The London Creative and Digital Fusion programme of interactive, tailored and in-depth support was designed to support the UK capital’s creative and digital companies to collaborate, innovate and grow. It was part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), via the Greater London Authority.  Headed up by Lancaster University, Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) was one of the main partners because of its outstanding experience in assisting SMEs to develop innovative ideas through collaborations with universities and each other.  In collaboration with Creativeworks London, QMUL delivered more than forty London Creative and Digital Fusion Collaborative Awards and Researcher in Residence placements, as well as business support packages tailored specifically to creative and digital companies and the two funding opportunities.

Visit London Fusion Website

Please note that the London Creative and Digital Fusion programme is now closed (December 2014). There will be no further funding rounds of the London Creative and Digital Fusion Collaborative Awards.

Please note that our programme of awards has now closed.

The London Creative and Digital Fusion Collaborative Awards were part of the CREATE Phase of the London Creative and Digital Fusion project. Taking into account different cultural requirements, its aim was to nurture creative and digital SMEs, make connections, with academia and business, leading to new jobs and growth.

The Fusion Collaborative award programme, delivered by Queen Mary University of London, gave selected firms access to innovation vouchers, with which they could purchase support from a range of expert providers. The programme delivered thirty seven collaborations between SMEs and universities, enabling companies to create new jobs, processes and  products that are leading their businesses into growth and sustainability.

The Fusion Collaborative Awards scheme enabled SMEs to:

• Access the wealth of knowledge and expertise from the London knowledge-base of selected academic partners and independent research organisations
• Develop innovative thinking and solutions to resolving business problems
• Access expertise to resolve a technical or non-technical issue
• Improve product development
• Get a product/service to market quicker 
Develop long-term collaborative relationships with another business and/or academic partner
• Develop long-term collaborative relationships

A framework of Higher Education Institutions / Independent Research Organisation partners was selected via a tender process to participate in the Fusion Collaborative Award scheme. These were the Knowledge Base Providers:

• Goldsmiths, University of London
• King’s College London
• Kingston University
• Queen Mary University of London
• Central School for Speech and Drama
• Centre for Creative Collaboration
• Tate

For further information about this scheme please contact:
Jasmina Bolfek-Radovani at j.bolfek-radovani@qmul.ac.uk.

For a list and description of projects awarded, please go here.

The Fusion Collaborative Awards programme is now closed.

Partnering together with Creativeworks London, this placement scheme offered SME’s access to a number of high profile London universities that have large numbers of highly motivated, entrepreneurial PhD students and postdoctoral researchers who have the knowledge and skills that creative businesses need.

The Creativeworks London and the QMUL Fusion teams have run three joint rounds in 2013 and 2104. For Creativeworks London future rounds, please visit the appropriate pages on the website.

For further information about this jointly funded scheme, please contact Naomi de Maio at n.m.demaio@qmul.ac.uk

Between May 2013 and March 2014, the London Fusion team at Queen Mary University of London organised a two-part programme consisting of a series of of multidisciplinary problem-solving workshops, or “sandpits”, and a series of workshops covering all aspects of intellectual property (IP) relevant to creative and digital businesses.

The workshops were conceived as an introduction to the Fusion Collaborative Award programme; they were devised to equip the SMEs applying for a Fusion Collaborative award with the tools, thechniques and knowledge necessary to prepare them both for the application process and their collaboration with the chosen university partner.

This is what a couple of participants thought about our IP workshop:

“Really useful. The second half of the session was invaluable. I really enjoyed the session – overall, for quality of the presentation/information, was practical and very useful.” – B3 Media

“Informative, digestible and approachable” – Rolley Golf

Dr Jasmina Bolfek-Radovani

QMUL London Fusion Coordinator

j.bolfek-radovani@qmul.ac.uk

PhD 2013, University of Westminster. Jasmina is a Project Manager with expertise in research management and EC grant management. She has knowledge of several funding schemes (Framework Programme, Humanities in the Research Area, European Regional Development Fund) and has experience of working in different HEI environments (both in the UK & Europe). She is fluent in three European languages (English, French, Croatian) and has a working knowledge of two other European languages (Swedish & German). She is currently working as the QMUL Coordinator, London Creative and Digital Fusion and her main area of responsibility is the management of the London Fusion Collaborative Awards programme and the development of the B2B Collaboration workshop.

For more information and to check if your SME is eligible to take part in these workshops please contact:

Naomi De Maio

London Creative and Digital Fusion Administrator

n.m.demaio@qmul.ac.uk