Creating Prosperity: the role of higher education in ... - Universities UK

Creating Prosperity: the role of higher educationin driving the UK’s creative economy535.0Conclusions and recommendationsIntroduction5.1 The purpose of the research was to establish the contribution of higher education to the UKcreative economy, with a focus on two specific areas:• research and innovation• skills, employability and entrepreneurship5.2 Based on the findings of the research, and the feedback from the six focus groups held aroundthe UK to debate the study findings, we have identified a number of broad conclusions and aseries of recommendations for consideration by government, the higher education sector andthe creative industries.General conclusions5.3 Both the creative industries and higher education play an important role in national competitiveness.This is largely uncontested. However, the emphasis of higher education policy continues to favourscience-based models and associated funding, and is not sufficiently flexible in places to fullyencourage and incentivise higher education’s multifaceted contribution to the growth of the creativeeconomy. In particular, if the implications of the Browne Review and the CSR are followed through,we are in danger of seriously damaging one of the few economic areas in which this country isan established world leader.5.4 At the same time, creative industries policy has paid only limited attention to the role that highereducation plays in supporting the sector. This does not mean that either higher education or creativeindustries policies have always been ineffective, but rather that they are not well aligned. This needsto be addressed by the UK and devolved governments alike, although these issues may be less starkin the devolved nations.5.5 The UK has the largest creative industries sector in the EU and possibly the largest (proportionally)in the world. While there are many reasons for this success, higher education has undoubtedly beena significant factor. Creative education in the UK is world renowned, producing creative talent thatconsistently excels at global level and academic research that is a powerful spur to wider innovation.5.6 The future success of the UK economy, and of the creative industries in particular, will depend onthe ability of UK firms to innovate and compete in fast-moving global markets. To do so, they needaccess to high-level knowledge, creativity and skills. This is the essential role of higher education,and without that input our creative industries would not be where they are today.5.7 Universities across the UK are extensively engaged with the creative industries, and this engagementspans a very wide range of faculties and academic disciplines as well as institution types. Theevidence is clear that involvement with the creative industries is not restricted to the specialist artsand design institutions, but is also a common feature in large multidisciplinary and researchintensiveuniversities. The creative and cultural industries are, by some margin, the mostfrequently targeted sector in universities’ knowledge exchange strategies.5.0 Conclusions and recommendations