Drawing on the expertise of business development and knowledge exchange experts, academics and professional creatives, Cultivator taps into the pool of creative businesses across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly to offer tailored business support.
Cultivator is a business development programme that supports the creative industries in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Businesses are offered one-to-one consultations with specialist business advisors and are informed about the range of opportunities Cultivator can offer; including making connections to the academic and technical experts and cutting-edge resources and facilities at the University of Plymouth.
The project is led by Creative Kernow, and delivered with the University of Plymouth alongside Real Ideas and the Cornwall Development Company. The project has been supported with thanks to funding support from the European Structural and Investment Funds, Arts Council England, and Cornwall Council.
The University is leading the following activities within the project:
Showcasing Scheme
Cohorts of creative practitioners and students are funded to attend key regional or national events to showcase their practice and significantly extend their professional networks. Coaching and mentoring will be provided to enable them to maximise the benefits of their experience and to ensure that this directly impacts their productivity and competitiveness.
Creative and Cultural Leadership Programme
Cohorts of creative and cultural practitioners are funded to attend a year-long programme of workshops, peer-led activity, coaching and mentoring.
The programme aims to encourage collaborative working, empower the cohorts to recognise themselves as leaders and realise their potential, to help young people see that they could build creative careers in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly and to increase recognition of the value and opportunity of the creative sector for the economy.
The first phase of Cultivator ran between September 2016 and September 2019 and worked with over 600 creative businesses and organisations. The University supported creative practitioners through a Professional Peer Support Network (PPSN) an annual conference and Showcasing opportunities - which involved giving these practitioners access to key regional or national events such as London Design Fair, The Great Escape, Port Eliot Festival, Celtic Media Festival and British Museum Conference.
Watch Florence Bonner, Graduate Intern, talk about working on the Visual Arts Showcase, Synesthesia.
The University of Plymouth is proud to be supported by the European Structural and Investment Funds. The ESIF Growth Programme 2014 - 2020 provides funding for investment in areas to stimulate local growth and jobs, including innovation, research, businesses, sustainability, skills and employment. The ESIF is made up of five different Funds which include the European Social Fund (ESF) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), jointly managed by the European Commission and the EU countries.
More projects supported by ESIF with the University of Plymouth
