Tenerife Crafts Project MIDA Gets €180K Funding Boost
Tenerife's MIDA craft project, blending tradition with modern design, receives a €180,000 funding boost for its third edition in 2026 after a successful initial run.
MIDA, a project that started in Candelaria, Tenerife, in 2023, is all about bringing crafts, training, and jobs together. This initiative by the Cabildo de Tenerife (the island's government) has been so successful in its first two years that they're planning a third edition in 2026.
Because of this success, the Cabildo is investing an extra €180,000 into MIDA, bringing the total budget to €530,000.
MIDA aims to boost innovation in the craft industry by blending traditional techniques with modern design. The goal is to create new products and opportunities for artisans. The project includes a fair, workshops, exhibitions, and meetings with experts to encourage collaboration between artisans and designers.
Rosa Dávila, the president of the Cabildo de Tenerife, highlighted their commitment to innovation, training, and promoting crafts from Tenerife. This commitment follows the approval of the extra funding, which was originally intended for the Training and Research Program of the Insular Craft Company SA.
This extra money will strengthen the MIDA Tenerife project, which is a key initiative for the Cabildo. It promotes modernizing the craft sector, combining traditional and contemporary creative approaches, and encouraging younger generations to get involved.
Dávila said that MIDA "represents the innovative spirit of our crafts" and is "a space where tradition and creativity come together to create new opportunities for employment, design, and experimentation." She added that "Tenerife's crafts are a hallmark that we want to project into the future."
The increased funding will also support training and research in the craft sector, connecting traditional skills with new trends in contemporary design.
Efraín Medina, the Minister of Employment, Education, and Youth from Candelaria, said they are "committed to a model based on sustainability and professionalization." This means "our artisans have the necessary resources to grow and compete in a global environment."
Medina hopes that through this work, "Tenerife's crafts will continue to be a source of pride, a living sector that combines inherited knowledge with the talent of new generations."
The first MIDA event in November 2023 attracted over 10,000 people to the Plaza de la Patrona de Canarias. It was organized by the Cabildo de Tenerife and the Candelaria City Council. The second event, called MidaLab, took place in December of last year at the Tenerife Science and Technology Park (PCTT). While the date and location for the third event are still to be announced, MIDA was born in Candelaria and has since expanded.