​​Where can Values create Value? Scaling the European Silk Road Framework beyond Arts and Culture​

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

The European Silk Road Cultural Fund (ESRCF), operated by the Callias Foundation, evaluates ideas through 147 value-based criteria clustered into 14 core values such as Truth, Beauty, and Simplicity, rather than through purely economic or technical metrics. While this approach is already established in the arts and cultural sector, its potential elsewhere has remained untested. This project therefore examined whether, and where, the framework’s value-based logic can be transferred beyond arts and culture. 

Goal 

The primary goal was to systematically evaluate the scalability of the framework beyond arts and culture, and to determine how its core logic of value-based reflection, transparent assessment, and the protection of visionary ideas could be transferred to sectors such as sustainability, technology, finance, urban development, and education. A secondary goal was to safeguard the framework’s integrity and sustainability as it scales. 

Methodology 

The project followed four interrelated work steps. A status quo analysis consolidated financial statements, platform material, and a founder questionnaire to capture the current situation. A qualitative benchmarking then compared the ESRCF against sixteen value-oriented frameworks across four weighted dimensions. The Market Opportunity Navigator prioritized candidate sectors along the dimensions of Potential and Challenge, and expert interviews with sector practitioners validated the findings. 

Results 

The framework’s central strength is its distinctive, value-based evaluation logic: whereas the highest-scoring benchmark frameworks measure the external, quantifiable effects of an idea, the ESRCF assesses its inner coherence and quality. Three core weaknesses, however, emerged consistently: an unclear value proposition, financial fragility driven by volatile donations, and limited institutional legitimacy. The Market Opportunity Navigator identified Sustainability and Urban Development as the most attractive entry sectors, while the interviews pointed to non-commercial, publicly mandated actors as the most promising target group. The project therefore recommends sharpening the value proposition and prioritizing the sustainability sector. 

Cooperation Partner 

• Callias Foundation 

• ​​SRSO Callias Foundation gemeinnützige GmbH 
  Operator of the European Silk Road Cultural Fund (ESRCF) 
  Goldeggasse 6/3, 1040 Vienna 
  Austria 
  callias-foundation.org 
  www.esrcf.eu​ 

​​Contact Person​ 

• Jan Moritz Onken - jmo@callias-foundation.org 

Student Team 

• Lisa Kolodziejski  

• Janis Hug 

• Kim Helen Blob 

• Marcel Simma 

• Florian Labermaier 

• Niclas Julian Voggenhuber 

Project Manager 

• Sandra Jeske, MSc. 

• Jakob Riener, MA