£6.75 Million Boost for West Midlands Creative Tech Firms

By Anushka Malhotra

1 minute 9 seconds

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Quick Read: The West Midlands’ creative tech sector secures £6.75 million in funding through the CreaTech Frontiers initiative, fostering collaboration among arts, academia, and industry to drive innovation and growth.

The creative technology sector in the West Midlands has received a significant boost with £6.75 million in funding from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. This investment will support training, research, and development in cutting-edge fields such as video gaming and immersive reality, driving innovation and growth in the region.

The programme, named CreaTech Frontiers, unites the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), Birmingham City, Coventry, Warwick, and Birmingham universities, and the tech industry to foster collaboration and skill-building. It will leverage technologies like virtual reality, 3D modelling, and animation to develop new applications for live events, theatre, music, and film.

Performance initiatives under this programme include showcases by the RSC at the 2026 South by Southwest Festival in Texas and collaborative projects by Birmingham Opera Group and The Rep Theatre, targeting underprivileged youth in the West Midlands.

Professor Lamberto Coccioli from Birmingham City University, who is leading the project, highlighted the region’s unique strengths:

“CreaTech Frontiers will harness the diverse talent pool, world-class research, and vibrant arts scene in the West Midlands to drive innovation and business growth.”

Merseyside will also benefit from an equivalent £6.75 million for its MusicFutures project, aimed at supporting musicians, educators, and small businesses in leveraging new technology.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy emphasised the initiative’s goal of bridging opportunity gaps:

“This funding puts Birmingham and the West Midlands at the forefront of a new creative tech industry, shaping the future of visual effects in film, theatre, and gaming.”

The Creative Industries Clusters program, delivered by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, underscores the UK’s commitment to regional innovation and the growth of creative sub-sectors nationwide.

What's new

West Midlands Health Tech Innovation Accelerator Unlocks Nearly £50M in Private Investment

The West Midlands Health Tech Innovation Accelerator (WMHTIA), led by the University of Birmingham, has generated an impressive £49.4 million in private co-investment within its first two years, significantly surpassing its original £14.5 million public funding allocation.

Funded through the Innovation Accelerator programme, coordinated by Innovate UK, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, and UK Research and Innovation, WMHTIA has become a leading force in advancing health technology innovation across the region.

The majority of the private investment—£36.3 million—was directly committed by investors to enterprises supported by the Accelerator. This achievement represents a threefold return on the initial public investment, demonstrating the strong investor confidence in the region’s health tech sector.

Powering Health Innovation Through Collaboration

The WMHTIA brings together 21 partners from academia, industry, and the NHS to help healthtech companies develop, validate, and commercialise cutting-edge medical technologies. So far, companies supported through the programme have also secured an additional £10 million in national public grants from agencies including NIHR, Eureka, and Innovate UK.

Including both public and private contributions, the total investment leveraged by WMHTIA now stands at £67.3 million.

Professor Adam Tickell, Vice-Chancellor, University of Birmingham:

We’re proud to support startups through the riskiest stages of innovation so more life-saving technologies reach patients. This exceptional investment proves what’s possible when academia, the NHS, and industry work together to drive economic growth and better health outcomes.

In March 2025, the Innovation Accelerator programme was extended with a further £30 million, including £4 million for the WMHTIA to continue supporting the region’s innovators in 2025/26.

Backing the Future of Health Tech

Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands:

The West Midlands is leading medical tech innovation—from faster diagnoses to shorter hospital stays. Healthtech isn’t just improving lives; it’s creating secure, high-value jobs that drive inclusive growth.

Dean Cook, Executive Director of Place and Global, Innovate UK:

This programme shows how place-based innovation can unlock greater business investment in R&D. By connecting the region’s strengths, we’re creating high-value jobs and building globally significant innovation capability.

The WMHTIA continues to strengthen the region’s reputation as a national hub for health technology, with far-reaching benefits for patient care, job creation, and regional economic development.

By Anushka Malhotra

24 Jun