Exploring the Arts Sector Once More: Competing Stories, Sector Agreement, and the Policy and Research Centre
The UK government has established the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (PEC) as part of the Sector Deal, with a £6 million budget over five years. This move marks a significant step forward for the creative industries, which were symbolically important firsts in the sector.
The Sector Deal includes two main programs: the Audience of the Future, a £33 million initiative focusing on immersive technology research, and the Creative Industries Clusters Programme, a £39 million programme centred around universities and creative research and development.
Hasan Bakhshi, the PEC's Director, has identified a lack of academic research in essential areas like industrial organization, productivity, R&D, international competitiveness, spill-overs, content regulation, business models, and risk finance in the creative industries. The PEC aims to address these gaps by offering independent analysis for businesses and policy makers, conducting and stimulating research, and identifying research gaps.
Professor Nick Wilson has been discussing the Equity Gap in Britain's Creative Industries, while Dr Josh Siepel is researching the co-location of the Creative Industries with Other Industrial Strategy Priority Sectors. The PEC's blog provides a platform for independent, evidence-based views, and all blogs published are meant to further debate and may be polemical.
The Creative Industries Sector Plan has made key sector-wide announcements, including those related to AI, Intellectual Property and Regulation, Business Models and Access to Finance, R&D and Innovation, Skills, Jobs and Education. The plan aims to address the shortage of business and commercial skills in the sector, the threat to cultural industries posed by 'Createch' agendas, and the issue of access to finance.
Journalism occupations are included on the DCMS's list of Creative Occupations. Professor Dave O'Brien, Professor of Cultural and Creative Industries at the University of Manchester, and Dr Martin Smith, associated with the Institute for Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship (ICCE) at Goldsmiths, University of London, are among the many experts contributing to the discussions.
Marta Foresti has become Chair of the Global Creative Economy Council (GCEC). The GCEC is involved in conversations between the Global North and South, aiming to unsettle and reorder the creative economy. The 2025 Spending Review may have implications for the creative industries, according to Creative PEC Bernard Hay and Emily Hopkins.
The UK government announced a £150 million Creative Industries Sector Deal under the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund in early 2018. The PEC's mission is to ensure that the creative industries continue to thrive and grow, providing valuable insights and evidence-based recommendations to businesses and policy makers.
