Creative Industries Research and Innovation Group

Our multidisciplinary research spans Theatre, Music, Media, Film, Games, Animation, Fashion, and Design. It has three interdisciplinary thematic areas: Health and Wellbeing; Culture and Heritage; and Performance, Media, and Screen Innovation, which drive impactful research across the creative industries.

Creative Industries Research and Innovation Group Members

EXPERTISE AND MEMBERS

We have a diverse membership with expertise that spans Theatre, Performance, Music, Media, Film, Games, Animation, Fashion, Design and Media, Interactive and Immersive Technology, Cultural Studies, and Screen Innovation.

We’ve secured significant grants from bodies such as the AHRC, UKRI, The British Council, The Leverhulme Trust, The Wellcome Trust, and various other trusts and charities, supporting projects ranging from award-winning documentaries to pioneering exhibitions. Initiatives like Clwstwr (AHRC Creative Industries Clusters Programme), Co-POWeR (UKRI), Welsh and Khasi Cultural Dialogues (The Leverhulme Trust), Bawso Stories (National Lottery Heritage Fund) and Media Cymru (UKRI Strength in Places) highlight our strengths in collaborative, practice-based research.

Our research is made possible by our collaborative ethos of working with external organisations. Group members are trusted points of leadership and expertise for both the creative industries and policymakers seeking to advance the role of creativity economic and cultural life. The Group has distinctive strengths in multidisciplinary projects with significant impact, across a range of project types including traditional research, practice research, industry-facing research development & innovation activities, and commercial & consultancy activities.

The Group acts as an overarching research home for three research centres in the Creative Industries: The George Ewart Evans Centre for Storytelling, The Centre for Media and Culture in Small Nations, and the European Centre for Documentary Research.

Richard Hurford Associate Professor Rebecca Williams

IMPACT AND ENGAGEMENT

Our researchers have interacted with, engaged and developed relationships with key research users, beneficiaries and audiences in multiple ways to develop impact and engagement:

as scholars and practitioners

as advocates for cultural sectors and advisors for Government

as facilitators and enablers bridging between different sectors

as artists and conduits for cultural awareness

as members of industry consortia

In REF2021:

67% of our research impact in Creative Industries is world leading (4*);

Our research in Creative Industries is joint first in the UK for impact out of 84 universities - based on 4* / 3*

Research publications and outputs

Research at the Centre for Media and Culture in Small Nations has included Khasi Cultural Dialogues: An Interdisciplinary Project in Film and Performance, funded by The Leverhulme Trust. The research has affected working practices of participant international artists; and resulted in greater understanding of how artistic practice can reveal complex and hidden histories.

Drawing on USW researchers' expertise in media policy, screen production, creative technology, and the Welsh language, we served as co-investigators on the UKRI Clwstwr project. Clwstwr supported R&D in creative companies, fostered innovation, influenced skills policy, and strengthened academic engagement in Wales. Our research advanced public understanding of screen policy and provided evidence-based advice to Ofcom.

Research by the George Ewart Evans Centre for Storytelling has promoted well-being through storytelling in Environmental Action, Healthcare, and Women’s Well-being. Storytelling for Health led to NHS Wales staff training, while 40 Voices, 40 Years, with Welsh Women’s Aid, raised awareness of gender-based violence and influenced policy, training, policing, and legal frameworks.

Achievements

Driving Policy

Our Creative Industries research in music, media, games and culture has led to policy changes and steered the direction of Welsh and UK Government’s Creative Industries and Culture policies.

Industry Growth

Our work on Clwstwr and Media Cymru has supported hundreds of companies with Research & Development and Skills & Training, improving their capacity to innovate.

Community, Culture and Heritage

Research in Creative Industries is supporting communities across Wales and the world, that are minoritised in terms of identity, culture and/or language.

Award Winning

Prestigious photography prizes including the Sony World Photographer of the Year 2023, by postgraduate research student Edgar Martins, and the After Nature Ulrike Crespo Photography Prize 2025, by Associate Professor Lisa Barnard.

Championing Social Justice

Creative Industries Research in Storytelling, including Documentary Film, has helped community groups and the third sector in advocating and supporting social change in the local and global communities we serve.

Research Focus Areas

Performance, Media, and Screen Innovation

Our internationally recognised Practice Research in Performance and Screen spans exhibitions, performances, films and experimental theatre, bridging academia and industry. Since 2018, our research has significantly impacted Wales’ screen sector through projects like the AHRC-funded Clwstwr and Innovate UK Audience of the Future, advancing screen innovation, media policy and skills and training for the Creative Industries sector. Leading UKRI-funded Media Cymru’s skills and training programme, we are establishing Cardiff as a global media hub with a focus on sustainable growth. We also pioneer immersive and advanced media production technologies in arts and culture, developing new R&D models and exploring creativity, place and identity in the Creative Industries, most recently with a focus on performance and Interactive and immersive technology.

Creative Industries for Health, Wellbeing, and Social Justice

Our arts and health researchhas driven innovations like the Storytelling for Health conferences with NHS Wales, establishing digital storytelling in healthcare to improve NHS training. We also address social justice issues, including Violence Against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (VAWDASV), working with Welsh Women’s Aid and Bawso to amplify survivor voices and support provider training informing the Welsh Government’s VAWDASV Blueprint. Additionally, our research explores movement-for-wellbeing, further extending creative impact on health and social justice.

Creative Industries: Culture, Heritage, and Community

Our research has resulted in cultural policy advice and advocacy across the Creative Industries, including for Music, Games, Theatre, Media, and Culture, with researchers regularly advising governments in Wales and Westminster. Research in culture and heritage has involved the safeguarding of minoritised and endangered languages through the creative industries, and collaborations with communities including Vlach, Pontic Greek, Csángó, Hungarian; and Gaelic, Irish and Welsh speakers via the Ceangal Cwlwm project across Welsh, Irish and Gaelic theatre industry sectors and academia. We collaborate with museums and heritage organisations to examine cultural histories and identities.

KEY PROJECTS

Media Cymru

Media Cymru is a UKRI Strength in Places Fund consortium, which aims to turn Cardiff Capital Region into a global hub for media innovation with a focus on green and fair economic growth. The USW team is leading Media Cymru’s Skills and Training programme, upskilling the Welsh media sector.

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Co-Creating Spaces of Change

The Co-Creating Spaces of Change (COSC) project set out to support DVA survivors by offering creative engagement opportunities within a supportive university environment.

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From Undercard to Headliner: Lost Legacies and Hidden Labour in Women’s Boxing

This research, funded by The Leverhulme Trust, marks the first scholarly study of its kind, focusing on the recent history of women's boxing and highlighting the often-overlooked contributions of female boxers.

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Bawso Stories

Transforming the ways in which Welsh heritage is understood, preserved and represented, through collection, interpretation and archiving of the stories of Black Minority Ethnic (BME) and migrant victims of Domestic Abuse, Sexual Violence, Honour Based Violence, Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking. Wales has a rich heritage of migration that has been only partially documented and many of the stories from people whose entry to Wales is more complex are missing from these histories.

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Decision Making Through Movement and the Arts

Develop a multimedia approach to embodied skills and examines their role in decision-making for people undergoing or working with clients going through crucial life transitions.

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COLLABORATIONS AND PARTNERSHIPS

Collaboration is at the heart of creative industries research. We work closely with external organisations to advance creativity within Welsh economic and cultural life. Our researchers are trusted experts and thought leaders, providing valuable insight and guidance to both the creative industries and policymakers.

These partnerships enable us to deliver impactful, cross-disciplinary research that addresses critical challenges in health, culture, and community development, helping to shape the future of the creative industries in Wales and beyond.

10six
Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales
Bawso
BBC Cymru Wales
Ceangal Cwlwm
Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board
Diverse Cymru
Gorilla
Media Cymru
Public Health Wales
S4C
Shwsh!
Swansea Bay University Health Board
Theatr Cymru
Triongl
Wales Arts and Humanities Alliance (WAHA)
Wales Millennium Centre
Welsh Women’s Aid

10six

Amgueddfa Cymru

Bawso

BBC Cymru Wales

Ceangal Cwlwm

Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board

Diverse Cymru

Gorilla

Media Cymru

Public Health Wales

S4C

Shwsh!

Work with us

We welcome collaboration with industry, government, academic partners, charities, and NGOs to drive innovation and tackle real-world challenges. Whether you’re interested in co-developing solutions, exploring funding opportunities, or partnering on research projects, we are open to discussing how we can work together to achieve impactful outcomes.

Our extensive facilities provide an excellent location to undertake applied collaborative research and development projects. These include Llechen, our Advanced Media Production studio with 9mx5m green screen, dynamic lighting, camera tracking and real time rendering; and Sialc, our Immersive Performance studio with 360 projection mapping and audio. These are alongside other facilities including two TV and film studios, a 180-seat theatre, green screen, vicon motion capture suite, podcasting studio, recording studios and Dolby Atmos mastering suite.

To learn more or discuss potential collaborations, please contact Associate Professor Rebecca Williams or Richard Hurford

[email protected] [email protected]

POSTGRADUATE RESEARCH

Whether you’re pursuing a PhD, MPhil, or Masters by Research, you’ll be guided by passionate, leading experts, making a positive impact on individuals, communities, charities, businesses, and governments worldwide. We welcome UK and international applications for research degrees. Study full-time or part-time, on campus or remotely, depending on your area. Professionals with an existing body of work may also be eligible for a PhD by Portfolio.

Our research students are integral to our team. They benefit from excellent research facilities, dedicated study areas, and opportunities to present their work at national and international conferences.

The Graduate School

A group of researchers sit around a table chatting with coffee and books

Postgraduate research students

Artist and writer Fern Thomas is undertaking her practice-based AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Partnership PhD with University of South Wales and Amgueddfa Cymru – Performing Prehistory: increasing the meaningfulness of archaeology collections for diverse museum audiences.

Fern Thomas

Research-informed teaching

Our lecturers are not only experts but also active researchers leading projects at the forefront of the creative sectors. They bring the latest research findings into the classroom, offering students real-world insights from the cutting edge of performance, media, screen innovation, health, wellbeing, and social justice in creative practice.

Both undergraduate and postgraduate students are actively involved in live research projects, collaborating with key industry partners. This hands-on experience builds research skills that are highly valued by employers in the creative industries.

Dr Daryl Perrins, senior lecturer in Film and Television, brings his own research into the classroom to enhance the learning experience.

In modules like Global Cinema and Media, Culture and Creative Industries in Wales, Dr Perrins’ expertise in Welsh cinema and comedy provides fresh insights into topics such as minority language cinema and the role of sitcoms in shaping cultural identity. His research, including ‘The Cinema Has Two Tongues: The Cinema Cultures of Wales’ and ‘Now Say Something in Welsh..., Translating Gavin and Stacey’, forms the foundation for seminar debates, essays, and creative projects.

By studying with active researchers, students gain valuable skills in critical thinking, research, and communication. They also learn how to apply academic research to real-world scenarios, such as designing campaigns to promote Welsh media. This research-led approach doesn’t just expand knowledge - it prepares students for careers in the creative industries or for a postgraduate research degree.

Postgraduate Research Degrees