Enterprise partnership funds ‘unique opportunity’ to boost creative sector in county

The creative industry in Huntingdonshire has been given a huge boost, thanks to investment from the local enterprise partnership.

The Greater Cambridgeshire Greater Peterborough LEP has given a grant to arts project, in_collusion, which aims to create new, and build on existing arts and creative industries in the area.

Neil Darwin, chief executive, said: “The creative digital sector is one of our key sectors in the Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough LEP area, and an area we are keen to nurture and grow further.

“The in_collusion project presented a unique opportunity to support growth in our creative industries by bringing emerging technology to immersive events that will spark creativity and generate a new cluster of activity that will develop creative technology skills, and build new creative technology practices for the future.”

The grant of £325,000 is the first given by the LEP to support an arts programme and was match funded by Arts Council England under its Ambition for Excellence scheme.

The project, which is being run by not-for-profit agency Collusion, will commission art based emerging technology including virtual and augmented reality, artificial intelligence and data culture.

Executive director for innovation and enterprise at Arts Council England, Francis Runacres, said: “Arts Council England is pleased to support Collusion’s innovative in_collusion programme. The organisation’s deep connections with the technology sector has enabled the team to bring together the arts and technology sectors in a really powerful creative partnership. We look forward to seeing the range of ideas about the role of technology in society that emerge from it.”

There will also be a cluster created in Huntingdon to work on existing skills and develop new talent through talks, hands-on demonstrations and workshops by leaders in the field.