Minds Europe & European Capital of Culture Novi Sad 2022

Minds Europe Founders and Members are engaged by European Capital of Culture Novi Sad 2022 and Foundation Novi Sad 2022 as evaluation team for internal and external evaluation in order to support evidence-based monitoring and evaluation. External evaluation of multi-faceted impact is focused further on innovative approach of iECOC (European Capital of Culture Index) measurement, quantified annually, and defined through an already established methodology that includes dimensions such as: culture, economy and community. Methodology is comprehensive, qualitative and quantitative in nature and first of its kind, evidence-based grounded on expert evaluation and primary data inputs. iECoC is a research instrument based on a well-known mathematical principle with aim to help in balancing the level of personal opinions of decision-makers (sometimes biased) and collected data (both qualitative and quantitative).

Based on a series of interviews with the representatives from the whole structure of ECoC management, the general and specific objectives of the program, and the careful inspection of all supporting documents the evaluation team has developed an ECoC Evaluation Framework. The Framework aims to serve as a comprehensive tool to provide on-demand and regular reports for informing and guiding management and decision-making bodies in improving internal procedures and project/program results and impacts. Therefore, the database for the Framework was made to primarily be quantitative in nature to precisely measure the project progress from the established baselines and the achievements of milestones. The database is continuously populated as soon as the data becomes available, thus delivering timely insight into project progress, on-demand reports, or reports regularly aggregated on a yearly basis.