Four universities, the Royal Shakespeare Company, and a network of industry partners are building a creative technology cluster in the West Midlands, backed by £1.8 million in grants for regional businesses. Creative technology companies in the region—businesses that develop or adapt technology for cultural products and services—face fragmentation, a digital skills deficit, and underinvestment in R&D. Despite being one of the UK’s most ethnically diverse regions outside London, the creative workforce lacks diversity, and educational attainment is below average. This programme tackles those gaps by connecting researchers, small businesses, and cultural organisations in a coordinated innovation ecosystem. If successful, the cluster will accelerate growth in the createch sector, creating jobs and attracting investment. Four specialised labs will focus on immersive audio and video, virtual production, applied AI, and gaming. The programme will deliver over 70 paid internships and 16 fully funded PhDs, building a more diverse talent pipeline. Cultural organisations such as the Birmingham Opera Company will collaborate on technology-enhanced performances, while cross-sector partnerships with industries like telecoms and engineering could spread creative services beyond the arts. The aim is to make the West Midlands a recognised global hub for creative technology.
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CreaTech Frontiers aims to establish a thriving innovation ecosystem for creative technology companies in the West Midlands. This ambitious plan brings together four leading universities - Birmingham City University, Coventry University, University of Birmingham, and the University of Warwick - alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company, to set up for the first time a creative cluster in the region. The collective expertise of the core partners spans creative computing, artificial intelligence, immersive technologies, gaming, virtual production, digital arts, excellence in live performance and creative industries research. We define createch as businesses in the creative or cultural sector developing or adapting technology to create experiences, products and services. Createch in the West Midlands faces significant challenges, including fragmentation, skills gaps, a predominance of microbusinesses and freelancers, and underinvestment in R&D. Despite being one of the UK's most ethnically diverse regions outside London, its creative workforce lacks diversity. The region also grapples with below-average educational attainment and a substantial digital skills deficit. CreaTech Frontiers seeks to address these challenges with an intense programme of collaborative R&D involving researchers, createch businesses, cultural organisations and high-value growth industry. The programme will provide comprehensive business support and skills development, embedding EDI, sustainability and responsible innovation practices throughout its activities. The programme revolves around three core themes: Createch innovation with SMEs Innovative content creation and production Cross-sector collaboration for innovative creative services A network of four specialised labs will form the backbone of the R&D infrastructure, each focusing on different aspects of createch: Immersive audio and video technologies (Birmingham City University) Virtual production (Coventry University) Applied AI for createch (University of Birmingham) Gaming, esports, and animation (University of Warwick) The cluster will disburse £1.8 million through funding calls, offering grants ranging from £5,000 to £50,000 to regional SMEs. Additionally, it will deliver over 70 paid internships and 16 fully funded PhDs as Collaborative Doctoral Awards to nurture talent and drive innovation. CreaTech Frontiers boasts an impressive array of industry partners, including Vodafone, ARUP, Rebellion, Holosphere, Capture Ltd, Elemental Compute, Reach plc and Hollywood Gaming. Cultural heavyweights such as the Birmingham Opera Company and Birmingham Contemporary Music Group will collaborate on R&D projects, while organisations like TechWM, Create Central, and Culture Central will provide advocacy and industry connections. The programme's potential applications and benefits are far-reaching. It will accelerate growth in the createch sector, creating jobs and attracting investment to the West Midlands, and it will contribute cultural and social benefits by developing cutting-edge, technology-enhanced performances and experiences. CreaTech Frontiers will seek to address the region's digital skills gap and open the door to a diverse talent pipeline. It will also promote cross-sector innovation by providing creative services for high-growth industries and enhance the West Midlands' global reputation as a createch hub through international collaborations and showcases. By leveraging the West Midlands' unique strengths - its young, diverse population, burgeoning tech sector, world-class cultural organisations and universities - CreaTech Frontiers aims to position the region as a leader in createch innovation. The programme's holistic approach, combining R&D, business support, and talent development, promises to create a sustainable ecosystem that will continue to thrive long after the initial funding period.
Dr Christopher Bilton (Co-Investigator)Ian Williams (Co-Investigator)Lamberto Coccioli (Principal Investigator)Nick Henry (Co-Investigator)Sarah Ellis (Co-Investigator)Scott Wilson (Co-Investigator)
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