Foresight LAB
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Driving UK-wide competitiveness in creative technologies
On behalf of the CoSTAR Network, the CoSTAR Foresight Lab’s policy function submitted a joint response to the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy Green Paper, combining input from across members of the Network. This briefing provides a summary of the key points made in the response.
Posted: 31 October 2024AuthorsDr Vicki Williams and Prof Graham Hitchen
"The combination of the creative industries and digital technologies, and the UK’s world‑leading strengths in these areas respectively, provide an underexploited opportunity to drive national growth."
Key Takeaways
- Creative technology is a proven but under‑invested growth area, with strong turnover and R&D activity but limited access to public R&D funding relative to its economic contribution.
- Convergent technologies in creative workflows offer high‑impact opportunities that cut across siloed tech strategies.
- With the right policy framework, the UK can use its creative strengths to attract investment, support scale‑ups across all regions, and lead in responsible AI and sustainable production.
Policy Recommendations
- Further incentivise creative technology innovation across the UK by developing targeted interventions that respond to government mission areas.
- Develop policy and strategy that accounts for the convergence of technologies, using the creative industries as a case study for other sectors.
- Make the Creative Industries central to the UK’s global positioning and partnerships related to AI and technology innovation.
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