The Salzburg Global Forum for Young Cultural Innovators (YCI) is an annual series of Salzburg Global Seminar that brings 50 of the world's most talented young innovators from the culture and arts sector together at Schloss Leopoldskron to help them develop the dynamic vision, entrepreneurial skills, and global networks needed to allow them, their organizations, their causes and their communities to thrive in new ways. The artistic disciplines represented by the young innovators range from the visual and performing arts, literature, and cultural heritage, to food, fashion, architecture, and design. The YCI Forum represents a major commitment by Salzburg Global Seminar to fostering creative innovation and entrepreneurship worldwide with the intention of building a more vibrant and resilient arts sector and of advancing sustainable economic development, positive social change agendas, and urban transformation worldwide. 

Each annual YCI cohort is comprised of ten expert facilitators and 50 young cultural innovators between the ages of 25 and 35 from around the world. The group is balanced in terms of gender, genre, and geographic representation. Most of the participants come from several "YCI hubs" in various cities around the world that form the core of the YCI multi-year project, including Athens, Baltimore, Buenos Aires, Phnom Penh, Salzburg, Seoul, and  Tokyo. Participants are selected through a competitive application and nomination process, to ensure outstanding quality and diversity of professional knowledge and experience within the Forum. 

Forum components include a one-week annual program in Salzburg combining theory and praxis, with panels focusing on urban transformation, complexity, and cross-sectoral collaboration, and with capacity-building sessions focusing on: entrepreneurship, new business models, risk-taking and innovation, leadership, cross-cultural intelligence, and communication skills. 

Outstanding participants from each year are invited back as facilitators and/or resource specialists at future sessions to assure continuity, communication and exchange of best practice across the multi-year series. The Forum also assists the participants in creating "YCI hubs" in their cities to share the learning, foster a multiplier effect, and magnify the impact of the YCI network created in Salzburg. The "YCI hubs" will convene mini-sessions, workshops and public events and become a local resource for emerging cultural innovators.