On behalf of Norfolk Screen, Managing Director Claire Chapman is thrilled to have been invited to join the Industry Steering Group of the Create Growth Programme. Applications to apply for the programme are now OPEN!
For those who are not aware of this new scheme it is an investment programme worth £1.275 million has been launched to boost growth in the creative industries across the East.
Creative East: Create Growth Programme is an investment readiness and business support programme fully funded by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) with Innovate UK the national delivery partner. Six regions were selected to deliver the Create Growth Programme across the UK. Creative East covers Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The local programme is led by New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) in partnership with Greater Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Norfolk County Council, Suffolk County Council, and delivered by University of East Anglia (UEA) in partnership with Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), University of Suffolk (UoS) and Norwich University of the Arts (NUA).
Creative industries across the East are on the rise; across Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, employment in the sector is increasing three times faster¹ than the national average. Between 2015 and 2020, employment within the creative industries in the East grew by 21.8% (an additional 8115 jobs), compared to just 7.5% growth across Great Britain.
The Create Growth Programme is looking to capitalise on the region’s specialisms within the creative sector, with a special focus on its core clusters: TV, film, and content production, plus IT, software, gaming and design. Organisations within this sector, who are keen to grow their business, are being encouraged to sign-up to the investment readiness programme, tailored to the creative industries sector, to benefit from expert advice, support and one to one mentoring to help them gain investors and boost growth.
Chris Starkie, Chief Executive of New Anglia LEP, said: “Creative industries are really thriving in our region and this programme will support their ambitions for growth and help create the high value jobs we need to retain and attract the top talent.”
Saffron Myhill is the Innovation Funding Manager at Creative East, she is excited about the opportunities this new programme will create: “The East is home to a lot of talent within the creative industries and we’re keen to develop the region’s clusters, especially within the gaming and film sectors. This programme will provide expert support and advice to help business founders gain the investment they need to bring their business goals to life.”
The Create Growth Programme will run over two-years with training sessions being based in Norwich from April, Ipswich from September and in Cambridgeshire throughout 2024. Applications for the Create Growth Programme are now live, to apply please visit www.creativeeast.org.uk.
To discover more, visit www.creativeeast.org.uk.