RGU extends Creative Entrepreneurship Programme across Scotland

This is the first time since the pandemic that the programme is being offered to creative entrepreneurs across Scotland, as opposed to just those in North East, and is part of the university’s drive to bolster economic, social and cultural development across the country.

Entrepreneurs and innovators across a range of creative industries including visual arts, fashion and textiles, design, crafts, broadcasting and performing arts are invited to apply by 31 January for the next programme which will run in the spring, between May to July, next year.

The programme is fully funded by the Scottish Funding Council, and offers tailor made business support to early-stage creative entrepreneurs who want to grow sustainable creative businesses.

Look Again Co-Director, Hilary Nicoll, said; “I’m really excited to be launching the next Creative Entrepreneurship Programme. We’re offering something really unique and giving creative practitioners the opportunity to network with a community of other like-minded people.

“The programme is also fully funded and online so people can work it around their work and other commitments. What’s exciting about the next programme is that we now have funding to extend the course across Scotland. This will not only support innovation and the economic vitality across the country but will also build up our creative community to support sustainable creative businesses across the country.”

Since starting in 2019, the programme has supported 120 participants across six cohorts. An alumna who took part in the original Creative Accelerator programme, the pre-cursor to the current programme, is Scottish textile designer, Mhairi Allan, creator of ethical lifestyle brand, ‘Paper Houses Design’.

Aberdeen based, Mhairi, is a designer based at Torry based Deemouth Artist Studios (DAS). She is currently one of many local practitioners, showcasing her talent at the newly launched retail unit, EDIT, based in the Schoolhill area of Aberdeen which is part of the Culture Aberdeen Project, led by Gray’s School of Art, to re-energise empty city centre shops.

Mhairi said: “It was great being part of the original creative entrepreneurship accelerator and it's fantastic to see all the brilliant folks who have gone through the course over the years. I am passionate about Scotland’s creative community, the value it brings to our society and economy. It is really important that everyone who wishes to pursue a career in it has the opportunity to do so and that’s why opportunities like RGU’s Creative Entrepreneurship programme are so important.

“I design my own textile range and share textiles skills through teaching, including private workshops and with organisations such as Creative Learning Aberdeen and RGU Access and others to widen participation in the Creative Industries. I’m also going to be hosting weekend workshop at Gray’s in the New Year.

“Taking part in RGU's original creative entrepreneurship accelerator has been really positive for the development of my practice. The Look Again team and RGU’s Enterprise and Innovation Group, along with the other creative practitioners you meet on the course, really helps you hone your business skills and grow your network, which gives you confidence in your creative business.”

The Creative Entrepreneurship Course offers online training, mentorship and development opportunities, along with masterclasses from creative industry leaders, to help creative practices grow and turn into viable businesses.

The course is also a credit-bearing Master’s level qualification and allows participants to accumulate further credits and achieve a full postgraduate qualification over time.

The initiative is a collaboration between RGU's Entrepreneurship and Innovation Group (EIG) and the Look Again team, part of Gray’s School of Art, with funding provided by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC). 

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Image shows creative entrepreneur, Mhairi Allan, textile designer and founder of Paper Houses Design.