DCMS Create Growth Programme

Norfolk, Suffolk & Cambridgeshire

The Connected Innovation team led a successful consortium bid to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s (DCMS) Create Growth Programme, to support creative industries businesses in Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire.

The partnership involved Connected Innovation, Norwich University of the Arts, University of Suffolk, Anglia Ruskin University, University of East Anglia, Norfolk County Council, Suffolk County Council and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.

A total of £1.7m was secured from DCMS for this important programme. Through Creative East’s regional activity, founders have gone on to raise £2.7m in investment. In addition, as a Create Growth region we secured locked-off Innovate UK funding competitions for creative industries businesses in Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, with a total of £2,82m secured in grants.

The Create Growth Programme has been delivered in two component parts:

- The Creative East programme delivered by the University of East Anglia Innovation Funding team supporting cohorts of potentially high growth creative industries businesses across Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire.

- Innovate UK grant funding competitions locked-off for Create Growth regions.

The Creative East programme has supported 113 ambitious founders across six investment readiness cohorts delivered in Norwich, Ipswich, Cambridge and Peterborough. Founders on this programme have gone on to secure £2.7m in investment.

Creative industries businesses across Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire secured £2.82m from the four rounds of Innovate UK Create Growth Competitions.

Connected Innovation’s Programme Manager continues to engage with other Create Growth regions to discuss legacy across the UK. Regionally, we sit on the Creative Industries Board for Norfolk and Suffolk which oversaw a new bid to AHRC’s Creative Clusters Programme.