It is our vision and ambition to make the UK a global leader in innovation. Our job is to ensure that the UK is in the forefront of innovation enabled by technology.
Our task at the Technology Strategy Board is to ‘Connect and Catalyse'. As part of our challenge-led approach to innovation, we treat societal and economic challenges of the future not just as threats but also as opportunities for innovative solutions that enhance the quality of life and increase wealth.
The world is changing. Globalisation, digital communications and the growth of emerging economies present profound challenges to UK business sectors. Yet where there are challenges there are also opportunities. Open access to global supply networks and emerging markets is easier than ever before; the highly skilled workforce, world-class creative industries and science bases, and open-market philosophy also put us in a strong position.
The creative industries sector comprises a diverse number of market sub-sectors, from art, design, music, fashion and publishing through to computer games, the performing arts, film, TV and radio. What they all have in common is dynamism, driven by an open culture that embraces diversity, historic investment and, in recent years, technological development.
Technology has many roles - as a tool, technology aids the creative process; technology is integral to products such as video games; and increasingly, technology provides the route to market and the means to develop much closer, more direct, two-way relationships with an audience. Nowhere is the impact of technology more evident than with digital technologies, stimulating innovation across the value chain, and challenging existing market structures and business models.
At the consumer end, technology is driving convergence - where historically we had dedicated platforms and devices to watch TV, make telephone calls and access information, increasingly we are now able to access multiple services through a single device. For the creators, convergence is having a divergent effect. No longer is it just about producing a TV show for a particular broadcast slot; creators have to think about exploiting their idea on the internet and using technology to develop a more interactive relationship with their viewers.
This technological development has blurred the boundaries between different creative industry sub-sectors. Businesses and markets, which traditionally had little in common, now find themselves facing very similar challenges and need co-ordinated, cross-sector solutions. As a national overarching organisation, the Technology Strategy Board is well placed to enable and support cross-sector collaboration. These crosscutting opportunities are discussed in this strategy and will be the focus of our future investment.
Iain Gray, Chief Executive, Technology Strategy Board