The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science set up the BIK project in 2002 to help professional artists supplement their income, to boost the quality of arts education in primary schools and to lower stress amongst teachers.

The project aimed at training professional artists to develop projects for primary school children and to implement them together with the class teacher.

The artist completes a one-year individual training course. Alongside didactics and methodology they are taught to develop and implement projects within their own discipline(s). The artists also learn how to implement larger projects and to tailor their work to the primary school's needs. Those who successfully complete the training are awarded with what is known as a 'Professional Artists in Schools (BIK)' [Beroepskunstenaars in de klas] certificate.

During the 2009-2010 academic year, the BIK training will be offered as a postgraduate course at five art academies in collaboration with five cultural institutions and the artist's organisation Kunstenaars&CO. These programmes will be able to accommodate 60 artists per year.