£6.75 Million Boost for West Midlands Creative Tech Firms

By Anushka Malhotra

1 minute 9 seconds

Investment

Share:

Quick Read: The West Midlands’ creative tech sector secures £6.75 million in funding through the CreaTech Frontiers initiative, fostering collaboration among arts, academia, and industry to drive innovation and growth.

The creative technology sector in the West Midlands has received a significant boost with £6.75 million in funding from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. This investment will support training, research, and development in cutting-edge fields such as video gaming and immersive reality, driving innovation and growth in the region.

The programme, named CreaTech Frontiers, unites the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), Birmingham City, Coventry, Warwick, and Birmingham universities, and the tech industry to foster collaboration and skill-building. It will leverage technologies like virtual reality, 3D modelling, and animation to develop new applications for live events, theatre, music, and film.

Performance initiatives under this programme include showcases by the RSC at the 2026 South by Southwest Festival in Texas and collaborative projects by Birmingham Opera Group and The Rep Theatre, targeting underprivileged youth in the West Midlands.

Professor Lamberto Coccioli from Birmingham City University, who is leading the project, highlighted the region’s unique strengths:

“CreaTech Frontiers will harness the diverse talent pool, world-class research, and vibrant arts scene in the West Midlands to drive innovation and business growth.”

Merseyside will also benefit from an equivalent £6.75 million for its MusicFutures project, aimed at supporting musicians, educators, and small businesses in leveraging new technology.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy emphasised the initiative’s goal of bridging opportunity gaps:

“This funding puts Birmingham and the West Midlands at the forefront of a new creative tech industry, shaping the future of visual effects in film, theatre, and gaming.”

The Creative Industries Clusters program, delivered by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, underscores the UK’s commitment to regional innovation and the growth of creative sub-sectors nationwide.

What's new

Birmingham Rises as a Leading Hub for Tech and Life Sciences Innovation

Birmingham has solidified its position as a powerhouse for tech and life sciences in the UK, with a surge of new businesses, expansions, and investment making 2024 a landmark year for the city’s innovation ecosystem. With 20 new tech and innovation-led businesses joining the fold and existing companies scaling up their operations, Birmingham is rapidly becoming a hub for groundbreaking advancements and entrepreneurial success.

A key driver of this growth is a £50 million investment by Bruntwood SciTech into Birmingham’s workspaces, enabling the city to attract and support innovative businesses across tech and life sciences. Home to over 2,000 tech startups and 6,000 tech businesses, Birmingham’s reputation as the UK’s startup capital is bolstered by strong subsectors such as fintech, medtech, digital marketing, and gaming.

Key Infrastructure Investment and Strategic Support

Bruntwood SciTech, a joint venture between Bruntwood, Legal & General, and Greater Manchester Pension Fund, has played a pivotal role in creating a fertile environment for innovation. Over the past year, strategic hubs like Innovation Birmingham and Cornerblock have drawn a wave of innovative firms, including Bryt Energy and Apprentify, which have expanded their operations to leverage Birmingham’s rich ecosystem of talent and resources.

With more than 132,000 students in the West Midlands studying critical subjects such as computer science and engineering, the city offers businesses direct access to a pipeline of top-tier talent. This proximity to academic institutions such as the University of Birmingham and Aston University fosters collaboration and drives advancements in areas like medtech, where the city already contributes 8% of the UK’s total turnover.

Life Sciences and Medtech: A Growing Nexus

Birmingham’s growing prominence in medtech is exemplified by the Birmingham Health Innovation Campus (BHIC), set to become the Midlands’ first dedicated life sciences campus. With initiatives such as the Precision Health Technology Accelerator (PHTA), the city is driving groundbreaking medical technologies, further cementing its role as a hub for life sciences.

Looking Ahead: Sustained Growth and Innovation

Bruntwood SciTech’s plans for further investment, including the £4.5 million redevelopment of Centre City and multimillion-pound upgrades to other facilities, reflect a commitment to meeting the needs of the city’s rapidly growing innovation ecosystem. These investments provide businesses with state-of-the-art workspaces designed for collaboration and growth, reinforcing Birmingham’s status as a leading destination for tech and life sciences.

Rob Valentine, Regional Director at Bruntwood SciTech, emphasised the importance of maintaining momentum:

“The recent influx of disruptive and innovative businesses into Birmingham is testament to the strength of the city’s talent, infrastructure, and business support proposition. By creating supportive workspaces and nurturing partnerships, we aim to cultivate an environment where startups and established firms can collaborate, innovate, and drive economic growth.”

With sustained investment and a thriving ecosystem, Birmingham is poised to lead the digital economy and life sciences sectors, attracting global attention and driving the UK’s innovation agenda forward.

By Anushka Malhotra

12 Dec