'Shaping the Future: Resilience and Innovation in the UK Creative Economy' Centre for Euro-Asian Studies Workshop

The CEAS has been at the forefront of creative industries research since 2018 as part of the British Council's Creative Spark Higher Education Enterprise Programme, Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Impact Acceleration funding and the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme. It plays a pivotal role in advancing research on the regional economic development and resilience of creative industries to external shocks, particularly in the Euro-Asian region, and facilitates international dialogues among artists, researchers and policymakers to promote resilience and growth in this sector.

This research emphasises the regional dynamics and economic significance of creative sectors, focusing on industrial diversification, cultural infrastructure and the unique identity these industries bring to regional economies. The CEAS' work also addresses the challenges creative industries face, such as shifting business models and the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, providing both theoretical and empirical insights into organisational and regional resilience of the creative economy in the UK, Kazakhstan, Turkey and Kyrgyzstan.

Recently, the CEAS secured the British Academy Leverhulme Small Research Grant to investigate the resilience strategies of the creative industries in the UK faced with the COVID-19 pandemic. Building on the previous research on organisational resilience and the creative industries, this research explores lessons learned from the UK experience in responding to the pandemic to prepare for future crises. The project highlighted the strategies creative businesses used to adapt and developed policy recommendations to enhance resilience in future crises. Key outcomes also included workshops, policy briefs and a roadmap for supporting creative industries post-pandemic.

In tandem with the CEAS' research, the UNECE aims to promote pan-European economic integration, sustainable development and economic prosperity across its 56 member states. As a multilateral platform, UNECE facilitates greater economic integration and cooperation among its member countries through policy dialogue, the negotiation of international legal instruments, the development of regulations and norms, the exchange and application of best practices (as well as economic and technical expertise) and technical co-operation for countries with economies in transition.

The United Nations' Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA) is leading a Working Group on Innovation and Technology for Sustainable Development (WG on ITSD) to provide a platform for discussions and forge co-operation on innovation and technology solutions, especially from the perspective of policy, governance and knowledge-based development. It is comprised of senior policymakers, researchers, decision-makers and other stakeholders in innovation and technology from the seven participating SPECA countries, namely Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

Especially relevant to the SPECA WG on ITSD are the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) directly related to the development of innovation and technology. Specifically, goals eight (promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all), nine (build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation), 13 (take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts) and 17 (strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development) all directly align with the WG on ITSD's aims.

Participants invited to this workshop include academics, government officials, experts of international organisations, representatives of SPECA member states and the UNECE secretariat. The key objectives of the workshop are as follows:

- To examine resilience strategies, exploring how UK creative businesses adapted to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and identify successful resilience mechanisms across different sub-sectors

- To share lessons learned, disseminating key research findings on the impact of the pandemic and encouraging knowledge exchange between creative professionals, policymakers and academics

- To foster collaboration by facilitating dialogue and networking opportunities among stakeholders, supporting long-term sustainable growth and innovation in the creative economy and sensitising the audience for the opportunities and challenges related to artificial intelligence for Central Asian countries, with a particular focus on the SPECA Network for Business Incubators and Accelerators for Sustainable Development (NBIASD)

This workshop will be held on 17 December 2024, 10:00am to 4:00pm in room G04 of the Henley Business School building, Whiteknights campus. There is also an option to dial in remotely via Microsoft Teams. The full schedule is outlined below:

10:00am - Welcome by Professor Yelena Kalyuzhnova (Director of the Centre for Euro-Asian Studies, Henley Business School, University of Reading) and Oscar Fast (Associate Economic Affairs Officer in the Innovative Policies Development Section, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe)

10:15am - Key Messages to the Creative Industries from the UNECE by Oscar Fast

10:30am - Building Resilience: Shaping the Future of the UK Creative Economy by Dr Olena Khlystova (member of the Centre for Euro-Asian Studies, Henley Business School, University of Reading), with a poster presented by Austen Williams (BSc Business and Management student at Henley Business School, University of Reading)

11:00am - Music industry: Lessons Learned for Future Growth by Paul Glover (musician) and Professor Marcello Mariani (Professor of Entrepreneurship and Management, Henley Business School, University of Reading)

11:30am - IT and Software: Lessons Learned for Future Growth by Dr Can Ererdi (member of Henley Centre for Leadership, Henley Business School, University of Reading)

12:00pm - Lunch

1:30pm - Crafts: Lessons Learned for Future Growth by Renata Graham (professional jeweller) and Professor Benjamin Laker (Forbes UK contributor and Professor of Leadership, Henley Business School, University of Reading)

2:00pm - Performing Arts: Lessons Learned for Future Growth, by Dr Anna De Amicis (Lecturer in Management and Media, Henley Business School, University of Reading)

2:30pm - Breakout Rooms and Networking

3:30pm - Closing Remarks by Yelena Kalyuzhnova

To register for this workshop, please submit the booking request form here. Those that register will subsequently be sent instructions to join the workshop face to face or remotely.