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News Release from: Technology Strategy Board | Subject: Creative industries
Edited by the Processingtalk Editorial
Team on 08 February 2008
GBP10M to support the creative UK
industries
Small companies will benefit from a GBP10 million investment by the Technology Strategy Board to support innovation across the creative industries in the UK
The government-funded Technology Strategy Board has announced that it is to support innovative research and development projects that will exploit digital technologies to increase the competitiveness of the UK creative industries sector - and there will be a particular focus on small and micro-companies, with specially targeted schemes The result of the projects could be the development of new tools, techniques, processes and technologies that could be widely used in one or more of the creative industries
This article was originally published on Processingtalk on 11 Dec 2007 at 8.00am (UK)
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The Technology Strategy Board is already supporting technology developments in areas such as electronics, pervasive computing, modelling and visualisation.
The new funding will build on this investment, offering a potential exploitation route for technologies emerging from this research, and will be appropriate to a number of creative industry sectors.
These will include:.
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* Content industries - computer games developers and publishers, video, film, TV, radio, music, publishing and rich media.
* Product and fashion design.
* Architecture and interior design.
* Broadcast, broadband and telecommunications service providers.
* Culture, visitor attraction, events and tourism.
* Advertising, design services and marketing.
The Technology Strategy Board will invest GBP7 million to provide partial funding for high quality innovative research and development projects, which will involve businesses working collaboratively with other businesses and/or with research organisations and academic institutions.
In recognition of the significant contribution that small companies make in the creative industries sector, and the challenges they face in finding both the time and resources to explore and develop new ideas, the Technology Strategy Board has introduced two new initiatives to run alongside existing collaborative research and development schemes.
The Technology Strategy Board will invest GBP3 million in these new schemes, which will only be available to small and medium-sized companies:.
* Feasibility Studies - These will provide funding of up to GBP15,000 to allow small creative companies to explore initial ideas and to develop them into more tangible proposals that may secure more substantive investment.
* Fast-track Projects - These will provide funding of up to GBP50,000 for smaller projects over a shorter timescale than the usual collaborative research and development programme.
Explaining why the Technology Strategy Board has decided to invest in research and development in the creative industries sector, Chief Executive Iain Gray said: "The UK is recognised as a global leader across the creative industries.
These now contribute over 8% of the UK GDP, while the sector is growing at twice the rate of the economy as a whole.
Technology has a significant role to play not only as an enabler but also in generating completely new ways of creating, engaging and communicating.
If the UK is to maintain and extend its role as the world's creative hub, we need to continue to exploit well established technologies in new ways and develop the new and innovative technologies that will support the sector in the years to come".
Turning to the new schemes to support small companies, Iain Gray said "The creative industries sector is largely fragmented and is dominated by small and micro-companies.
To support the sector, we need to provide products and services that suit their needs.
This is why we are introducing the Feasibility Study and Fast-track Project schemes".
To apply for funding for collaborative research and development, where projects are typically of 2 to 3 years duration, companies must send expressions of interest by 3 May 2008, and their full proposal by the final closing date of 12 June 2008.
Applications from SMEs for funding for Feasibility Studies will be accepted anytime between 3 March 2008 and 18 August 2008, while applications under the Fast-track Scheme will be accepted anytime between 2 June 2008 and 17 November 2008.
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