Artificial Intelligence, Sustainability, Creative industries, and Place recipients receive financial support for networking projects from the Cultural Enterprise Office (PEC)
Four New Network Grants to Boost Collaboration in Creative Industries
The Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (Creative PEC) has awarded four new Small Network Grants, each worth £10,000, to foster collaboration and promote research and policy understanding in key creative industry areas. These grants aim to strengthen connections and knowledge exchange among academics, policymakers, and practitioners.
The four networks focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Digital Production, Civic Creativity, Place and Sustainability (Green Transitions), and the AI and Creative Industries.
The AI and Digital Production networks will advance research on AI's impact and digital production methods within the creative industries, focusing on innovation, policy challenges, and practical applications.
The Civic Creativity Network and Index, convened by Dr Tom Fleming and Francisca Patrício from TF Consultancy (TFCC), will seek to understand how local authorities and wider place-based partnerships support approaches to culture and creative practice as a foundation for sustainable development.
The Green Transitions and Sustainability network, led by Dr Heidi Ashton and Professor Pietari Kaapa from the University of Warwick, addresses sustainability and green transitions in media, screen, and digital production sectors. It aims to explore environmental awareness shaped by these creative mediums, analyze tensions in policy and practice, uncover knowledge gaps, and guide future research toward a sustainable and equitable creative industry.
The AI and Creative Industries network, convened by Professor Joanna Woronkowicz and Professor Doug Noonan from Indiana University, will aim to strengthen research and policy at the intersection of AI and the creative industries.
The Creative Industries and Place: Configurations and Scales network, led by Dr Graeme Evans and Dr Patrycja Kaszynska from the University of the Arts London, will focus on how creativity interacts with civic life, community engagement, and societal impact, fostering inclusive and participatory cultural practices.
The grants are part of the Building an Infrastructure for Research in AI and the Creative Industries project, which runs through April 2026 and aims to ensure AI's role in the sector is shaped by rigorous, evidence-based inquiry. Key outcomes include an open-access wiki and actionable recommendations for advancing research on AI and the creative economy.
The Research Fellows Network, led by Creative PEC, aims to become the global network of choice for researchers working on policy-facing creative industries research. Creative PEC, led by Newcastle University with the Royal Society of Arts and funded by the UKRI Arts and Humanities Research Council, works to support the growth of the UK's Creative Industries through the production of independent and authoritative evidence and policy advice.
The networks will share future outputs on Creative PEC's social channels and website, and the centre is available for comment and interview. The Small Network Grants are designed to promote research and policy understanding in key areas, and they aim to support initiatives that strengthen connections, encourage knowledge exchange, and deliver tangible benefits within academic, policy, and practitioner communities.
- The Creative PEC's Small Network Grants, worth £10,000 each, are fostering collaboration in creative industries to bolster research and policy understanding.
- The AI and Digital Production networks will investigate AI's impact and digital production methods within the creative sectors, focusing on innovation, policy challenges, and practical applications.
- The Civic Creativity Network and Index will delve into understanding local authorities and partnerships' role in nurturing sustainable development through culture and creative practice.
- The Green Transitions and Sustainability network will explore environmental awareness shaped by creative mediums, analyze policy tensions, and guide future research towards a sustainable and equitable creative industry.
- The AI and Creative Industries network will bolster research and policy at the intersection of AI and the creative sectors.
- The Creative Industries and Place: Configurations and Scales network will focus on how creativity interacts with civic life, engagement, and societal impact, fostering inclusive and participatory cultural practices.
- The grants are part of the Building an Infrastructure for Research in AI and the Creative Industries project, which supports a role for AI in the sector shaped by evidence-based inquiry and aims to deliver an open-access wiki and actionable recommendations.
- The Research Fellows Network, led by Creative PEC, seeks to be the global network of choice for researchers working on policy-facing creative industries research.
- The networks will share their findings on Creative PEC's social channels and website, and the centre invites comments and interviews to promote research and policy understanding in key creative industry areas.
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