Creative Cardiff awarded Innovation in Partnership award

Creative Cardiff has won an Innovation in Partnership award for its approach to building lasting partnerships at the 2019 Cardiff University Innovation and Impact Awards.

Creative Cardiff, launched in 2015, boasts 2550 members made up of creative companies, organisations and freelancers across the Cardiff City Region.

Founded by Professor Justin Lewis and Professor Ian Hargreaves of Cardiff University's Creative Economy Unit, the network was established through partnerships with three founder members: BBC Cymru Wales, Cardiff Council and Wales Millennium Centre.

These partnerships laid the foundations for the network's commitment to city-wide collaborations and growth.

Professor Justin Lewis, co-founder of Creative Cardiff, said “We are delighted to have won the Innovation in Partnership prize at this year’s Cardiff University Innovation and Impact Awards. In three and a half years, Creative Cardiff has really developed into a force for creative good. It is our purpose to make Cardiff a capital of creativity and we have been striving to recognise that ambition by enabling collaborations, amplifying opportunities and encouraging innovation.

"Our recent award marks the largest AHRC grant the University has ever received, and places Creative Cardiff at the heart of creative industry innovation and R&D.”

In the four years since it was established, Creative Cardiff has successfully curated events, developed strong online presence with active jobs pages and an engaged social media following, worked on city-wide initiative with large-scale creative organisations and mapped the city's creative economy.

It was also the engine room for successful bid for Industrial Strategy funding, Clwstwr, that established over 50 partnerships with broadcasters and companies across the creative industries. The bid aims to put innovation, research and development at the heart of the creative industries in Cardiff.

Upon receiving the award Creative Cardiff Director, Sara Pepper, said: "Partnership work has been at the heart of everything we do at Creative Cardiff. It’s a real honour to be recognised for this award this evening.

"A sincere and heartfelt thanks to our partners who are here tonight: BBC Cymru Wales, Cardiff City Council and Wales Millennium Centre who were all founding members of Creative Cardiff, and I remember the conversations with all of them very early doors and they believed and had faith in what we were trying to achieve...and four years later, we’re still here and achieving amazing things.

“I think we should dedicate this recognition to the 2500 members, individuals and organisations, working in the creative industries making Cardiff and Wales the exciting, vibrant and truly creative city and nation that it is - diolch yn fawr.”