Million Plus

May 2016 saw the start of a major action research project designed in the North East of England and delivered by the region’s five universities with the University of Sunderland taking an active role, supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and the European Regional Development Fund.

Working in tandem with businesses, stakeholders and practitioners across the Creative, Digital and IT (CDIT) sectors, Creative Fuse North East is a major 30-month programme that will research the “fusion” of creativity, culture, digital and technology at a time when “we are at the start of a business revolution across all industrial sectors that is powered by communication technologies, social networks, big data, creativity, and the application of design”.

Creative Fuse North East is investigating and exploring how the CDIT sector in the North East of England can grow and develop to provide an increasing contribution for, and lead in, the regional economy. In so doing, the project will consider how the CDIT sector engages with and drives creativity and innovation spill over into the broader economy at a time of change, adaptation and growing competition. And at the heart of the action, research, Creative Fuse North East will assess and develop new ways of collaborative working across Higher Education and the CDIT sector in order to address the need to develop the right skills, aptitudes and competencies in industry for a sustainable future.