Impact case study database

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Enhanced financial sustainability of micro and small businesses and cultural organisations within London’s creative economy

CWL enhanced the economic performance of the micro and small businesses with which it collaborated. Measurable impacts included the creation of spinout companies and new jobs and increases in gross value added (GVA). These economic impacts [5.4, 5.5] and were audited by the AHRC and the GLA as part of the formal end-of-project evaluation processes for CWL and London Fusion.

CWL’s co-created research with the Ragged School Museum (RSM) supported the development of a permanent gallery display. The Museum Director [5.7] confirmed that the collaboration ‘enabled the Museum to make a shift in focus to investigating our own history, which was vital in making an application to the Heritage Lottery Fund’ [EQR.3.1]. The Director further confirmed that ‘the project outputs have greatly improved what we offer our visitors,’ and this will be ‘a key element of the RSM’s future funding strategy, which will transform facilities and expand the RSM’s programme. With all of the building in productive use the Museum will become financially self-sufficient.’ RSM Trustees’ Report to the Charity Commission indicates that the Museum’s income doubled between 2014/15 (when the CWL-funded research took place) and 2018/19.

Produced Innovations within creative businesses through co-created research

CWL’s research collaborations with creative businesses contributed to the development of new products, new service formats, new business models, and technological innovations [5.4]. In 2016, collaborating businesses reported the following as directly related to their work with CWL:

As a result of the collaborative research enabled both by a CWL creative voucher and by collaboration within the BOOST programme, Beatwoven® was able to develop a new and robust business model. The company diversified its outputs to include artworks as well as fashion textiles, and received commissions from clients including the Southbank Centre, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and Harrods. The Founder [5.10] also reported in 2017 that the company had ‘partnered with Firetech, Warner Music UK’s innovation lab, and the Bowie Estate, to create a piece of woven art translated from Bowie’s song “Let’s Dance.”’ BOOST was cited as an important financial model by an EU Expert Committee [5.8, p.25].

Enhanced evidence-based policy related to the role of Creative Hubs, nationally and internationally

CWL’s research on Creative Hubs identified their role in enabling sustainable creative work and supporting creative businesses in London. A CWL Research Lab on ‘Coming to Terms with Creative Hubs,’ co-convened with Knowledge London and the Higher Education Entrepreneurship Group in 2016, led to the development of an enhanced case for public and private investment in Creative Hubs. Consultancy projects undertaken by Shiach and Virani increased the impacts of this research. For example, Virani was funded by the Greater London Authority (GLA) to produce policy recommendations related to ‘Community Engagement, Micro Communities, Small Businesses and Effective Local Policy,’ which would inform the regeneration of Chrisp Street Market in East London. In 2018, building on CWL’s research, Queen Mary launched Network: The Queen Mary Centre for the Creative and Cultural Economy (directed by Shiach & Virani) https://networkcentre.uk, which has undertaken policy-focussed consultancy, including Development of a Self-Assessment Evaluation Framework for Creative Hubs in Thailand (with the British Council) and Mapping the Creative Economy in West Bengal (with the British Council, Government of West Bengal, and the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur). Shiach and Virani also undertook research on Creative Clusters, Social Inclusion, and Sustainability: The Case of Hackney Wick and Fish Island (HWFI), which formed part of the successful bid to the Mayor of London for designation of HWFI as a ‘Creative Enterprise Zone’ (CEZ). The role of a CEZ is ‘to protect the creative sector in the capital, increase affordable spaces for artists and entrepreneurs, and boost job and training opportunities for local people’ ( https://www.london.gov.uk/press-releases/mayoral/mayor-announces-first-creative-enterprise-zones).

‘Creative Hubs and Urban Development Goals, UK/Brazil’ (colloquially known as Creativeworks London/São Paulo) produced a Policy Report for the State Government of São Paulo [5.6], outlining the potential contributions of Creative Hubs in the city of São Paulo to economic development and the negative consequences of the stark dichotomy between ‘cultural’ and ‘innovation’ Hubs existing within the city. The research team was then invited to present its findings to senior government representatives. In light of this, the government subsequently invested in three new Creative Hub spaces in 2018.

Promoted the roles of women in leadership positions within London’s creative economy.

The CWL Women in the Digital Culture and Economy Network promoted both participation by female digital entrepreneurs in CWL and a good gender balance in applications to its funded schemes. CWL worked in partnership with the V&A’s Digital Programmes team, the Knowledge Transfer Network, Innovate UK, and the Digital Catapult. As a result, 63% of the research collaborations funded by Creative Vouchers involved female-led creative businesses, and 60% of these projects had female research partners. More than 50% of the entrepreneurs funded by the Creative-Entrepreneur-in-Residence schemes were female. This prepared a significant number of female-led creative businesses to apply successfully for further investment and funding and to increase their profiles for innovation. Female creative entrepreneurs funded by CWL include the European Woman Innovator of the Year, 2017; a Finalist in the Inventor of the Year Award Competition run by the InclusiveTechAlliance, 2019; and the Co-Founder of New Media Networks who wrote in 2016 that ‘Following the CWL-funded project I was appointed as a Non-Executive Director for Communication and Information on the UK National Commission for UNESCO. This led me to working on policies for UNESCO [and] also to presenting at the UNESCO General Conference… Thank you CWL for providing the opportunity to help to make any of this happen’ [5.9]. The Co-CEO of Unruly Media says that ‘These ground-breaking collaborations have been tremendously useful for innovation-led businesses within the creative economy, and it was great to see CWL working with so many female-led SMEs and female creative entrepreneurs.’