PDR and Cardiff Met Celebrate Successful Creative Clusters Bid

Cardiff is one of nine creative clusters in the UK awarded research funding

Screen industries based in and around the Welsh capital are set to benefit from new research and development opportunities.

Cardiff Metropolitan University, in partnership with Cardiff University and the University of South Wales, has been part of a successful bid to the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), which today announced an unprecedented multi-million-pound research investment into the UK's creative economy. The Creative Industries Clusters Programme, which is part of the UK Government's Industrial Strategy, will bring together world-class research talent from leading UK universities with companies and organisations from across the creative sector.

Working with the University partners as well as Welsh Government, all major Welsh broadcasters, and more than 60 screen industry businesses, Clwstwr Creadigol is one of nine projects in the UK to be chosen for the five-year funding stream.

With a focus on screen industries – film and television production and their supply chains – academics from Cardiff's three universities will collaborate to provide research that can help the already thriving scene in South Wales to reach its full potential.

Through a Screen Innovation System (SIS) and a News Innovation Lab (NIL) – the Research and Development (R&D) programme will also allow broadcasters, businesses, and freelancers to apply for funding to develop innovative products, services, and experiences in a drive to create economic uplift in South Wales.

These R&D initiatives will be designed to respond to changing technologies, shifting patterns of consumption, and the benefits of creative fusion and collaboration.

Jarred Evans, Director of PDR at Cardiff Metropolitan University and Board member of Clwstwr Creadigol said, "We are delighted to be involved in this collaborative project which will be instrumental in increasing the success of the screen industries in Wales.

"Today's screen industries reach far beyond television, taking in gaming and global markets for all kinds of on-demand storytelling on screens, and the sector in Cardiff must innovate rapidly if it is to challenge for leadership in new market segments.

"The creation of a national Clwstwr Creadigol in Cardiff will enable the development of new sector-leading products, services, and experiences, leading to economic growth and job creation across the screen industries and their supply chains. We're very excited to be at the heart of this."

Clwstwr Creadigol Director Professor Justin Lewis, who is based at Cardiff University's School of Journalism, Media and Culture, said, "I am proud of our team's hard work to secure this award for Wales. It's a fantastic opportunity to boost Cardiff's profile as an internationally recognised centre for creative production.

"The foundations for success have been laid by some of our brilliant companies in the screen industry and wider creative economy. But to really thrive, we must invest in research and development to create a culture of innovation – that's what Clwstwr Creadigol is all about.

"Many of our screen companies are independent SMEs and so, if we're to compete with the global players, we need to work together. That's why we will be working with a range of partners in the creative industries and in the local and national government to create new products, services, and experiences to deliver economic uplift for South Wales."

A POWERHOUSE FOR GROWTH

A powerhouse for growth, the creative industries in the UK contribute more than £90bn to the economy each year. Each of the partnership bids was required to show how it will deliver renewed commercial success for the benefit of the UK as a whole, and bring new products, services and experiences to market.

The work driven by these partnerships will help protect and enhance the UK's leading global position in the creative industries, which export an estimated £46bn in goods and services annually and are the fastest-growing sector of the UK economy.