Expression of Interest - Research Development Workshop, Connected Communities

Programme (Birmingham University 6th – 8th December)

Dave Harte – Birmingham City University

Reason for attendance

My motivations for attending this workshop are to support its aims to develop new inter-
disciplinary projects and in particular to draw on my experience of brokering links between
the creative industries, the research community and the public sector.

There are several areas of experience that I would bring to the workshop that would provide
useful insights for the wider group:

I. I have experience of influencing, developing and writing policy for the creative and
cultural sector at a regional and city level. During my time seconded to the City Council
(see CV overleaf) I was tasked with influencing a range of policy discussions around the
digital agenda. This varied from questions of infrastructure to issues of digital inclusion
but all required high-level negotiating skills and an understanding of a wider regional
and national political and strategic framework. In particular I advised on the Total Place
pilot in Birmingham and on the City’s approach to Open Data.

II. I have experience of developing and delivering projects. Specifically, projects that
deliver benefits to small to medium- (and often micro-) sized companies. The £1.3m
Digital Central project I ran on behalf of a large consortium (of multiple HEIs and private
bodies) undertook a mixture of on-the-ground support and research to raise the profile
of the sector and support creative companies to grow economically. The most recent
project I undertook was for the Department of Communities and Local Government.
‘Birmingham Open City’ was a first step for Birmingham in demonstrating the potential
for open data to support new models for public service delivery, models that might draw
on expertise in the creative community.

III. Since 2003 I have been a key member of the regional development agency’s work on
the Digital Media sector. The core of my work there has been to broker links between
HEIs and private companies. This brokerage has proved crucial in ensuring there isn’t a
disconnect between researchers and practitioners. This brokerage work continues in my
role as chair of the region’s Science City Digital theme group.

IV. My current area of interest is in the support of creative firms seeking to grow within the
emerging digital economy. As part of this I am currently undertaking research to support
innovation and manage risk in Birmingham’s new library and am also bringing together a
wide-ranging consortium to develop a regional centre for Innovation in Open Data. In
addition I also work closely with the West Midlands’ emerging social media practitioners
both as advocate for digital participation in wider society and as practitioner myself (I run
a successful ‘hyperlocal’ news website)

Overall I would consider that although my academic research profile is very much emerging,
it is my depth of experience in working in knowledge transfer that would prove useful here. In
particular it is my experience of working closely with (and understanding the various
motivations of) policy-makers, practitioners and the creative community that would make a
valuable contribution to new research projects within the Connected Communities
Programme.
CV – Dave Harte

CURRENT EMPLOYMENT – Currently I lead a Masters in Social Media and contribute to

research within two research centres in the university: Birmingham Centre for Media and Cultural
Research and the Institute for Digital Experience and Applications. I also develop projects and
bids for third stream funding activity and have a track record of successfully managing projects.

I have also held a range of relevant seconded positions in external organisations:

Economic Development Manager, Digital Birmingham. Working with Birmingham City Council
to support the economic development of the city through digital technologies. This involved
working with a range of partners in the creative industries and across other industry sectors and
contributing to strategy at a high level.

Project Manager, Digital Central – Managing a £1.3million business development project on

behalf of Advantage West Midlands. Digital Central was a key project in the agency’s ambitions
to develop the screen, image and sound industries in the West Midlands.

Cluster Innovation Manager, Advantage West Midlands – working for the regional
development agency as the link between higher education and the Interactive Media business
cluster. Contributing to regional policy for the region’s emerging Digital sector.

Subject Co-ordinator, Art, Design & Communication Learning and Teaching Support
Network – Promoting good practice in teaching and learning in media education. Liaising
between the media subject associations and the sector skills council on behalf of the Higher
Education Academy.

RECENT RESEARCH AND CONSULTANCY

Peer-reviewed Journal Articles
2009 – ‘Issues in developing an Audio-Visual Cluster in the West Midlands’ Harte, D. In Vol 2
Issue 1, Creative Industries Journal, Intellect.

Conference Papers
2008 – ‘Issues in developing Audio-Visual Clusters’, Regional Studies Association.
2008 – ‘Higher Education and the Creative Economy’, Creative Ambition conference.
2007 – ‘Delivering Clustering in the Screen, Image, Sound Sector’, Creativity and Creative
Sectors, Clusters and Networks Seminar Series, University of Birmingham
2007 – ‘Intermediaries for regional partnerships’, AHRC Research Exchange Network
Conference

Knowledge Transfer Publications

2010 – The West Midlands’ Digital Media sector’, Advantage West Midlands
2008 – Looking Forward, Skillset/Screen West Midlands
2007 – Digital Central Live Music Venue Survey, Digital Central, Advantage West Midlands
2007 – Box (Editor). Digital Central, Advantage West Midlands
2005 – Film Partnership Project Report, Hi8us, Inclusion Through Media

Contributions to regional strategies:

2008 Screen Image Sound Cluster Strategy, Advantage West Midlands
2005 Screen Image Sound Cluster Strategy, Advantage West Midlands

Dave Harte – Birmingham School of Media

Birmingham City University, dave.harte@bcu.ac.uk