Clwstwr was led by Cardiff University in partnership with University of South Wales and Cardiff Metropolitan University.
For the three university partners, Clwstwr represented a landmark move. Each has notable strengths in creative industries training, research and engagement.
Together they educate almost 5000 creative industries graduates each year, offering foundation, BA and MA creative degrees (e.g. film, music business, performing arts, design, media production) and a range of specialist skills such as: animation, visual effects, video games, computational journalism, user centred design, product design and digital and mobile technology development.
All three institutions have centres of excellence that bring complementary expertise to the cluster:
Cardiff University’s School of Journalism, Media and Culture has a world-leading reputation for its industry-facing research and training. It houses Creative Cardiff, which has built a rapidly growing industry network, bringing industry and academics together on a range of initiatives.
The University of South Wales (USW) has over 27,000 students on campuses in Cardiff, Newport and in the South Wales Valleys. Its Faculty of the Creative Industries in Cardiff is the largest of its kind in Wales, teaching a diverse range of subjects from fashion, music and performance to animation and media. FCI is also home to Film & TV School Wales, discovering, educating and nurturing the nation's next generation of screen production talent.
Cardiff Metropolitan is home to PDR, an international centre for design-driven R&D, alongside the Cardiff School of Art and Design. It brings together art and design education, applied R&D and a commercial design consultancy.
Clwstwr brought together all major Welsh broadcasters including BBC Cymru Wales, S4C and ITV Wales with independent film and television production companies, Wales’s national companies and creative organisations, creative coworking spaces, tech startups, strategic agencies including Arts Council of Wales, local authorities including Cardiff Council and Welsh Government.