Event Details

Data Dialogues - Dr Nathan Jones, Senior Lecturer in Fine Art and Digital Media, School of Arts

Dr Nathan Jones presents Cultivate, a cross-campus initiative linking culture, technology, and innovation, highlighting how it creates opportunities for collaboration between data science and the creative industries.

In January 2026, UKRI and AHRC will launch the next round of Creative Industries Clusters, each worth £6.5m over five years, with a focus on new geographies and ideas. With both AHRC and Visit England prioritising rural and coastal regeneration, including the Southport–Barrow corridor, Lancaster is ideally positioned to lead a nationally distinctive cluster with civic university partners. Building on major regional investments -- including Eden Project North, Barrow Rising, the Energy Coast, and Blackpool’s Silicon Sands -- the bid will demonstrate how culture and technology can work together to drive inclusive growth and regenerative practice. This represents a significant opportunity for colleagues working in data innovation, environmental research, and digital creativity to co-design research and ventures that shape the future of the North West’s coastal–rural economy. Cultivate provides the platform for developing this case, as a framework for culture that strengthens teaching, research, and engagement across our disciplines.