RSC to research AI through creative clusters funding

Cultural organisations, including the Royal Shakespeare Company, Birmingham REP and Birmingham Opera Company, will take part in research into responsible AI, immersive technology and creativity as part of a £13.5m government-backed investment to grow specialist creative subsectors across the UK.

The money will be split between MusicFutures in Liverpool City Region and CreaTech Frontiers in the West Midlands, which join nine existing creative clusters as part of the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s (AHRC) Creative Industries Clusters programme, launched in 2018.

In the Midlands, the CreaTech Frontiers cluster will receive £6.75m to develop small, micro- and medium-sized businesses specialising in creative tech such as video games and immersive reality.

As part of CreaTech, Birmingham City University, Coventry University, University of Birmingham, and The University of Warwick will collaborate with the Royal Shakespeare Company in developing skills, new products, technology and multi-platform content.

These include using VR, 3D modelling and animation techniques in live events and adapting video game engines for music, theatre and film.

The RSC will also lead a programme of R&D pilot production projects to profile creative tech businesses identified through the cluster’s work and showcase its experimental performance projects at South by South West, Texas, in 2026.

Meanwhile, Birmingham Opera Group will work with local businesses and researchers to stage new works co-created with young people in deprived areas of the West Midlands, and a collaboration with The Rep, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group and other industry partners will explore new technologies for performance.

Lamberto Coccioli, professor of music and technology and BCU project lead, said CreaTech would provide “a comprehensive programme of grants and skills development led by industry needs”.

Developing the music sector in Liverpool

In Liverpool, the MusicFutures cluster will receive £6.75m, providing funding and training for musicians, educators and small businesses to use new technologies such as AI and Extended Reality (XR) and explore making the live music sector more environmentally sustainable.

Focusing on R&D, talent development, and emerging technologies, MusicFutures will bring together the University of Liverpool with Liverpool John Moores University, alongside 21 strategic partners, including the ACC Liverpool Group, operators of Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena, Adlib and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, LIVE, UK Music and the Intellectual Property Office.

MusicFutures will aim to develop solutions to address environmental challenges and economic sustainability in the live sector, as well as provide opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses and training for music makers and educators, including training and legal advice on intellectual property issues and guidance on the responsible use of generative AI.

Professor Richard Koeck, University of Liverpool, project lead for MusicFutures, said the cluster had “a clear goal” to transform the Liverpool City Region into “a global leader in music innovation”.

Using new technology to drive growth

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: “Talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not.

“That’s why we are supporting firms, artists and freelancers that are innovating, using new technology and driving growth in creative clusters across the country.

“Liverpool and Merseyside hold a special place in our nation’s music landscape, and this funding will support imagination and experimentation across the city and region, as creators explore how we can make gigs more environmentally friendly.

“Birmingham and the West Midlands have a rich industrial history, and we are putting them at the forefront of a potential new industry developing the amazing technology that will revolutionise visual effects in film, theatre and gaming.”