KQ partners meet with the Rt Hon Matt Hancock MP
The Knowledge Quarter is the beginning of a trajectory with the potential for multiplication nationwide allowing companies both large and small to ‘stand on the shoulders of giants’ as industry moves towards new, more creative job roles that require exponentially more collaboration than current and conventional roles.
This was the theme of discussion this morning (28 February 2018) when Knowledge Quarter Partners had the opportunity to meet with The Rt Hon Matt Hancock MP, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. The event, organised by the Knowledge Quarter, was held at the Wellcome Collection. As Secretary of State Matt Hancock is responsible for strategy and policy in main policy areas such as broadcasting, arts and culture, media ownership and more. The DCMS single departmental plan released in January 2018 regarding global, growth, digital participation and society, included a focus on supporting creative and cultural sectors to engage with digital technology to drive audience engagement, innovate and boost the capability of cultural organisations.
A number of themes emerged from the discussion centered on the idea that the pro-active organisation of ecosystems is mission critical for development. There was a focus on the spontaneous growth of hubs such as the Knowledge Quarter building deep connections between large and small institutions as a kind of ‘organised serendipity’ as opposed to a central government role in building such organisations. There was also the start of a discussion as to the future potential of such hubs and expansion into more areas throughout the country, as well as the pulling together of current UK innovation groups in areas such as Liverpool and Leeds that would benefit those in local areas as well as on a national scale in a post Brexit Britain. The idea that hubs such as the Knowledge Quarter allow the combining of creative brilliance and technical ability to define Britain’s niche post Brexit: the combining of the best of old and best of new – a synthesis that benefits us all.
