UCA receives 450,000 pound grant to fund new innovation hub

The University for the Creative Arts (UCA) in the UK will receive 450,000 pounds (about 530,000 euros) to fund a new innovation hub, a three-year academic programme to boost the creative economy. UCA announced the news in an official press release.

The funding is more specifically called an Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) grant.

UK government body UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has awarded the grant as a part of its latest round of Impact Acceleration Account investments in the UK academic research field, which amounts to 118 million pounds (138 million euros) in total.

The launch of the innovation hub will see a range of activities and collaborative projects in the academic research field between UCA academics “and various businesses, charities, social enterprises and industry groups”, the release said, with the goal to optimise research and “make a positive contribution to society and the economy”.

The IAA grant will facilitate the development of research activity at UCA in three key areas within the creative industries: circular economy innovations, digital and technological futures in the creative industries, and collaborative practice in local and regional creative industries, in addition to allowing the university to expand on its existing research projects.