The Creative Industries Clusters Programme (2018) was the biggest single UK government investment in the creative industries.
Part of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, it was delivered by the Arts and Humanities Research Council on behalf of UK Research and Innovation. This unprecedented research and development programme was designed to keep the UK at the cutting edge globally; creating jobs, developing talent and driving the creation of products and experiences that could be marketed around the world, significantly contributing to UK economic growth, both nationally and regionally.
This £80 million programme demonstrated the geographical diversity of the sector, with clusters based across the four nations of the UK, and its huge potential for regional economic growth.
It was the first of its kind government investment in the UK’s vibrant and globally important creative industries and the most significant that the AHRC had secured in its history.