Major R&D Investment from AHRC into 9 'Creative Clusters' and Policy & Evidence Centre
This News post covers The AHRC’s Creative Clusters Programme & the Policy & Evidence Centre (PEC). Both may be of interest to Culture Counts members. Firstly, to find current research relevant to your organisation. Secondly, for the PEC to be successful, it requires “engagement by academic research with industry”.
The ‘Creative Industries Clusters Programme’ is part of the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy
The Programme will bring together research talent, companies and organisations from across the UK’s four nations in 9 clusters (details below).
This investment also establishes a new Policy and Evidence Centre which is being led by Nesta.
The Creative Clusters Programme
“The aim is to create jobs and drive the creation of companies, products and experiences that can be marketed around the world, significantly contributing to UK economic growth both regionally and nationally.”
The nine clusters
The full list of clusters is available on the AHRC press release. Below we’ve highlighted the two being led by Scottish HE institutions.
Delivering new products, start-ups and training opportunities in the video game sector, and intensifying growth, diversification and cultural engagement.
Led by: Abertay University in Dundee with other institutions and commercial partners including DC Thomson and Co, Sony, deltaDNA, Scottish Enterprise, Microsoft, TIGA, Creative Scotland and Dundee City Council.Seeking to put businesses and creative entrepreneurs in the driving seat of data-driven innovation in Edinburgh’s lively design and advertising sector.
Led by: University of Edinburgh with other institutions and commercial partners including Creative Edinburgh, Festivals Edinburgh, The List, the BBC, National Museums Scotland, The Fruitmarket Gallery and Royal Bank of Scotland.
Policy & Evidence Centre
It was announced at the beginning of September that Nesta will lead the Policy & Evidence Centre. Nesta's consortium comprises the following universities: Cardiff University, London School of Economics, Newcastle University, The University of Edinburgh, The University of Manchester, The Work Foundation at Lancaster University, University of Birmingham, University of Glasgow, University of Sussex and Ulster University.
“The Centre will address the fact that while the national economic strength of the UK’s creative industries is unquestioned, gaps in the evidence base still exist.”
Further reading
Nesta Blog - A Coming of Age for the UK’s Creative Industries explains their role in the PEC.
Keep in touch
Culture Counts Monthly is our calm and collected newsletter promoting the value of the arts, screen, heritage & creative industies. Sign up here.