Creative Bridges is an AHRC funded Doctoral Focal Award led by the University of Leeds with the University of Warwick and will train PhD students in the latest knowledge, methods and skills for diversity and inclusion in the UK screen industries in ecologically safe ways. Creative Bridges – Connecting Diversity and Sustainability for UK Screen Industries focuses on the changes and innovations in film, television, gaming and immersive media, addressing industry demands for a vibrant ecosystem of creative livelihoods, developed through skills and research for sustainability and diversity. This cohort of PhD researchers will bridge expertise from Media, Communication, Creative and Cultural Industries, Design, Performance, Immersive Technologies and Interdisciplinary Methodologies (within and across two universities) alongside our industry partners.
Students will benefit from a training programme that meets the following five objectives:
1. nurture a new generation of researcher-practitioners to address current and future challenges for UK screen industries production and distribution,
2. build co-supervision across UK regions to support diversity and sustainability R&D for the UK creative economy,
3. research diversity and sustainability as inter-related open challenges through partnerships, placements, pure research and policy projects that redefine the PhD experience,
4. develop skills and techniques for doctoral students based on experiential learning, creative and digital methods, practical experience, and communities of practice professional learning,
5. create a legacy of training pathways in sustainability and diversity research that attracts high calibre researchers from the UK and beyond.