Creative Industries in the UK
Creative capability concentrates in London, Manchester and Salford, Bristol, Cardiff, Belfast, Dundee and Leeds, spanning film, television, games, animation and immersive technology.
See this on the map →- Companies
- 3
- Investors
- Coverage expanding
- Universities
- 1
- Research centres
- 1
- Facilities
- 1
UKIZ has not yet mapped enough of this category to draw a conclusion. A low count here describes the directory, not the country.
Where UK strength is concentrated
Major clusters
- London
Capital, regulation, AI and the creative economy in one place
- Manchester
Materials, health innovation, digital and the largest media cluster outside London
- Belfast
Cyber security, advanced composites, fintech and screen production
- Cardiff & South Wales
Compound semiconductors, steel and materials, and broadcast production
Emerging & supporting clusters
- Bristol & Bath
Semiconductor design, robotics, aerospace and quantum in one small geography
- Leeds & West Yorkshire
Health data, medical technology and financial services technology
- Liverpool City Region
Infection research, biomanufacturing, materials chemistry and a Freeport
- Edinburgh
Data science, informatics, fintech and robotics
Research, infrastructure and capital
Universities & research
Creative technology research centres, screen academies and games research groups.
Investment
Production finance, broadcaster commissioning and a growing games investment base.
Government support
Creative industries are a priority sector in the industrial strategy framework.
Organisations working in this area
Digital Catapult
Catapult centres · london
Manchester Metropolitan University
Universities · manchester
MediaCity
Specialist facilities · manchester
University of the West of England
Universities · bristol bath
Ulster University
Universities · belfast
Cardiff University
Universities · cardiff south wales
UKIZ perspective
Research centres (1)
- Digital Catapult
London
Infrastructure (1)
- Digital Catapult
London
- MediaCity
Manchester
Accelerators (Coverage expanding)
- Coverage expanding — no accelerator mapped here yet.
Creative and AI capability are converging faster than institutions are. UKIZ proposes treating that intersection as a mission in its own right.
Ecosystem directory
Who funds, builds and researches this in Britain.
Investors (Coverage expanding)
- Coverage expanding — no investor mapped here yet.
Companies (3)
- Synthesia
London · Scale-up
- Improbable
London · Scale-up
- Ultraleap
Bristol & Bath · Scale-up
Universities (1)
- Coverage expanding — no university mapped here yet.
Directory last verified: 15 August 2026
Proposed by UKIZ · independent · not a government designation
Sources
- Department for Science, Innovation & Technology — UK Innovation Clusters Map
- UK Research and Innovation — Research and innovation infrastructure, centres, institutes and Catapults
- Catapult Network — Catapult centres and specialisms
- GOV.UK — Investment Zones, Freeports and AI Growth Zones