University of Lincoln Contributes to Growth of UK Creative Industries in Parliament Initiative
10 February 2025
Written by: Hannah McGowan
An inter-disciplinary team of experts from the University of Lincoln, UK, including the Lincoln Arts Centre (LAC) and the School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, has made a significant contribution to a report published today (Monday 10 February) by the Royal Anniversary Trust.
In 2023, the University was awarded the Queen’s Anniversary Prize – the highest national honour in education – for its work in supporting the success and sustainability of the UK’s food and farming industries through innovations in research, education and technology. Following this award, the organisation was invited to join fellow awardees to participate in the year-long Coronation Challenge set by the Royal Anniversary Trust.
The Challenge is a research initiative commissioned by the UK Parliament Culture, Media and Sport Commons Select Committee as part of the 2023 Sector Vision initiative, an investment which aims to drive growth in the creative industries using technology. This has brought about a term broadly referred to as CreaTech which characterises the role of technology driven innovation in the creative industries.
The CreaTech report is the outcome of this Challenge. Over the past year, University representatives from LAC, alongside Marc Hanheide Professor of Intelligent Robotics & Interactive Systems and Dr Francesco Del Duchetto Lecturer in Robotics and Autonomous Systems, submitted their knowledge and expertise to help shape the policy development. They explored the ways in which the creative sector could utilise emerging technologies in order to transform the UK’s approach to skills, innovation and business.
The findings from the report emphasise that CreaTech would thrive in an environment which supporting the fusion of creativity and technology which would not only aid the growth of the UK’s creative sector but would also provide an opportunity for the country to become a global leader in CreaTech, developing an multi-disciplinary workforce, skilled in a range of creative and technical disciplines.
The research highlights “the need to develop an educational pipeline that delivers the required skills, beginning with school education and feeding through to further and higher education.”
Ben Anderson, Creative and Executive Director at Lincoln Arts Centre, commented: “There is huge potential in creative industries driving growth in our economy, if the conditions are ripe for us to thrive and I’m delighted that we’ve been able to contribute to this important and vital report.”
Sir Chris Bryant MP, Minister for Creative Industries, Arts and Tourism, added: “The CreaTech report demonstrates how creativity and technology go hand in hand. We want our creative industries to be at the forefront of technological development so that the UK remains a global leader and one of the best places in the world to invest and do business.
“I look forward to working across government and with industry to address the report’s recommendations, driving economic growth, supporting good jobs, and building a sustainable skills pipeline.”
The Lincoln Arts Centre is Lincolnshire’s home of contemporary visual and performing arts and aims to nurture the next generation of artists and artistic ideas. The Centre also operates in tandem with the Barbican Creative Hub, a space for Lincolnshire’s creative and cultural industries, which will open its doors in spring 2025.
The CreaTech report is available to read online: https://royalanniversarytrust.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/CreaTech-Report.pdf.