Creative, Digital and Tech

Creativity and technology are fusing, and we are seeing a cultural revolution in Doncaster

We are witnessing important structural changes in the economy for the City of Doncaster. One of the most exciting advances is the growth of the creative, cultural and digital sector. Emerging alongside our long-established sectors such as rail and engineering, digital technology clusters are growing and the creative and cultural scene is being transformed.

This dynamic change is putting the building blocks in place to help facilitate rapid economic growth.

Drone image of Cultural Quarter at night

Doncaster’s Civic and Cultural quarter is home to the impressive Doncaster Gallery Library and Museum, which provides a high-quality education space with training, meeting and conference facilities.

Here you will also find the Savoy Cinema and Cast theatre; a creative hub that provides opportunities for local and regional artists to realise their ideas.

The voice of the creative community is heard loud and proud through organisations such as Sine FM, TX1 Radio, Darts (Doncaster Community Arts), Doncaster Creative Network and DCLT.

Incubators, hubs, networking opportunities and co-working spaces.

These are all part of the new generation of facilities for creative and digital start-ups and include C-View, Queens Road Design Centre and Workhere.

There is a highly collaborative ecosystem throughout the city, thanks to competitive property and staff costs, a supportive business environment and a pipeline of people with digital skills available locally.

Doncaster UTC

Cutting-edge digital qualifications in areas such as creative media production, games design, cyber security, animation, film, TV, fine art, illustration and graphic design are available from local education providers. These include Doncaster UTC, the Lightforge Academy, Doncaster College and New College. Digital techniques using Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and gaming are being used to provide training and virtual simulation experiences for the more traditional sectors such as manufacturing and aviation.

Businesses such as Prox & Reverie provide local companies with access to multi reality experience and the use of a cutting-edge experiential studio which uses Reality Convergence Volume (RCV) for enhanced simulation and industrial applications.

Another example is the Wayne Sables Project that provides commercial film making services, digital events, digital installations and live streaming of events.

Industry 4.0 or the fourth industrial revolution and expansion of the Internet of Things (IOT) is happening right here in Doncaster.

We are seeing the development of an increasingly enterprising economy, built on technology, creativity, collaboration and innovation.

Advanced digital infrastructure combined with excellent physical links by road, rail and sea, allows Doncaster's businesses and residents to lead modern lives and reach new markets. Improved connectivity across the city, including high speed broadband and 5G provides reliable digital connectivity, therefore enabling the rapid transfer of information, which is crucial for today's business efficiency.

Doncaster has its sights firmly set on being known as a truly creative, innovative, passionate and digitally well-connected place to do business.

Available funding:

The Tech Welcome Grant is a South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) funded initiative, aimed at bringing the brightest tech and digital companies into Doncaster, covering accommodation costs up to £10k.  

This grant also supports existing tech businesses already located in Doncaster who may be looking for their first physical office.

For further information or to apply for the grant, please click here

For more information contact Gemma White

Last updated: 23 August 2023, 16:20