A £1m grant has been awarded to expand the creative, digital and IT sector in Brighton and Hove.
The project – called ‘Brighton Fuse’– will bring together a consortium of experts with the aim of supporting innovation, creativity and economic growth and generating new business and employment opportunities.
The project was initiated and developed by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and the Council for Industry and Higher Education (CIHE) and it will involve the city’s two universities and Wired Sussex, which works with over 2,000 digital, media and technology companies in the region.
The consortium will examine and build on the dynamics of the city’s large cluster of small digital and creative businesses and develop new ways for them to connect with and benefit from the research base and graduate talent pool from both the University of Brighton and University of Sussex. It will also help develop more entrepreneurial opportunities for new graduates outside of the normal graduate recruitment fairs.
Researchers from both universities will join forces on the project. Professor Julian Crampton, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Brighton and Professor Michael Farthing, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sussex said: “Digital media plays a major role at both universities in terms of course development, research and partnership activity with industry. We are delighted that our expertise will make a major contribution to this project and play a significant role boosting the creative zone and generating much needed business and jobs.”
David Docherty, the CIHE’s chief executive, said: “The fusion of great university graduates and top quality research has always lit high growth for creative, digital and IT businesses. And in a converged age, the fusion of these industries is vital to the UK's economic success. We are delighted to work with two great universities and Brighton's creative community to ignite the Fuse in Brighton.”
Minister for Universities and Science David Willetts said: "Bringing together researchers, universities and small business will drive innovation and growth in the digital and creative industries around Brighton and Hove. This builds on existing expertise and will provide better opportunities for both businesses and graduates.
"To rebuild our economy and create new jobs, we need to inspire the next generation to seriously think about starting their own company. Today's announcement links up with our support for Start Up Britain, a series of initiatives to help create the next generation of innovative entrepreneurs."
The Brighton Fuse will be chaired by Anne Morrison, former director of Network Production at the BBC, a distinguished programme maker and now director of the BBC Academy, the BBC’s centre of training and development which houses the Colleges of Journalism, Production and Leadership and the Centre of Technology.
She said: “The media industry is changing beyond all recognition, and it needs talented people who are as at home with digital skills as they are with creative. Creative engineers are as vital to our success as digital producers. I am delighted to chair The Fuse in Brighton and I look forward to helping universities develop the right talent for a great future.”
Phil Jones, MD of Wired Sussex says “Brighton is internationally recognised for the quality of its artistic and creative activity and the dynamism of its digital, media and technology businesses. Brighton Fuse will enable us to build on the existing relationships between the two in ways that benefit both and put the city right at the forefront of such convergent activity. This is a unique project for a unique city.”
Professor Rick Rylance, chief executive of the AHRC, said: “The AHRC is proud to be involved with the development of this project and to be supporting its implementation. It's an exciting opportunity to do research with academic and non-academic partners and a new way of working for us in this area. We hope it'll be only the first of such innovations in the way we support research in the creative economy.”
Contacts:
Sarah McGregor
Senior Corporate Communication Officer,
University of Brighton
Sarah.mcgregor@brighton.ac.uk
01273 642013
Phil Mills
Senior Press Officer
University of Brighton
p.j.mills@brighton.ac.uk
01273 644756
AHRC Media
Jake Gilmore
Communications Manager
j.gilmore@ahrc.ac.uk
01793 41 6021
Janie Ironside Wood
Head of Communications
BBC Academy
Janie.ironsidewood@bbc.co.uk
07730 047 511
Jo Roberts
Head of Communications
Wired Sussex
jo@wiredsussex.com
01273 692888
Rob Read
Director of Communications
University of Sussex
r.k.read@sussex.ac.uk
07799644942
Notes to editors:
The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC): Each year the AHRC provides approximately £112 million from the Government to support research and postgraduate study in the arts and humanities, from languages and law, archaeology and English literature to design and creative and performing arts. In any one year, the AHRC makes approximately 700 research awards and around 1,300 postgraduate awards. Awards are made after a rigorous peer review process, to ensure that only applications of the highest quality are funded. The quality and range of research supported by this investment of public funds not only provides social and cultural benefits but also contributes to the economic success of the UK.
The Council for Industry and Higher Education (CIHE) is a strategic leadership network of blue chip businesses working with Vice Chancellors to develop the UK's knowledge-based economy.
Wired Sussex is an independent, Brighton-based support agency of digital, media and technology companies. It works with over 2,000 businesses and freelancers in a variety of ways to help them create, innovate and grow. www.wiredsussex.com
University of Brighton: The University of Brighton has a distinguished history going back to 1857 when its first classes were established in the Brighton Royal Pavilion. It was the first university to be named the Sunday Times ‘University of the Year’ and in 2008 it won the ‘Outstanding contribution to the local community’ award at the Times Higher Education Awards. In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise 15% of Brighton’s research activity was rated as world-leading and a further 63% considered to be internationally recognized or internationally excellent. In 2011 the University won further international recognition for its community projects through the MacJannet Prize for Global Citizenship.
The University of Sussex was the first of the new wave of universities, receiving its Royal Charter in August 1961. In the 2010 Times Higher Education magazine's World University Rankings, Sussex is ranked 8th in the UK, 16th in Europe and 79th in the world, setting it alongside some of the world's most prestigious institutions. Sussex is a leading research university, as reflected in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise. Over 90 per cent of Sussex research activity was rated as world leading, internationally excellent or internationally recognized.