The Centre for Creative Economies (CCE) was formed in 2023 to investigate the formation and practice of creative economies and their outcomes for people, place and planet.

Our investigations into and across creative economies and cultural activity combine social science, humanities and arts approaches as a basis for understanding the complexity of contemporary life and its global challenges and issues. Project funders include Arts Council England (ACE), Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (PEC) and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

We focus on ‘creative economies’ as a significant and growing grouping of creative and cultural activities in economy and society across the globe. Analysed through concepts such as economies, ecologies and ecosystems, the extensive and combined relationships of creativity, culture, economics and technology are shaping contemporary economic and social geographies and places and the life chances, lived experiences and well-being of residents and citizens. Offering possibilities of, and intersections with, a range of new framings of prosperous, sustainable and socially just economies, communities and places, creative economies nevertheless continue to exhibit characteristics of exclusion and marginalisation, precarity, appropriation, and environmental degradation.

The approach of CCE seeks to contribute to an ethos that is collegial and collaborative, and values innovative interdisciplinary thinkers who move between and through disciplines and themes stimulating productive relationships and bringing different areas of knowledge together to seek to understand, meet and impact on contemporary challenges.

If you are based in the sector or another research institution and are interested in collaborative research opportunities, please contact one of the team for an informal discussion.