The AHRC SEED Fellowship aims to establish a pioneering UK-China Creative Industries Research and Innovation Hub. Led by Professor Hua Dong, Dean of Brunel Design School, the fellowship embarks on a comprehensive journey to shape the future landscape of creative industries collaboration between the two nations.
The primary objectives of the fellowship encompass several key areas. Firstly, the team aims to develop a strategic vision and an evidence-informed delivery plan for the future UK-China Creative Industries Research and Innovation Hub. This plan will be informed by existing work and strategies, taking into account the invaluable expertise of working groups, an Advisory Board, and partnerships. These collaborative efforts will ensure that the hub’s plan captures and incorporates diverse needs and requirements.
In addition, the SEED Fellowship seeks to strengthen existing partnerships and cultivate new research and innovation collaborations between the UK and China. Through a series of engaging activities such as workshops and working groups, the project aims to build a vibrant community consisting of businesses, academics, and industry members. This community will serve as the cornerstone of a centre of excellence, fostering creative discourse, knowledge sharing, training, partnership facilitation, and access to expertise. These activities will play a pivotal role in shaping the initiatives of the future hub.
A distinguishing feature of the SEED Fellowship is the Empower program, which provides seed funding for UK-China projects generating creative outputs and facilitating productive connections. By developing resources and a comprehensive toolkit, the fellowship aims to support cross-cultural collaboration. The outcomes of these collaborative efforts will be showcased through various platforms, including social media and the project website.
Ultimately, the SEED Fellowship aims to facilitate the successful launch and implementation of the UK-China Creative Industries Research and Innovation Hub. Through rigorous research, deep sector knowledge, and close collaboration with the research and innovation community, Professor Hua Dong and the team are committed to developing a robust UK-based hub that complements its China-based counterpart. The future hub will serve as a docking station for accessing knowledge and expertise, a centre of excellence for training creative entrepreneurs with cultural sensitivity, a club for intelligence gathering, creative debate, and showcasing to the hub’s community and the general public, an accelerator for business research, innovation, and growth, as well as business-to-business engagement. Additionally, it will act as a facilitator of collaborative and interdisciplinary research partnerships and a platform to create the conditions for sustained and productive partnerships between the creative industries in the UK and China.
The fellowship is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC); it represents a major milestone in advancing research and innovation in the UK-China creativeindustries.
Contact Hua.Dong@brunel.ac.uk