Responsibility for policy across the Creative Industries is split between two Government Departments, with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS)sharing responsibility for Advertising, Computer Games, Design and Publishing with the Department for Culture Media and Sport who also takes responsibility for the rest of the sub-sectors that make up the Creative Industries. These departments in turn fund several sector-focused agencies all with different remits. For example, the Arts Council acts primarily as a funding body, whereas the Design Council takes more of strategic role in promoting design to business and public services to support economic growth of the UK and improve society.

There are a number of agencies with responsibility for the research and innovation agenda. The research councils have a broad science and research responsibility, whilst the role of the Technology Strategy Board is to stimulate and promote the exploitation of technology and innovation by UK businesses for business and societal benefit. The devolved administrations in Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the English Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) run innovation and business support initiatives focused on regionally specific opportunities, in addition to providing more general business support services. The skills agenda is split between three sector skills councils.

As well as the public sector organisations (Figure 10) there is an extensive web of professional bodies, trade organisations and networks at a national and geographically localised level. This highlights the importance of networking in this sector as a means to secure business.