Caroline Norbury OBE, Chief Executive, Creative UK, said:
“Creative UK very much welcomes today’s news. Cross-border collaboration through research and development is crucial to fuelling the power of creativity to drive innovation, and access to the Horizon Europe programme promises to turbocharge this potential.
“Investment in creativity means investing in the ideas of our talented creatives and innovators, and today’s agreement will support just that. In unlocking access to Horizon Europe funds, the UK’s creative sector will now be able to benefit from €170m made available by the new European Knowledge and Innovation Community. This initial investment seeks to increase the innovation capacity and competitiveness of Europe’s Cultural and Creative Industries, and is expected to leverage a further €700m for start-ups and innovation.
“The transformative potential of investments such as these are precisely why Creative UK is working tirelessly to ensure the UK’s cultural sector and Creative Industries continues to play a leading role in global collaboration. As Horizon Europe opens its doors to the UK once more, we will be equally determined in ensuring our creative economy makes the very best of the opportunity today’s agreement represents.”
The Knowledge and Innovation Community is funded by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology and will run until 2030. Its objective is to unite the Cultural and Creative Industries with higher education organisations and research centres to strengthen their resiliency and innovation potential. This includes training the sector’s future entrepreneurs, powering its cutting-edge ventures and delivering innovative solutions to major green, digital and social challenges. The Knowledge and Innovation Community will also bridge regional innovation gaps and harness the power of these sectors, as key drivers of economic growth and job creation.
As a lead partner in its delivery, Creative UK is convening a consortium of UK institutions to ensure the country is well-positioned to take full advantage of this opportunity. This currently includes University of the Arts London, UK Business Angels Association, University for the Creative Arts, Royal College of Art, Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre, UK Research and Innovation and Arts and Humanities Research Council.