We are delighted to announce that Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), part of UK Research and Innovation, intends to continue funding for the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (PEC).

The AHRC has today (Monday 23 May) issued a call for Expressions of Interest for Research Organisations and Independent Research Organisations who are interested in hosting the PEC and its core team from June 2023 for a further five-year period.

Since its inception in 2018, hosted by Nesta, the PEC has established itself as a UK centre of excellence for research and evidence to inform Creative Industries Policy. Building on Nesta’s long history of evidencing the value of the creative industries, it has become the go-to place for policymakers working in the sector and provides a vital bridge between academia, policy and industry.

Professor Christopher Smith, Executive Chair, Arts and Humanities Research Council, says;

“Through carving out a unique role in the research infrastructure, the PEC has become a Centre of excellence for policy-facing research and evidence for the creative industries. The Centre balances robust academic research with agile, reactive policy and industry priorities. Today’s announcement is good news for the sector and we very much look forward to finding the right host organisation to work with for the exciting next stage of development and reinforce the PEC’s position as a vital research and innovation infrastructure for the creative industries ”.

The Creative Industries Policy & Evidence Centre had its public launch in November 2018 at the Beyond conference. The Centre is funded by the AHRC as part of the Creative Industries Clusters Programme. The establishment of the Centre, and its initial fixed-term funding period was led by Nesta, the innovation foundation, in partnership with a UK-consortium.

Hasan Bakhshi MBE, PEC Director, says;

“Today’s announcement is fantastic news for the PEC and for the creative industries. The AHRC has signalled its confidence in the PEC and recognises the vital importance of having independent, robust and timely evidence to support the growth of the sector. We look forward to conversations over the coming months with interested parties and supporting the AHRC throughout the process to find the right home to build on our work to date”.

Ravi Gurumurthy, Chief Executive, Nesta, says;

“Nesta has been a proud host of the PEC since 2018. Our new strategy sees us now focusing all of our energy and resources on three innovation missions. We will support the AHRC wholeheartedly in their search for a new host, and look forward to the PEC continuing its essential work in bridging academic research and policymaking for the creative industries."

There are 13 months remaining of the initial funding period and a current focus of the PEC team is providing evidence to the Government as it prepares a new Sector Vision for the creative industries, expected soon.

For further detail on the Expressions of Interest process please see: https://www.ukri.org/opportunity/host-the-creative-industries-policy-and-evidence-centre-stage-one/

Applicants must complete and submit the Expression of Interest form by 16:00 (UK time) on Monday 12th September 2022.