CIHE Task Force urges far-reaching changes to ensure UK
is a leader in the creative, digital and information technology
industries
• Coalition Government and devolved administrations should
acknowledge CDIT (creative, digital and IT industries) as a strategic
priority alongside STEM
• CDIT employers challenged to work more closely with universities on
graduate employability and design of courses
• ICT curriculum criticised for failing to teach fundamental computing
principles
The UK’s future economic prosperity relies, in part, on the ability of government, industry and universities to spark rapid growth in its Creative, Digital and Information Technology businesses, according to The Fuse a report published by the Council for Industry and Higher Education (CIHE today (Wednesday 8 September).
The landmark report presents a series of urgent recommendations from CIHE’s
Creative, Digital and Information Technology industries Task Force - a group of
influential figures from industry and academia co-chaired by Rona Fairhead, Chairman and CEO of the Financial Times Group, and Professor Christopher Snowden, Vice Chancellor of the University of Surrey.
The digital market is set to exceed $3 trillion revenue in the next four years, and
entertainment and media $1.7 trillion. In the wake of this growth new industries have emerged that are simultaneously creative, digital and IT focused. With technology and content industries currently contributing £102 billion in gross value added to the economy and the Coalition Government’s first Comprehensive Spending Review just weeks away, The Fuse argues it is vital that the UK claims a leading position in this fiercely competitive, fast-paced global market.
The report’s editor Dr David Docherty, CEO of the CIHE and Chair of the Digital TV
Group, said: “We believe that the UK has a window of opportunity in which to establish itself in the highly competitive, multi-trillion dollar CDIT market or be left trailing behind countries such as China, the US, Japan and Australia.
“We have to compete hard for our share of this revenue. To do this the UK Government must recognise CDIT industries as a national priority in the same way as it has science, engineering and manufacturing. UK universities and businesses, meanwhile, need to learn from and replicate the initiatives and innovation environments which brought the world Google, Amazon and Facebook.”
Professor Christopher Snowden said: “The CDIT industries already play a very important part in the economy, with the UK a leading contributor to this global industry. This report captures the dynamic and vibrant nature of the businesses and the important contribution of higher education both in terms of developing skills and contributing to the growth of this sector. Most importantly it identifies the support needed to build on the successes in the UK and extend the contribution of these industries to the economy, ensuring future prosperity and growth.”
Dr Mike Short, Vice President, Research and Development, O2, added: “CDIT industries together should be the horizontal platform for growth and competitiveness for the UK in the 21st century.”
The Fuse calls on the Government and its agencies to acknowledge CDIT as a strategic priority alongside STEM and to discourage transactional business-university
relationships which place a heavy emphasis on patents and spin-outs rather than
nurturing start-ups. The report argues that CDIT start-ups could be helped by a review of current procurement policies and Research & Development tax credits. It points out that the world’s most successful innovation ‘ecosystem’ – Silicon Valley – benefitted at every stage of its development from government backing. Government intervention and public investment, it argues, are vital for leveraging private capital.
For their part, universities and funding bodies are urged to find better ways of working with graduate-rich small and medium-sized businesses in the CDIT industries and to prioritise technology-heavy CDIT programmes. By taking a more interdisciplinary approach and working more closely with business, universities can provide high-quality graduates with a range of work skills and the flexibility and knowledge to remain innovative throughout their careers.
The report does not exempt business from playing its part in developing graduates
capable of leading the UK’s CDIT industries. It calls on employers to collaborate closely with the universities that supply them. It also proposes that industry bodies such as PACT for TV and TIGA for games should promote volunteer schemes through which professionals can work with students and help them develop the employability skills they need for the CDIT jobs market.
Finally, The Fuse suggests that the inadequate ICT curriculum in schools is partly
responsible for holding back the growth of the UK’s CDIT industries. The current
curriculum concentrates on word processing and office productivity tools but fails to
educate students about the vital computing principles which underpin games and
internet services. The report says that by supporting the integration of creative and
digital elements in the curriculum, schools can provide a more effective pipeline of talent to Higher Education and employment.
Case studies
The report contains a number of case studies showing how some universities and CDIT employers are already collaborating to produce a new breed of innovative people capable of driving radical change in the digital economy.
These include:
• The Highwire Doctoral Training Centre at Lancaster University – funded
through the RCUK Digital Economy programme which supports the training of 50
PhD students over five years
• The Centre for Digital Entertainment – a collaboration between the University
of Bath, Bournemouth University and partners from the computer animation,
games and visual effects industries
• The University of Abertay Dundee and the games industry in Dundee –
demonstrates how university-business relationships that are well-balanced and
systematic can forge new industries and revitalise ailing towns and cities
• The University of Surrey and the Guildford Cluster – this covers the
development of the Cluster from the establishment of Surrey Research Park in
the 1970s to 2007 when Electronic Arts (annual sales of $4.2 billion) chose to
move its European HQ to Guildford
• Wired Sussex – how Brighton’s Digital Media Cluster grew out of a collaboration
between the faculty of art and design at the University of Brighton and Gatwick
Airport
• Silicon South-West – how the M4 corridor from Swindon and Newport came to
have the largest concentration of silicon designers anywhere in Europe and the
University of Bristol’s vital role in this
• DigitalCity in Teeside – a ‘supercluster’ which has developed with the backing
of the Institute of Digital Innovation at Teeside University and DigitalCity
Business in Tees Valley. The project has been a cornerstone of regeneration in
the North East
For more press information, interviews or for a copy of the report, please contact Anya Matthews or Scarlett Yianni, Colman Getty, 020 7631 2666 / 07815 634396 anya/scarlett@colmangetty.co.uk