World-leading creative and innovative projects which can tap into a new £15m cultural and technological regeneration fund are being called for by the Sheffield City Region (SCR).
The SCR’S business arm, the Local Enterprise Partnership, has put out a call for proposals to access the Northern Cultural Regeneration Fund and help build a lasting regional legacy from the Great Exhibition of the North next year.
The fund will make grants of up to £4m for major cultural and tech projects to be included in next year’s exhibition in Newcastle, helping pave the way for future investment in the Northern Powerhouse.
The Great Exhibition will showcase art, design and especially technological innovation from across the north; showing how innovation shapes lives and builds the economy.
The Local Enterprise Partnership has been asked by the Government to co-ordinate proposals locally.
Sir Nigel Knowles, chair of the local enterprisepPartnership, said: “This fund can make a huge contribution to the cultural and creative offer of the City Region.
“We’re a region blessed with outstanding creative and cultural talent and are quite rightly recognised for the contribution this sector makes to the economy and our communities.
“But we’re also a city region that doesn’t have some of the iconic physical cultural and creative assets that other parts of the country boast – which means the talent and the opportunity that abounds here don’t always play as central a role as they could do.
“This fund can help us develop some of those assets. We’re entirely open to ideas from across the city region – and the LEP Board looks forward to considering the proposals that come forward”.
Northern Powerhouse minister Jake Berry said: “The North is a cultural powerhouse, as well an economic one, and this £15m fund will give a boost to the region’s vibrant culture and tech sectors.”
