This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Funding for Scotland's creative talent
01/07/2003
A grant worth £300,000 for the further development of
the Creative Entrepreneurs Club was announced today.
The Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport Frank
McAveety said that Creative Industries have an increasingly
important role in the future economy and we must provide
the conditions for it to flourish. If we work together to
maximise the contribution of the creative industries to the
Scottish economy, we will all benefit.
The Creative Entrepreneurs Club, a group of over six
hundred members drawn from all areas of the creative
sector, will be able to develop its mentoring programme,
expand its networks, enhance its business-to-business
collaboration, and stage exhibitions and events to promote
international trade. The new money will also be used to
initiate and sustain a Young Creative Entrepreneurs Club
which will ensure a firm base for the future.
Speaking at the Edinburgh Business Park, Mr McAveety
said:
"The creative industries sector, which currently employs
approximately 100,000 people and generates £5 billion
annually, is set to grow by nearly a third in the next
three to five years, increase exports by 15 per cent, and
create 2000 new jobs.
"We also recognise that in Scotland the creative
industries sector is dominated by small businesses, and
this cash injection will provide the increased and
strategically placed support that those businesses need and
deserve.
"It is vital that we continue to develop conditions that
allow creative talent to fully exploit the commercial
opportunities that creative skills deserve. The Executive
alongside its funding partners, NESTA and Scottish
Enterprise, is delighted to support the industries'
continued growth.
The Creative Entrepreneurs Club (CEC) was established by
The Lighthouse in 2001 and currently has 600+ members drawn
from all areas of the sector.
The Lighthouse in Glasgow is recognised nationally and
internationally as a centre of excellence for the promotion
of the Creative Industries, particularly in Design and
Architecture.
A two-year funding support grant from the Executive of
£300,000 front loaded in 2003-04, is being provided for
enhancement and development of the existing CEC. This
additional funding will support the development of
mentoring, networks, business-to-business collaboration and
industry based research Scotland-wide. CEC is also
supported by NESTA (National Endowment for Science,
Technology and the Arts) and Scottish Enterprise.
The partnership arrangement with NESTA has been further
developed by the appointment of a NESTA officer for
Scotland based at The Lighthouse.
The Creative Industries Forum - a platform for
consultation between the Executive and the sector - drew
attention to a number of gaps in the provision of support
available to small creative businesses. This additional
funding will allow the CEC to address that problem. This
award is part of a range of initiatives currently being
deployed to improve the Executive's existing Creative
Industries Strategy.