effectively support foreign audiovisual production in the region; 4) prepare a methodology for measuring effectiveness for founders of public-benefit cultural institutions.
find out moreOpportunities and Barriers to the Cross-Border Distribution of Czech Music Production
NAKI III: Programme for the Support of Applied Research in the Field of National and Cultural Identity for the Years 2023–2030
The aim of the project is to identify the barriers and opportunities related to the cross-border distribution of Czech music production and to propose measures for overcoming these barriers or leveraging existing opportunities.
find out moreSupporting the Export of Audiovisual Production: Tools for Measuring, Predicting, and Strengthening the Cross-Border Circulation of Czech Film and Television Works
TAČR: Programme for the Support of Applied Research and Innovation SIGMA
The main objective of the project is to develop a strategy and tools for a measurable and long-term sustainable increase in the export of Czech audiovisual production.
find out moreThe Ethics of Access to Audiovisual Online Content
Czech Science Foundation
The aim of the project is a legal and ethical analysis of the conflict between creators, producers, and distributors on the one hand and consumers on the other regarding access to premium audiovisual online content (films, television series, sports broadcasts), the availability of which within video-on-demand services is regulated through geo-blocking.
find out moreGlobal Media & Internet Concentration Project
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
The advent and massive expansion of the Internet and planetary scale digital platforms has breathed urgent new life into the enduring, simple, yet profound, question that animates this project: Have the media industries, individually and collectively, become more or less concentrated over time? This project brings together a multidisciplinary team of more than 50 scholars and almost a dozen non-academic external partners to more consistently apply existing approaches and create new conceptual and methodological tools to address this question today.
find out moreCirg - about
CIRG – the Cultural Industries Research Group focuses on research into cultural and media industries, particularly on current issues, challenges, and conflicts arising from tensions between intellectual property law, the business models of cultural industries, the digitalization and platformization of cultural sectors, and changing consumer habits. The group’s name is an acronym of its English title, Cultural Industries Research Group. CIRG is an informal association of experts from media studies, intellectual property law, media law, media ethics, cultural economics and cultural management, sociology of culture, and data analysis. The group operates on the basis of project-based funding through applied research projects (TAČR, NAKI, EEA and Norway Grants, OP JAK Intersectoral Cooperation), basic research projects (GAČR, ZIF Bielefeld, OP VVV Excellent Research, DFG), as well as contract research (State Cinematography Fund, Association of Audiovisual Producers).
Manuals for artists
Copyright Issues in Sampling
Rudolf Leška, Rostislav Sliwka
Using Copyright-Protected Works and Their Parts in Education
Jan Barták
Copyright Law in a Nutshell: A Practical Guide for Authors (and Everyone Else)
Jan Barták
Spotify for Artists: A Complete Guide for Musicians
Miloš Blaháček
Freedom of Expression in Art: Controversial Content and Legal Risks
Maxim Tomoszek
Research reports
Legal Regulation of the Status of Performing Artists as Self-Employed Persons (Entrepreneurs) under the Flat-Rate Tax Regime
Martin Škurek
research report details download the report in PDF
The Legal Status of Performing Artists as Self-Employed Persons (Entrepreneurs) within the Pension Insurance System
Martin Škurek
research report details download the report in PDF
Research on the Legal Forms and Effectiveness of Cultural Institutions
Tereza Raabová, Marek Prokůpek, Petra Šobáňová, Rudolf Leška, Pavel Zahrádka, Jan Žůrek
research report details download the report in PDF
Methodology for Mapping the Export of Czech Music
Michal Tomčík, Rudolf Leška, Jakub Řezníček, Pavel Zahrádka, Václav Hodonický, Rostislav Sliwka, Petr Szczepanik, Radim Červenka
research report details download the report in PDF
Physical and Mental Health of Actors in the Czech Republic
Jana Návratová
research report details download the report in PDFNews / blog
18. 9. 2026 cultural politics online platforms film industry
European Quotas Alone Won’t Get Films Across Borders. A New CIRG Study Explores a Path Towards a More Open Audiovisual Market
How effectively does European audiovisual policy support the availability of films and other audiovisual works across…
read more5. 9. 2026 work in culture
New Legal Guide: Performing Artists as Self-Employed Persons under the Flat-Rate Tax Regime
CIRG is publishing the second part of its legal guide devoted to the status of performing…
read more1. 9. 2026 cultural institutions cultural politics
What Is Shaping Cultural Policy Today? Tereza Raabová Presents CIRG Research at ICCPR in Ottawa
CIRG researcher Tereza Raabová took part in the International Conference on Cultural Policy Research (ICCPR), held…
read more29. 8. 2026 work in culture
New CIRG Legal Guide: What Self-Employed Performing Artists Should Know About Pension Insurance
When is a performing artist considered self-employed? What is the difference between main and secondary self-employment, and…
read moreget involved
Screen Industries in Central and Eastern Europe Research Group
SIRG
Charles University
Department of Film Studies
Lab head: Petr Szczepanik
sirg@ff.cuni.cz
PhD
We offer the opportunity to pursue doctoral study focused on developing and carrying out your own research projects in the field of cultural and media industries. The programme can be undertaken at Palacký University Olomouc, Charles University, or the Prague University of Economics and Business under the supervision of leading experts in media studies, cultural economics, digital ethics, and copyright law.
moreStudent Legal Clinic for Authors and Performing Artists
The Student Legal Clinic focuses on a wide range of legal issues, including copyright law. Supervisors overseeing the preparation of each legal opinion are always experts in the relevant field of law. The advice is provided free of charge.
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