The Bow Research Group: Open Call for Research Proposals

Exploring the Impact of the Creative Industries in the UK

Bow Arts Trust, a leading London based arts charity, is launching a call for applications for up to 15 research residencies in central London to build a community of practice – the Bow Research Group – on the impact of the creative industries in the UK. Applications are welcomed from PhD students, early career researchers and more established researchers to help develop knowledge and understanding of the creative sector and some of the challenges it faces.

Areas of Research Interest Objectives
Research proposals are invited for current or new research that align with one or more of the following areas of research interest:

  1. Economic Impact: the contribution made by the creative industries to the UK economy, including job creation, GDP contribution, and export potential.
  2. Impact of Clustering: the impact made by artist clustering to the socio-economic well-being of a neighbourhood or district
  3. Social Well-being: the role of creative industries in enhancing social inclusion, mental health, and community engagement.
  4. Artist Housing 1: the challenge of retaining and supporting creative talent within the UK context of unaffordable housing and general phenomenon of demand for (affordable) housing outstripping supply?
  5. Artist Housing 2: supply of affordable artist housing, forms, tenures, the success (or otherwise) of affordable artist housing interventions and impact on individual and community well being

Further information about the opportunity is provided in the PDF below.

Bow Research Group FinalDownload

Application Process

Interested researchers are invited to submit the following:

  1. Research Proposal: A proposal (up to 1,500 words) outlining the research objectives, methodology, expected outcomes, and how the study aligns with the call’s areas of research interest.
  2. Statement of Benefit: A statement (up to 1,000 words) outlining how you would use the potential resources available through the residency i.e. the central London location, co-location with other researchers, access to Bow Arts licensees / archives etc. and the specific benefits that Bow Research Group residency would bring to your research.
  3. Award Sought: An indication of the financial award being requested.
  4. Statement of Support: A statement of support from either an academic supervisor (if a PhD research student) or line manager or equivalent for other researchers.
  5. CV: A current CV (up to 2 pages) for each researcher involved in the project. The CV should also provide details (including contact details) for two referees for each researcher involved in the project.
  6. Timeline: An estimated timeline for the research, including key milestones and deliverables.

Key Dates

  • Issue of Call Out: w/c 25.11.24
  • Application Deadline: 20.12.24
  • Possible Interviews of Shortlisted Candidates: w/c 13.01.25
  • Notification of Results: w/c 20.01.25
  • Commencement: w/c 27.01.25

Submission Instructions

Please submit your application as a single PDF document to apallister@bowarts.com with the subject line “Creative Industries Research Proposal”.

For any enquiries or further information, please contact Nick Smales via apallister@bowarts.com

References

ACE (2021) Arts Council England – Let’s Create Strategy 2020-2030. Arts Council England. Manchester, UK.

MoL (2019) Mayor of London – Cultural Infrastructure Plan. A Call to Action. March 2019