Gov.uk: Membership of new Creative Industries Taskforce announced
// Caroline Norbury // creative industries // UK Government
Today, grant funding from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) revealed that Creative businesses with high growth potential in six English regions are to benefit from a new £17.5 million funding pot to help expand their operations, attract additional investment and create jobs. Creative UK has been instrumental in helping three of the regions – the North East, South West and South East to deliver successful funding applications.
The Create Growth Programme (CGP) aims to support high-growth creative businesses to scale and become investment ready through a targeted support package with three complementary strands: bespoke business support, investor outreach activities, and a finance fund. The programme is an expansion of the £4 million Creative Scale Up pilot, which ran from 2018-21 and was launched as part of the Creative Industries Sector Deal.
Creative UK’s CEO Caroline Norbury, OBE said:
“The Create Growth Programme exists to support creatives across the regions with crucial investment and development opportunities. We are excited to be partnering with true innovators and thought leaders to help champion growing businesses, channel investment across the UK and make a real impact to support the leading creative businesses of the future.”
Creative Industries Minister Julia Lopez said:
“The creative industries have been one of the major success stories of the British economy in recent years, however I want to ensure more businesses in these fantastic sectors can fulfil their growth ambitions and that job opportunities are available in all regions to people of all backgrounds. Thanks to these programmes we will be able to get more businesses growing and more people, including those from diverse backgrounds, to work in our world class creative industries across the entire country.”
The CGP will provide a bespoke business development and growth package comprising business support tailored to the specific needs of high-growth potential creative businesses, with the aim of building businesses’ management skills and understanding of different finance routes to support business growth. This will be delivered through a blend of workshops, one-to-one mentoring from investors and sector experts, and peer-learning. Content is expected to focus on areas where CI specific advice is needed – for example Intellectual Property, business models, revenue models and access to new markets.
Speaking on behalf of the North of Tyne, Cllr Sanderson, the North of Tyne Combined Authority Cabinet Member for Culture, Creative and Rural and Leader of Northumberland County Council, said:
“We have established a supportive and attractive environment for creative and cultural businesses and people – supporting them to locate, start-up, grow, and flourish here in the North East. I am delighted that in collaboration with our partners across the region we have shown that there is real potential for our creative businesses and freelancers. After a difficult time for the sector over the last couple of years, it is great that our vision for the sector is recognised and strengthened.”
Mark Duddridge, Chair of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership, said:
“This award will bring targeted support and investment into our high growth potential creative industries and I’m delighted the region’s bid has been successful. By bringing together the distinct industry landscapes of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly and the West of England, we can share best practice and drive growth in this strategically important sector.”
Mike Hill, Kent County Council’s Cabinet Member for Community and Regulatory Services, said:
“We are delighted that our bid for £1.275m from the DCMS Create Growth Programme has been successful. The programme offers us the opportunity to build on previous programmes, such as South East Creatives. It will help provide infrastructure and new routes to investment to support the diversity of the area’s creative businesses.”
To find out more and to register your interest in the Create Growth Programmes Creative UK are a partner in, see the links below:
North East Create Growth Programme
