Lord Dearing has spoken about the positive contribution of the AHRC to the UK creative economy in the recent House of Lords debate on the role and contribution of the creative industries to the economy and well-being of the United Kingdom.

He spoke with particular emphasis on the way that the AHRC had been able to establish itself as the leading authority on research-based knowledge transfer and innovation in the creative economy and how it had become a trusted broker for the creative industries, working with them to identify significant barriers to innovation in the sector.

Lord Dearing said of the AHRC that "It has challenged the narrow definition of research and development that precludes non-technological innovation, which is central to the creative industries. It has engendered an appetite for research-based innovation in companies that lack the capacity or, normally, the requirement to engage in research and development. It has done this through its knowledge catalyst scheme, which targets the micro-enterprises that typify the creative industries by placing in a company a graduate, with a university-based mentor, to address a particular issue and come up with ways forward. This has been a highly innovative approach, successful in attracting applications from organisations that were previously hard to reach."

Lord Dearing then went on to talk about the innovative models of knowledge transfer that the AHRC has been putting in place with larger organizations, based on 50:50 funding. As an example he mentioned the recent successful collaboration between the AHRC and BBC Future Media and Technology which, in its pilot phase, has already attracted 60 applications involving researchers and staff of the BBC.

Lord Dearing concluded his part of the debate by asking for the work undertaken by the AHRC with the creative industries to be recognized in the forthcoming funding round.

Further to the House of Lords debate the AHRC Chief Executive Philip Esler said "It is gratifying that the hard work being undertaken in the field of Knowledge Transfer by both the AHRC and the UK arts and humanities academic community is recognized as such a successful and important contribution to the UK economy".

Media Contact

For further information please contact Jake Gilmore, AHRC Press and Public Affairs Officer, j.gilmore@ahrc.ac.uk; tel: 0117 987 6773.

Editors Notes

Arts and Humanities Research Council: Each year the AHRC provides approximately £90 million to support research and postgraduate study in the arts and humanities, from archaeology and English literature to design and dance. In any one year, the AHRC makes approximately 700 research awards and around 1,500 postgraduate awards. Awards are made after a rigorous peer review process, to ensure that only applications of the highest quality are funded. Arts and humanities researchers constitute nearly a quarter of all research-active staff in the higher education sector. The quality and range of research supported not only provides social and cultural benefits but also contributes to the economic success of the UK.

The AHRC Knowledge Transfer Plan underpins the intention of the AHRC to be recognised as the premier innovative supporter of knowledge transfer in the arts and humanities. Our knowledge transfer strategy outlines how we will achieve this goal:

• by engaging with the creative industries and supporting high quality research to underpin their expansion;
• by establishing an integrated research strategy for museums and galleries, to increase the amount of high quality research supporting special exhibitions, redisplays and conservation, and to ensure that cultural policy research benefits from the input of the museums and galleries sector;
• developing new schemes to support knowledge transfer activities;
• ensuring that our existing schemes maximise their knowledge transfer potential;
• developing strategic partnerships to promote the interests of arts and humanities research and its value to our social, economic and cultural life.