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A competition which aims to inject new energy into the retail spaces of galleries and museums has been launched, with support from the ICA in London, Berlin’s Deutsche Guggenheim and Triennale Museum in Milan. New products will compete for space in museum and gallery shops, with the winners’ designs to be sold by the museum and gallery partners. The deadline for entries is 20 October. w: http://www.releaseonedotzero.com

A new three-year partnership between Leeds Metropolitan University and Northern Ballet Theatre (NBT) will provide students with greater access to ballet performances and dance workshops, and an opportunity to work with NBT on educational projects. The relationship between the two organisations began in 2006, and in 2007 the University was involved in NBT’s international tour to China. The University will also be a partner in NBT’s new building in central Leeds, together with Phoenix Dance Theatre.
In the first initiative of its kind, the Royal College of Music (RCM) is offering a programme of health-boosting activities tailored to the physical, mental and musical demands of high-level practising and performing. In response to new research from the RCM’s Centre for Performance Science, musicians at the college have access to free fitness assessments, hearing assessments, health seminars and workshops. w: http://www.health.rcm.ac.uk
Audiences NI is to become the Arts Marketing Association’s (AMA) strategic training delivery partner for Northern Ireland, bringing a selection of the AMA’s Speaker Tours to the region. Members of Audiences NI will be able to access the training free of charge, while AMA members will qualify for a discounted rate. w: http://www.a-m-a.org.uk/event_detail.asp?id=252
Arts organisations looking to employ migrant workers from outside the EU will need a new ‘Sponsorship Licence’ to do so from 1 November. Under new regulations from the UK Border Agency, organisations will have to apply for the licence, after which they can issue Certificates of Sponsorship to the specific migrants they wish to recruit. The migrant can then make a normal application to enter the UK. A leaflet outlining the new regulations is available.
w: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/employers/
A new report from the British Arts Festivals Association (BAFA) has assessed the economic and cultural contribution that festivals make to the UK. Building on earlier studies, it also explores the scope and scale of festivals, their programming, their attenders, and the employment and financial activity they generate. w: http://www.artsfestivals.co.uk
A self-assessment toolkit for arts organisations to help them reduce their energy costs by up to 20% has been developed by Arts Council England. A number of modules will help organisations to identify energy efficiency opportunities, develop good energy management practices and set up an action plan. In addition the toolkit will allow registered users to track their energy performance over time using relevant performance indicators. w: http://www.artsenergy.org.uk
A new report aims to improve trustees’ awareness of the common problems that can arise in charities, and provide guidance on how to avoid similar situations. Published by the Charity Commission, ‘Charities Back on Track’ brings together the themes and wider issues arising from its regulatory work over the past year and its investigations into serious abuse or mismanagement in charities. w: http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk
A nine-month intensive leadership programme is aiming to attract up to 25 midcareer and established leaders in the cultural and creative sectors from black and minority ethnic backgrounds. PowerLab, which is being run through the Cultural Leadership Programme, is offering individually tailored leadership training which will give participants access to influential leaders who are already running respected public, commercial and independent operations in advertising, film, television, theatre and contemporary visual art. w: http://www.culturalleadership.org.uk
Greenwich Theatre is piloting a new model of co-production designed to circumvent the need for corporate sponsorship. By joining with East 15 Acting School and Greenwich Council, James Haddrell, Director of Greenwich Theatre, hopes to ‘pool resources’ in a new four-year project. The actors, props and costumes for a new play will be supplied by East 15’s graduates. The theatre will manage the production, and the local authority will provide site management, an education programme and staff support. w: http://www.greenwichtheatre.org.uk
Three hundred applicants who were rejected earlier this year for funding through the Scottish Arts Council’s Inspire fund are to be offered the chance be reconsidered for a new scheme, known as ‘Inspiring Communities’. The new criteria against which they will be evaluated relate to connecting people and their communities through the arts and encouraging links between people, places and ideas. Over £51m in support has been applied for, though the available budget is only £4.3m.
w:http:// www.scottisharts.org.uk