Creative Grants Launched

Northern Ireland's creative industry is to get a fillip with news that the diverse sector is to benefit from a multi-million pound grant scheme.

The NI Culture, Arts and Leisure Minister, Gregory Campbell (pictured) launched the £5 million fund to stimulate Northern Ireland's creative industries today and said that it is targeting everything from advertising to visual artists.

He said that design consultancies, film and television companies, computer and video games development, music labels and book and magazine publishers, theatre, opera and dance companies and live music promoters, and craft-makers and designer-makers all stand to benefit from the innovative scheme.

Speaking at the launch of the new 'Creativity Industries Innovation Fund' in Limavady the Minister said: "The creative industries sector is a very important sector of the economy and has the potential to generate very significant and long lasting economic benefits for Northern Ireland.

"In terms of the economic value, it is estimated that around 34,600, or 4.7% of the working population, is employed in the creative sector which is growing at a faster rate than the economy in general.

"By investing in the development of talents and skills of our people we will improve our competitive position in national and international markets and reap the benefits in our communities.

"The drive to develop new markets, and in particular to encourage an outward-looking, global perspective, underpins all, the Minister continued.

"One of the goals of the Assembly's Programme for Government is to grow the creative sector by up to 15% by 2011. The opportunities are there to meet this target with the help of new technologies and the development of new markets, that did not exist a few years ago, opening up for creative entrepreneurs," he said.

At the launch the Department was partnered by the Arts Council for Northern Ireland, with Roisín McDonough, Chief Executive adding: "The Arts Council is pleased to be administering this new fund as it not only supports a government priority, but also helps the Arts Council to achieve one of the key themes of our five-year strategic plan for developing the arts in Northern Ireland, which is to provide the type of support artists and creative business people need to develop and sustain a flourishing creative industries sector.

"One of the challenges facing us over the coming years is to develop the kind of creative and economic environment that will encourage our artists and creative business people to remain in Northern Ireland, as well as attracting other innovators from around the world to live and work here.

"Today's announcement of funding for the development of the local creative industries will go some way to establishing such an environment," she said.

(BMcC)