New Funding to Support Ten Creative, Media and Digital Projects in South East Wales

Ten collaborative projects across South East Wales’ creative, media and digital industries will be supported through CREATE, one of two flagship portfolios in the £30m UKRI Local Innovation Partnership Fund (LIPF), secured by Cardiff Capital Region (CCR).

The ten projects bring together businesses, universities, research organisations and innovation partners to develop new technologies, products and services. They include projects from Tramshed Tech, Whisper Cymru and Media Cymru, alongside Triongl, Breaking Change, Fivefold Studios, Good Gate Media, Codiance, Gorilla TV, POVORA and Afanti Media.

The aim is bigger than individual projects. CREATE is designed to strengthen South East Wales’ position as a leading centre for creative technology innovation, where content, emerging technology and entrepreneurial ambition come together.

Cllr Mary Ann Brocklesby, Chair of Cardiff Capital Region and portfolio holder on innovation, said:

“The Local Innovation Partnership Fund is a signal that South East Wales is an innovation-led region. It shows that Wales as a nation is putting innovation at the core of what we are looking to achieve in terms of good growth and our productivity potential.

“The secured funding means we are supporting sectors where we already have internationally recognised strengths, we’re helping transform cutting-edge ideas into new products, services and opportunities for businesses across the region.”

CREATE builds on one of the UK’s fastest-growing creative sectors. Wales’ creative industries turned over £5bn in 2023, up 20% in a year, and support more than 100,000 jobs. More than half of that workforce is based in the Cardiff Capital Region.1

There has been significantly more growth in the number of new media sector businesses in the CCR than any other UK region. Between 2021 and 2025, the number of new media sector companies has increased from 1300 to 2000, while turnover also increased by 59%.²

Over five years, Media Cymru engaged more than 1000 creative innovators, and trained more than 1,000 industry professionals. Supported businesses created 300 additional jobs and tripled their rate of intellectual property (IP) creation. For every £1 that Media Cymru awarded in grant funding, more than £15 in additional turnover was created by those businesses, compared to a non-Media Cymru funded company, and more than £10 in GVA.

Professor Justin Lewis, Director of innovation programme Media Cymru which is led by Cardiff University, said:

“This investment allows us to build on the substantial success of Media Cymru’s Strength in Places Fund (SiPF) activity which enabled us to develop a thriving, interconnected innovation ecosystem for the creative industries in the Cardiff Capital Region, initiating 180 research and development (R&D) projects with the media sector.

“Through the Local Innovation Partnership Fund, we will continue to operate R&D funding competitions with a particular focus on innovation in areas of strength such as film, television, music, and games. This will ensure the region continues to be responsive to opportunities that emerge in our fast-changing global media landscape.

“Our experience and findings to date point to the pressing need to support the translation of R&D into products, services and experiences that can be commercialised at speed. We also need to identify and back creative businesses with high growth potential. We are looking forward to working with funders, partners, industry and policymakers to support the continued growth of the Cardiff Capital Region’s dynamic and highly innovative creative economy.”

That growth spans everything from live broadcasting to games and immersive experiences. Whisper Cymru, broadcast both the Paralympic Games and the Paralympic Winter Games to audiences around the world from the Cymru Broadcast Centre at Tramshed Tech Cardiff.

Louise Harris MBE, Co-Founder and CEO of Tramshed Tech, added:

“South East Wales is already home to an extraordinary concentration of creative talent, technical expertise and world class production capability. Companies such as Whisper Cymru are demonstrating what is possible from Wales, delivering major international productions, pioneering new technologies and putting our region firmly on the global creative map. Alongside an ambitious and growing cluster of creative businesses, we have the talent, infrastructure and expertise to compete with the very best.

“CREATE is more than supporting individual projects. It is about establishing South East Wales as a globally recognised centre for creative technology innovation, where world class content, emerging technologies and entrepreneurial ambition come together to shape the future of the industry.”

Since 2016, Tramshed Tech has played a pivotal role in developing South East Wales’ thriving creative and technology ecosystem, bringing together ambitious businesses, emerging technologies and investment opportunities to accelerate innovation and growth. A standout example is Whisper Cymru, which has grown from a handful of edit suites at Tramshed Tech Cardiff in 2021 into a world class broadcast operation, with the Cymru Broadcast Centre delivering major international productions and pioneering new approaches to remote broadcasting.

Carys Owens, Managing Director at Whisper Cymru, commented:

“Investment in innovation is a proven way to create new opportunities, grow businesses and develop talent, and the Cymru Broadcast Centre is proof of what can be achieved when that investment into crea-tech is matched with ambition.

“With the backing of Cardiff Capital Region, we’ve been able to build a world-class fully accessible operation in Cardiff that has been game-changing for our ability to deliver multiple events simultaneously, across the sporting calendar and on a global scale.

“But the impact goes beyond technology. We’ve always believed that innovation should create opportunities for people too. Through the Whisper Academy, we’re helping open doors into an industry that can often feel out of reach, giving people paid experience, practical skills and a pathway into careers in content creation.

“CREATE is important because it backs the kind of innovation that helps businesses grow, creates skilled jobs and opens up opportunities for the next generation of creative talent. That’s how we continue building internationally recognised creative technology businesses from South East Wales.”

Beyond providing the infrastructure for businesses to grow, Tramshed Tech has been instrumental in developing the next generation of creative technology companies. In 2026, it delivered the Creative Wales Gaming Accelerator, supporting Welsh games studios to strengthen their investment readiness, commercialise their ideas and access international markets.

CREATE sits alongside CSconnected 2030, which will support six compound semiconductor projects, as part of CCR’s £30m Local Innovation Partnership Fund portfolio. Cardiff Capital Region is one of ten UK cities and regions supported by the £500m fund.