The Management Board of the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (PEC) is pleased to issue this call for proposals to the research community. We are seeking projects that will contribute in a timely fashion to producing independent evidence that can aid the development of policies to support the continued success of the creative industries in the UK. In particular, the PEC’s Management Board has agreed the following four areas of research need, which applicants are encouraged to address:

• Following the publication of The Augar Review of Post-18 Education, the value of creative post-18 education and the measurement of this value

• How cultural institutions and the cultural sector contribute to the creative industries in their local areas, including to the growth of local creative industries

• How freelancers and micro enterprises contribute to the UK’s creative industries, and of the particular challenges that they face

• Business models and business model innovation in the creative industries, relating for example to the creation and capturing of value within value networks

Successful proposals will complement the PEC’s existing research portfolio, which comprises five main areas of work:

• Creative Clusters and Innovation
• Skills, Talent and Diversity
• Intellectual Property, Business Models, Access to Finance and Content Regulation
• Arts, Culture and Public Service Broadcasting
• International Competitiveness

Prospective applicants should contact the PEC’s Research Director, Bruce Tether, at bruce.tether@manchester.ac.uk, or Centre Director, Hasan Bakhshi, at hasan.bakhshi@nesta.org.uk, if in any doubt about the fit of their proposed project. 

In recognition that the four topic areas are not an exhaustive list, applicants may wish to identify other areas that they consider to be ripe for research that are relevant to the policy and evidence needs of the creative industries, but proposals will need to argue convincingly that these are a high priority to address.

For general queries regarding the application process please e-mail enquiries@pec.ac.uk

An indicative budget of £200,000 has been allocated for this call with the expectation of supporting up to 5 projects in total, each with budgets in the range of c.£30k-c.£60k. 

The deadline for applications is 16:00 on Monday 30th September 2019. Please note that applications which are received after this deadline will not be considered. 

Who is eligible to apply? 

Applicants should be based in the UK and may be based in Higher Education Institutions, Independent Research Organisations or commercial research consultancy companies. Individuals included in the PEC consortium are not eligible to apply.

Review Process 

Proposals will be evaluated by a panel of reviewers drawn from the PEC’s Management Board. Key criteria will be the quality of research proposed (including the proposed deliverables); policy relevance and potential for policy impact; and value for money.  Highly graded proposals will be shortlisted and discussed by the panel. A fuller outline of the review process is available in the Guidance for Applicants document below. 

Next steps 

• Read the guidance for applicants document 
• Please read the full terms and conditions before submitting your application 
• Download the application form and submit your application by email to enquiries@pec.ac.uk by 16:00 on Monday 30th September 2019.