We’re nurturing clusters of creative excellence through evidence-gathering and action, to grow the impact of the creative industries, and creativity in industry.

Creative corridors bring together regional and sectoral leaders to build creative equivalents of the Northern Powerhouse across different parts of the UK. We aim to help amplify the economic, social and environmental impact of the creative industries in three ways:

1. Convene local policy and industry leaders to influence policy and practice.
2. Work in close partnership with universities and other research organisations to build world-class data and evidence to show how to grow economic and social impact through creative industries.
3. Use the innovation capabilities of the RSA and our Fellowship to pilot evidence-informed policy innovations in place, and evaluate impact.

Creative industries driving regenerative change

We are the royal society for arts, manufactures and commerce. The creative industries sit at the nexus of these three disciplines. It is a natural progression for us to develop work with this sector as a vehicle for regenerative change. We are building on a history of supporting creative learning and actively building learning pathways to the creative industries through the Cities of Learning pilot in Tees Valley.

Northern creative corridor: a beginning

In late 2022 we set about actively building partnerships to develop the idea of a northern creative corridor; the beginnings of this piece of work. Andy Haldane spoke about this ambition in his speech at the Bradford Literature Festival. We've also been working on a new partnership with Newcastle University and the Creative Fuse network to explore the impact of creative industries.

Calendar moments for creative corridors

In 2023, we will bring together place and sector leaders in the north of England to convene the first Northern Creative Corridor summit. The Creative Industries Policy & Evidence Centre (PEC), which the RSA will co-curate with Newcastle University from June 2023, will present a new paper combining regional data and evidence on the power of fusing creative clusters together in northern England. We will also hire our first policy engagement officer for the creative industries to be based in north-east England.