This report emphasizes the significance of research, development, and innovation (RD&I) in the UK’s creative and cultural sectors, highlighting its current landscape, challenges, and policy recommendations to unlock its full potential.
It draws together insight from across arts and cultural organisations and individual practitioners to gather a view of the current RD&I landscape - from independent artists creating new work to national institutions exploring the future of technology.
The report considers the different definitions of RD&I used by government, funders and the sector, suggesting ways in which more inclusive framings and data could help to support growth and drive evidence-informed policy. It illustrates with case studies the overlapping areas of RD&I undertaken by arts and cultural organisations and practitioners: artistic, technological, place & societal and business, with environmental as a thread across them all.
The future of the creative and cultural sector rests on its ability to innovate in the face of growing economic pressures, changing audience behaviours and fast-paced technological change. Without such innovation, there is a risk of not realising the full public benefit of the arts and culture, not capitalising on the opportunities for additional social impact, not benefitting from the full impact of artistic breakthroughs able to reflect society now, and not realising the potential for technological change brought about by innovators across the sector.
