A new government-industry forum has been launched to help UK creative businesses reach overseas customers, attract investment and overcome barriers to international growth. Alongside it, the government has announced a further £10 million for an Innovate UK programme aimed at creative technology firms.
For small studios, agencies and technology-led creative companies, the announcement is potentially useful—but it is not an immediate open grant round. Owners should separate the new forum’s longer-term policy role from the funding opportunities expected through Innovate UK in 2027.
What has been announced?
The Creative Trade Forum brings together government, trade bodies and leaders from fields including advertising, gaming, film, music, design, architecture and artificial intelligence. It will report to the Creative Industries Council.
According to the Department for Business and Trade and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the forum will identify obstacles to growth, promote UK creative exports, support international commercial partnerships and provide industry-led insight to government. Its members include representatives from organisations such as the British Film Institute, UK Interactive Entertainment, the Design Business Association, the Crafts Council, Innovate UK and UK Export Finance.
The announcement also confirms £10 million of further backing for Innovate UK’s Next Wave programme. That programme is designed to help micro businesses and SMEs turn creative technology ideas into scalable products and services, connect with investment and enter overseas markets.
A previous £10 million pilot attracted around 700 applicants. The next funding opportunities are due to launch in 2027 and will focus on film and television, video games, music, performing and visual arts, and advertising and marketing. Detailed eligibility, application dates and award terms have not yet been published in the announcement.
Why this matters to smaller creative businesses
The UK’s creative industries contributed more than £145 billion to the economy in 2024, according to provisional government estimates cited with the launch. Yet international expansion can be particularly difficult for smaller firms.
A creative SME may own valuable intellectual property but lack the time or specialist knowledge to choose export markets, protect rights, find distributors, understand local rules or price work across currencies. A small games studio, production company or design practice can also face a long gap between development spending and overseas revenue.
The forum will not solve those problems directly for every business. Its practical value will depend on whether industry feedback leads to clearer market access, better-targeted programmes and commercial introductions beyond the largest established companies. The promised Next Wave funding is more tangible, but firms will need to wait for the 2027 calls before knowing whether a project qualifies.
What creative SMEs can do now
Businesses do not need to wait for the application window to prepare. A short readiness review can make a later funding bid or export plan more credible:
- Define the scalable product. Explain what can be sold repeatedly, licensed or delivered internationally without costs rising at the same rate as revenue.
- Record evidence of demand. Keep customer interviews, pilot results, letters of interest and sales data that show a genuine market need.
- Check ownership. Confirm that contracts clearly assign intellectual property and that the business has permission to commercialise every important asset.
- Choose markets deliberately. Compare customer demand, competition, language, regulation, distribution and payment risk before pursuing several countries at once.
- Build a funding plan. Estimate development costs, management time and working-capital needs, and identify what the company will contribute alongside any public support.
- Watch official channels. Follow Innovate UK and the government’s creative industries updates for the actual competition brief, deadlines and eligibility rules.
A useful signal, with details still to come
The launch signals that creative exports and creative technology remain priorities within the UK’s industrial strategy. It also gives trade bodies a route to raise problems experienced by smaller businesses, from market access and finance to the challenges of turning intellectual property into recurring international revenue.
However, SMEs should avoid treating the headline £10 million as funding that is available today. The sensible response is to strengthen the commercial case now, monitor the 2027 competition announcements and assess the final terms against a real growth project rather than reshaping the business simply to fit a grant.
Sources
Department for Business and Trade and Department for Culture, Media and Sport: New Creative Trade Forum to boost UK creative industries (published 26 August 2026).
