Creative Economy Research Associate

Advert

Research Associate - Centre for Creative Economy

This is a 3 year post based in the Centre for the Creative Economy and externally funded by the Media Cymru programme (based in the Centre). Led by Cardiff University’s Centre for the Creative Economy, Media Cymru is a collaboration between industry, academia and stakeholders to accelerate inclusive, green growth in the Cardiff Capital Region's media cluster. The £50 million programme will drive research, development and innovation (RD&I), to move the region's media cluster from national to global strength. 

The role holder will contribute to the research record of the Programme by publishing high-quality research, inspiring others to do the same. They will play a pivotal role in working across and connecting the Media Cymru research programme to the broader aims of the Centre for the Creative Economy. They will conduct research for a series of reports and publications, focusing on innovation, media and creative clusters, and the creative and media sector in the Cardiff Capital Region and beyond. They will also lead and support the development of new research bids that connect to Media Cymru and the Centre for the Creative Economy.  

We welcome applicants with expertise from a wide range of academic disciplines, including creative industries, creative/media clusters, economic geography (creative places), innovation management, communication sciences, urban studies and  network research.

This post is full time (35 hours per week) and fixed term to 31 December 2026.

Salary: £39,347 - £44,263 per annum (Grade 6)

It is the University's policy to use the person specification as a tool for shortlisting. Candidates should evidence that they meet all of the essential criteria as well as, where relevant, the desirable. You are required to submit written evidence of how you fulfil each of the Essential Criteria in the Person Specification (and if met Desirable Criteria), using the same order/numbering in which they appear, in the form of a supporting statement. Please save as 'Name_17849BR_Supporting Statement' when uploading your attachment so it can easily be identified.

Date advert posted: Thursday, 7 December 2023

Closing Date: Monday, 8 January 2024

Please be aware that Cardiff University reserves the right to close this vacancy early should sufficient applications be received.

Cardiff University is committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity and to creating an inclusive working environment. We believe this can be achieved through attracting, developing, and retaining a diverse range of staff from many different backgrounds.  We therefore welcome applicants from all sections of the community regardless of sex, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, trans identity, relationship status, religion or belief, caring responsibilities, or age.  In supporting our employees to achieve a balance between their work and their personal lives, we will also consider proposals for flexible working or job share arrangements.

Cardiff University is a signatory to the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), which means that in hiring and promotion decisions we will evaluate applicants on the quality of their research, not publication metrics or the identity of the journal in which the research is published. More information is available at:  Responsible research assessment - Research - Cardiff University ​​​​​

Job Description

• To conduct research within the Centre’s R.D&I programmes and contribute to the overall research performance of the Centre and University by the production of measurable outputs including bidding for funding, and publishing in national academic journals and conferences.
• To develop research objectives and proposals for Media Cymru and the Centre’s research including research funding proposals. To assess grant funding opportunities that may emerge over the next 5 years and develop strategies for how best to prepare for them, including assessment of optimal support requirements and the viability of funding bids of varying scales, from major programmes to capacity building project for PGRs, ECRs and future leaders.
• To attend and or present at conferences/seminars at a local and national level as required .
• To undertake administrative tasks associated with the Centre and Media Cymru, including the planning and organisation of projects and the implementation of procedures required to ensure accurate and timely reporting.
• To support the impact evaluation of the Media Cymru programme by contributing data and information into reports to programme funders and stakeholders.
• To evaluate internal research and innovation capacity and develop proposals that will broaden the range and breadth of creative economy R,D&I that the Centre for the Creative Economy undertakes across multiple disciplines.

Other

• To undergo personal and professional development that is appropriate to and which will enhance performance
• Any other duties not included above, but consistent with the role.

Person Specification

Essential Criteria

Qualifications and education

Postgraduate degree at PhD level in a related subject area or relevant industrial experience

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

Knowledge of the Creative Industries R,D&I landscape in the UK and Europe. Knowledge of scholarship in the creative and cultural industries and / or media sector, with a record of publishing in this or related areas. 

Experience of stewarding and cultivating networks and relationships with stakeholders, such as industry, funding bodies and government.

Proven ability to be successful in competitive research funding.

Knowledge and understanding of funding and investment opportunities for R,D&I programmes in the UK and Europe.

Customer Service, Communication and Team Working

Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, supporting effective relationship advocacy and management (both internal and external).

Good IT skills and experience of software and systems relevant to teamwork and research in a distributed setting.

Planning, Analysis and Problem solving

Proven ability to demonstrate creativity, innovation and team-working within work.

Demonstrable project management skills and time management skills, with the ability to prioritise own tasks and those of others.

Desirable Criteria

• Evidence of collaborations with industry.
• Fluency in Welsh, written or oral.

Additional Information

Job Purpose

The Creative Economy Unit (CEU) – now Centre for the Creative Economy - was established in 2014 to create a space for research and engagement projects focused on creative industries policy, collaboration and innovation in Wales and beyond. This move reflected consistent and continuing economic growth in the creative industries and increasing recognition of the creative economy at all levels of government.

Creative Cardiff was launched in October 2015 to create a network connecting creative organisations and freelancers across the full spectrum of the city’s creative economy, from dancers to architects to coders. The network has grown to 4000 creative companies and freelancers, and became the engine room for a series of research projects and policy interventions.

Following the successful development of small grants, commissions and partnerships, the CEU led a successful bid to the AHRC’s Creative Industries Clusters Programme. Clwstwr launched in 2019 and was the largest AHRC award received in Wales (also funded by Welsh Government and worth £9m in total). Clwstwr curated and funded 180 research, development and innovation (R,D&I) projects with creative industry partners and established international partnerships with 5 creative clusters across Europe.

In 2022, the CEU successfully bid for Wave 2 of the UKRI Strength in Places Fund. The successful bid – Media Cymru, a CEU-led Consortium of 23 industry and civic partners to make Wales a global leader in media innovation– brings in £22m from UKRI, £5m from the Cardiff Capital Region (CCR) and Welsh Government, with a further £20m in industry match.

The size and scale of activity has meant the CEU has grown to become the Centre for the Creative Economy, and is now in a position to attract significantly more research funding and to confirm its position as one of Europe’s leading creative industries research and innovation centres. The Creative Economy Research Fellow will be based in the Media Cymru Programme while developing collaborations and opportunities across the Centre for the Creative Economy, thereby enhancing Media Cymru’s reach and legacy.

A key objective will be to conduct research that supports, analyses and accelerates future R,D&I activity with the creative industries sector, recognised as growing at twice the rate of the rest of the economy (Creative Industries Council 2021).

Job Category

Academic - Research