As Media Cymru prepare to showcase their innovation ecosystem at PLAYBACK in Cardiff this month, Professor Sara Pepper shares how the model was built and scaled, and how its effects are being felt across Wales’ media sector.
“Preliminary findings indicate that investment in place-based innovation within the creative industries is delivering substantial economic and social value, generating a range of returns and demonstrating the transformative potential of collaborative R&D across Wales.”
Next week, Cardiff will host three days of innovation showcasing and festival activity as we reflect on achievements, share key lessons learned and explore the impact of the Media Cymru programme.
PLAYBACK celebrates five years of Media Cymru’s investment in innovation, sharing more about the hundreds of research and development (R&D) projects developed with industry partners across Wales that have generated new products, services, experiences and opportunities for growth. We will also welcome innovators from around the world – in the form of keynote speakers, panel discussions, industry demos and interactive experiences.
Among them, we’re delighted to be welcoming international art collective teamLab, YouTube MD Alison Lomax, BBC Deputy Director-General Rhodri Talfan Davies and Sir Peter Bazalgette. We’ll have opportunities for attendees to take part in live R&D from our funded projects including the recording of a climate change comedy pilot – The One Planet Show – with Kiri Pritchard-McLean and experience three new pieces of immersive content under CULTVR’s 12-metre dome.
But Media Cymru was always about more than a series of one-off funded projects. Our ambition from the outset was to make the Cardiff Capital Region (CCR) a global hub for media innovation with a focus on fair and green economic growth. To enable that vision, we built a connected innovation ecosystem for the screen and media industry in our region, working with a network of stakeholders to enable it.
Media Cymru was established in 2022 by the Centre for the Creative Economy at Cardiff University as part of the second wave of UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) Strength in Places Fund (SIPF), supporting innovation-led economic growth across the region. It built on the foundations laid by Clwstwr, our Creative Industries Clusters Programme (CICP) initiative, which helped businesses across the CCR develop their R&D capabilities. It also drew on years of experience fostering connections, collaboration and innovation through Creative Cardiff, the city’s network for people working in the creative economy.
Media Cymru’s early results are significant. Our preliminary findings indicate that investment in place-based innovation within the creative industries is delivering substantial economic and social value, generating a range of returns and demonstrating the transformative potential of collaborative R&D across Wales. Our data shows that since 2022, the media sector in the CCR has grown at a faster rate than any other UK region, while the number of media companies with a turnover of more than £1m has doubled. Additionally, analysis of our portfolio of more than 160 R&D investments indicates that funded businesses are experiencing significantly higher growth compared with the wider sector, providing strong evidence of the value of investing in R&D.
Throughout the programme, we have found that funding projects alone is not enough. Providing wraparound support for innovation is equally critical. This is where higher education institutions (HEIs) and business development and commercialisation organisations play an integral role, acting as innovation partners that help businesses navigate the process, build capability, access expertise and maximise the impact of their
investments.
Our latest research published in the City, Culture and Society journal, underscores the value of collaboration between academia and industry in fostering growth, stimulating and enabling creative innovation and enhancing competitive advantage. Our findings suggest that when businesses collaborate with a university, the impact of funding on innovativeness is approximately 30 times stronger. This underlines the importance of combining financial support with access to research expertise, knowledge exchange and innovation-focused expertise. This engagement not only amplifies the impact of funding, but also strengthens access to networks, skills, knowledge and training opportunities. As part of that wraparound support, we integrated businesses into the innovation ecosystem we have built and witnessed significant benefits.
Recently, I attended the inaugural ekip Academy in Tallinn, Estonia, where the focus was on building open innovation ecosystems for the cultural and creative industries. What struck me was the power of the ‘triple helix’ approach, where government, academia and industry work together, combining their expertise, perspectives and resources to drive innovation. It reinforced what we have worked hard to achieve through Media Cymru: building a collaborative ecosystem that has evolved over many years through partnership building and continuous iteration. Media Cymru was never a quick-fix project, but a long-term investment in creating the conditions for innovation to flourish. I appreciate the incredible opportunity we have had through Media Cymru in our region. It was an investment that was hard won and even harder to deliver.
Through my work chairing the Creative Industries Council (CIC) Innovation & R&D Working Group, I have seen first- hand the transformative potential of programmes like this. They change businesses, strengthen clusters, and create lasting impact, particularly when opportunities are stacked over time and supported by all stakeholders. To realise their full value, they must be embedded within regional innovation plans and strategies so that the creative industries are recognised and supported in the same way as other priority sectors. We know the value these investments bring, and it is vital that we continue to share the stories, impacts and outcomes they have generated to make the case for sustained long-term support.
Should you wish to attend our festival of innovation, we would love to welcome you to Cardiff on Wednesday, 16 September and Thursday, 17 September at the Tramshed. Book your PLAYBACK tickets here.
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Professor Sara Pepper is the Deputy Director of Media Cymru and the Co-Director of the Centre for the Creative Economy at Cardiff University. She Chairs the Creative Industries Council (CIC) Innovation R&D Working Group and a member of the Global Creative Economy Council.
This article featured in BEYOND Studio’s monthly newsletter, Creative Economy Digest, independently produced for those working at the intersection of culture, research, and emerging technologies.