Lord Mendoza was joined by Co-Chair Professor Andrew Thompson CBE and others including Sir Peter Bazalgette (Chairman, ITV), Vice Chancellor Professor Louise Richardson, Ade Solanke and Dr Margaret Casely-Hayford CBE for a roundtable event marking the launch of the Boundless Creativity Report.
The Boundless Creativity Report is the culmination of a joint research project by UK Research and Innovation’s Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS). Provost Lord Mendoza and his Co-Chair Professor Andrew Thompson (Chair of AHRC) were commissioned by the government to deliver a report looking at the effects and response from the creative and cultural sector to the pandemic. Lord Mendoza was appointed as Commissioner for Cultural Recovery and Renewal by the DCMS in May 2020 and was tasked with providing an expert and independent voice to the government, advising on how UK culture and heritage can begin the road to recovery from the pandemic.
On Tuesday 2nd November, to celebrate the publication of the report, Oriel hosted a roundtable discussion exploring the recovery, renewal and future growth of the UK’s cultural and creative sectors. The roundtable panel was chaired by ITV Chairman Sir Peter Bazalgette, and other panellists included:
Of the report, Lord Mendoza says:
“One of our major recommendations is for a significant expansion of and recognition of research and development in to the culture and creative industry sectors. These sectors were worth almost 6 percent of the nation’s economic output in 2019 and growing at three times the rate of the rest of the economy. We have learned so much from the staggering commercial success of the UK’s film, television and computer gaming sectors over the last 18 months. There is a great deal more to research and act on.”
A copy of the Boundless Creativity Report can be downloaded here.