DCMS Create Growth Programme Competition 4: Large Projects (United Kingdom)

Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, will work with DCMS to invest in innovation projects. This programme has a regional focus.

Aims

• The aim of the Create Growth Programme is to provide a package of targeted support to high growth creative businesses, to scale, build investor networks and reach their potential. This funding is designed to help creative businesses explore new innovation projects as a stimulus for growth.

Specific Themes

• The creative industries are defined by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). Your project must focus on one or more of the following sub-sectors:
  • advertising and marketing
  • architecture
  • crafts
  • design and designer fashion
  • film
  • television
  • video
  • radio
  • photography
  • IT, gaming, software and computer services
  • publishing
  • museums, galleries and libraries
  • music, performing and visual art

Funding Information

• They have allocated up to £8 million to fund growth focused innovation projects in the Create Growth Programme Competition 4.
• Total eligible project costs must be between £50,000 and £200,000. Applications with total eligible project costs outside of this range will be deemed ineligible.
• This competition strand is for large projects and requires an element of match funding. The level of grant available is determined by the size of your business.

Ineligible Projects

• They are not funding projects that:
  • support business as usual (BAU) activities
  • are without evidence that the proposed innovation will lead to business growth
  • do not address how potentially negative outcomes will be considered, for example on the environment
  • are without innovation, for example the creation of information only websites
  • sit outside of the creative industries
  • are registered or operational outside of the 12 appointed DCMS regions
  • have registered accountants in the region but are not operational in one of the 12 appointed DCMS regions
• They cannot fund projects that are:
  • dependent on export performance, for example, giving a subsidy to a baker on the condition that it exports a certain quantity of bread to another country
  • dependent on domestic inputs usage, for example, giving a subsidy to a baker on the condition that it uses 50% UK flour in their product

Eligibility Criteria

• Your project
  • Your project must:
    • last between 3 and 6 months
    • carry out all of its project work in the UK
    • intend to exploit the results from or in the UK
    • start on or after 1 October 2025
    • end by 31 March 2026
• Lead organization:
  • To lead a project your organisation must:
    • be a UK registered micro, small or medium size enterprise (SME)
    • be registered or operational in one of the twelve Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) Create Growth Programme appointed regions
    • have a demonstrable ambition for growth
    • be from the creative industries and focused on one or more of the creative industries sub-sectors
  • The twelve DCMS Create Growth Programme appointed regions are:
    • Greater Manchester
    • Norfolk, Suffolk & Cambridgeshire
    • North East of England
    • West of England and Cornwall
    • South East Coast
    • Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Greater Lincolnshire
    • Nottingham and Nottinghamshire
    • Hull & East Yorkshire
    • West Midlands
    • West Yorkshire
    • Devon
    • Hertfordshire

For more information, visit Innovate UK.