Collaborative R&D: Creative Catalyst

To lead a project your organisation must:

• be a UK registered micro or small business
• collaborate with other UK registered organisations
• fall within one of the creative industries subsectors
• involve at least one grant claiming business from outside the Greater London area (defined as being inside the boundary shown on this map)

To collaborate with the lead, your organisation must be one of the following UK registered:

• micro, small, or medium sized business; large businesses can make up your consortium but will not receive grant funding
• academic institution
• charity
• not for profit
• public sector organisation
• community interest company (CIC)
• research and technology organisation (RTO)

A project lead can only lead on one application but can be included as a collaborator in two further applications.

An organisation or business that is not leading an application can collaborate on any number of applications.

Your project must:

• have a grant funding request between £150,000 and £200,000
• last between six and nine months
• carry out all of its project work in the UK
• intend to exploit the results from or in the UK
• start by 1 July 2025
• end by 31 March 2026

The aim of this CR&D competition is to advance the development of collaboration with innovators in the creative industries. We’re looking for products and tools across the creative supply chain which benefit and strengthen the UK creative economy.

We are looking to fund and support a diverse portfolio of innovative award holders. Your project must:

• support the growth of the UK creative industries
• demonstrate a clearly innovative and ambitious idea which addresses an industry challenge
• be a significant improvement on what is currently available, with a demonstrable impact to your growth plan
• create a new revenue stream, for example, new products, tools or intellectual property (IP)
• be market ready within 12 months after project completion
• demonstrate value for money

We welcome applications from businesses collaborating with other organisations in their regional cluster, and across the whole creative sector, including:

• sustainability in the screen sector
• music innovation including new fan engagement tools
• managing copyright in digital media
• new possibilities within visual effects (VFX)
• modernising traditional design and craft practices
• improving transparency and accountability across the online advertising supply chain

These are examples of innovation areas, not an exhaustive list. We encourage innovation proposals across the creative industries.

We also welcome creative applications which solve challenges in other sectors, which also clearly demonstrate a significant economic benefit to the creative industries.

Your project lead’s area of business must focus on one or more of the following creative industries subsectors:

• advertising and marketing
• animation
• architecture
• arts and culture
• crafts
• design
• fashion
• film, TV and video
• games
• publishing
• music and radio
• visual art and photography

Note: your project may not be sent for assessment if you have not displayed demonstrable subsector ties.

Innovate UK will hold an online briefing event on Wednesday 11 December 2024 at 10:30am: click here for the joining link. Briefing slides will be available to download after the event.

If you would like help to find a collaboration partner, contact Innovate UK Business Connect’s Creative Industries team.