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Research Matters

The Future is Creative

 
 

In the midst of economic and financial gloom a positive message is emerging from the west of Ireland. “What people want is authenticity; they want a product with a story, with a culture, something that is unique to them – the past was mass production, the future is bespoke, the future is creative”, the words of a representative of the emerging creative economy sector located in the West of Ireland. Ireland and the west are poised to take advantage of the growing international demand for products that are culturally embedded, products that are unique and deliverable across a variety of platforms from the physical to the virtual.

In July 2010, the Centre for Innovation and Structural Change successfully tendered for research work focusing on the economic impact of the Creative Economy in the West of Ireland. The project, commissioned by the http://www.nuigalway.ie/cisc/people/pcollins.htmlWestern Development Commission was published in July 2011. The work entitled, CreativeWest 2020, maps out the future growth scenarios for a sector that is internationally recognised as one with high growth potential.

The work was carried out by a research team led by Dr Patrick Collins of CISC. It involved three months of intensive consultation with representatives of the creative sector through research interviews and a survey of the 250 companies operating in the west of Ireland.  A scenario analysis was employed to test the prospective impacts of policies to support the sector. The report concludes that with the correct export and network promotion policies in place, the Creative Sector in the West of Ireland has the potential to double in terms of numbers employed by 2020.

According to Dr. Collins, the creative industries “…are a diverse group of companies that do not conform to the traditional model of the firm, for most, the product is a labour of love, for some the product is a one off, for others once developed its reproduction costs are virtually zero”. The creative sector involves a diversity of industries from graphic design and the visual arts to craft and film and television production. CreativeWest 2020 is an invaluable insight for policymakers concerned with employment creation and balanced sustainable development. 

Author: Dr. Patrick Collins, Centre for Innovation & Structural Change

 

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