The West of England was today named as a priority region for the creative industries by the government as it looks to ‘turbocharge’ economic growth by building on the UK’s world-leading role in the sector.
The region is one of 11 which will receive investment from a new £60m fund to go to businesses operating at the leading edge of creativity.
The West of England Combined Authority will also be one of six authorities across England to gain extra funding to spur its creative firms.
The government said this would “maximise the strengths of these areas to deliver growth and builds upon progress to provide an attractive business environment and encourage strong, continued investment in the creative industries for years to come”.
The West of England is already a leader in the creative sector, with businesses and academics working innovating in areas as diverse as artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR) to animation, immersive experiences and robotics.
The University of Bristol’s MyWorld creative tech hub, pictured, is aimed at making the region an international trailblazer in screen-based media.
MyWorld could generate more than 700 jobs across the region through new digital formats and technologies, creating innovative experiences across fiction, documentary, games, and live performance.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said today: “From film and fashion to music and advertising, our creative industries are truly world class and play a critical role in helping us deliver on this government’s mission to drive economic growth in all parts of the UK.
“Our £60m funding boost will support creative and cultural organisations across the UK to turbocharge growth by transforming local venues, creating jobs, supporting businesses and spreading opportunity across the country.
“But this is by no means the limit of our ambitions, which is why the creative industries are at the heart of the forthcoming Industrial Strategy and will continue to play a key part in this government’s Plan for Change.”
She said the government would create “the most attractive business environment to encourage strong, continued investment in the creative industries for years to come” by removing barriers to growth, including skills and access to finance.
