Reports outline Creative Europe impact on UK
Two new reports have outlined the significant monetary and non-monetary impacts the European Union support programme Creative Europe has had in the UK.
The first report estimated that the UK’s audiovisual, creative and cultural industries in 2017 benefited through €16.6m of non-repayable grants and the distribution of British films in other countries, bringing UK support from 2014 to date to €74 million.
Separately, an in-depth evaluation report has highlighted that Creative Europe’s benefits exceed the monetary grant funding, and reveals new details about the programme’s powerful effect on building international networks, growing audiences, generating jobs and skills, and much more.
Key findings from the Creative Europe in the UK 2017 results report:
- Since 2014, €74 million has been awarded to 334 UK-based organisations and companies and helped distribute 145 British films in other European countries
- In 2017, 48 UK creative, cultural and heritage organisations received grants totalling €3.8 million for transnational collaborative projects through Creative Europe’s Culture subprogramme. This includes organisations such as Sadler’s Wells, Opera North, Abandon Normal Devices, Hay Festival of Literature & Arts, Xpo North, and Fitzcarraldo Editions (the publishing house behind the winner of the 2018 Man Booker Prize).
- The UK’s film, TV and video game industries benefitted from Creative Europe's MEDIA subprogramme in 2017. Grants totalling €12.8 million were awarded to 43 UK companies, 46 UK cinemas in the Europa Cinemas network and to support the distribution of 52 UK films elsewhere in Europe. including The Sense of an Ending, God’s Own Country and Lady Macbeth had their distribution supported in other European countries with €6.1 million of investment.
- Likewise, films from elsewhere in Europe received support for their release in the UK, including The Square (Sweden/Germany/France/Denmark), Happy End (France/Austria/Germany) and BPM (Beats per Minute) (France).
In the first study of its kind, Creative Europe’s value to the UK is shown to be far more than just grant funding.
'Impact of Creative Europe in the UK' provides statistical evidence and case studies to highlight that the programme has also been crucial in supporting UK creative and cultural industries to grow, build international networks, generate jobs and skills, grow audiences and markets, experiment, up-skill, and meet meaningful social objectives locally and internationally.
Headline statistics from the impacts report:
- Creative Europe grants leverage additional funding. UK organisations in Culture projects have more than doubled their Creative Europe grants, generating over €20 million in match-funding, while MEDIA beneficiaries in the UK leveraged match-funding worth nearly €120m
- Creative Europe helps the UK’s creative industries reach audiences at home and internationally. Culture projects funded with UK partners so far are set to reach 61 million audience members – with 7 million of those based in the UK
- The value of the UK to other countries in Creative Europe is underlined by how widely the UK businesses and organisations are embraced as partners. UK organisations in Culture projects have worked with 743 partners across 34 countries
- Creative Europe helps the wider circulation of UK films. In MEDIA, distributors and sales agents outside of the UK have spent 19% of the grants awarded to their sector on acquiring and releasing UK films in their territories. The revenue generated by these films is just under €400 million
