About us

Our creative economy

The UK has an especially strong international reputation for creativity and innovation. The creative industries account for more than 5% of the gross domestic product (GDP). The challenge is for the UK to remain a leader in this field. At a time of intense international competitiveness, arts and creativity will continue to play a significant part in injecting innovation and enterprise into the economy.

How we contribute

We contribute to developing and sustaining the creative economy by:

  • funding for risk investment in new work and new talent that stimulates connections between the subsidised and commercial creative industries
  • supporting arts education activities to foster creative thinking at all life stages
  • funding research and development linking arts with other aspects of the economy, such as industry and science
  • investing in new business models, leadership development and in partnerships to develop creative clusters and build regional prosperity and sustainable communities


We will continue to contribute to the creative economy in the following ways:

  • We will keep engaging with DCMS’s Creative Economy programme, to create a framework to support innovation, growth and productivity
  • We will incorporate the programme’s findings into our action plans, which prioritise risk investment in new talent
  • We will find new ways of developing creativity in all levels of education
  • We will manage the Cultural Leadership Programme and identify sustained ways of improving cultural leadership performance

Action
  • Support artists to exploit their work through professional development, access to business support and finance, by taking part in DCMS’s Creative Economy programme
  • Establish a culture of excellence, develop business skills and encourage the leadership talents of leading minority ethnic figures in the arts by managing a leadership programme

Our other priorities:


Performance and delivery
Planning for the future - public value