The proposed network addresses the 'Digital Transformations in the Arts and Humanities' Highlight Notice. It will explore the challenges and opportunities posed by the 'infinite archive', in the shape of the web and other digital resources which have become an increasingly important component in all fields of academic enquiry in recent years. The impact of these 'infinite' digital resources on the processes of academic research are so far not well understood; neither is the role methods of enquiry specific to the humanities could play in the creation and exploitation of next-generation digital resources and repositories. The network will examine: the ways in which the infinite archive structures the recording, representation, and replay of digital records, how we analyse evidence; the production and communication of knowledge within the infinite archive; how the analytical and methodological skills specific to the humanities may have to change to accommodate the infinite archive; and, finally, how the humanities can transform current data management processes and increase the value of existing and future digital assets. In Phase 1, the network will focus on three fundamental protocols of academic research in the context of the infinite archive - data gathering and retrieval, knowledge preservation and expertise, methodology and interpretation; Phase 2 will build on the outcomes of Phase 1 to explore the potential and role of practical applications in the digital economy. The network is designed to include a range of research and engagement cultures and mechanisms to help break down boundaries between the individual constituencies and explore the potential for innovative knowledge exchange. It draws on existing collaborative partnerships - regionally, nationally, and internationally, within academia and with public and private partners. It benefits from collaboration with US partners conducting world-leading research in the field of digital humanities; from the expertise and support of nationally and internationally leading public and private industry partners; and from strong intellectual, technical and financial support from the Horizon Digital Economy Hub based at Nottingham. To foster exchange between these groups, the network will employ traditional modes of interaction alongside more innovative forms of engagement, chosen specifically to bridge existing communication gaps between the arts and sciences, and between academics and commercial partners.

Over the last decade, the creative industries have been revolutionised by the Internet and the digital economy. The UK, already punching above its weight in the global cultural market, stands at a pivotal moment where it is well placed to build a cultural, business and regulatory infrastructure in which first movers as significant as Google, Facebook, Amazon or iTunes may emerge and flourish, driving new jobs and industry. However, for some creators and rightsholders the transition from analogue to digital has been as problematic as it has been promising. Cultural heritage institutions are also struggling to capitalise upon new revenue streams that digitisation appears to offer, while maintaining their traditional roles. Policymakers are hampered by a lack of consensus across stakeholders and confused by partisan evidence lacking robust foundations. Research in conjunction with industry is needed to address these problems and provide support for legislators. CREATe will tackle this regulatory and business crisis, helping the UK creative industry and arts sectors survive, grow and become global innovation pioneers, with an ambitious programme of research delivered by an interdisciplinary team (law, business, economics, technology, psychology and cultural analysis) across 7 universities. CREATe aims to act as an honest broker, using open and transparent methods throughout to provide robust evidence for policymakers and legislators which can benefit all stakeholders. CREATe will do this by: - focussing on studying and collaborating with SMEs and individual creators as the incubators of innovation; - identifying "good, bad and emergent business models": which business models can survive the transition to the digital?, which cannot?, and which new models can succeed and scale to drive growth and jobs in the creative economy, as well as supporting the public sector in times of recession?; - examining empirically how far copyright in its current form really does incentivise or reward creative work, especially at the SME/micro level, as well as how far innovation may come from "open" business models and the "informal economy"; - monitoring copyright reform initiatives in Europe, at WIPO and other international fora to assess how they impact on the UK and on our work; - using technology as a solution not a problem: by creating pioneering platforms and tools to aid creators and users, using open standards and released under open licences; - examining how to increase and derive revenues from the user contribution to the creative economy in an era of social media, mash-up, data mining and "prosumers"; - assessing the role of online intermediaries such as ISPs, social networks and mobile operators to see if they encourage or discourage the production and distribution of cultural goods, and what role they should play in enforcing copyright. Given the important governing role of these bodies should they be subject to regulation like public bodies, and if so, how?; - consider throughout this work how the public interest and human rights, such as freedom of expression, privacy, and access to knowledge for the socially or physically excluded, may be affected either positively or negatively by new business models and new ways to enforce copyright. To investigate these issues our work will be arranged into seven themes: SMEs and good, bad and emergent business models; Open business models; Regulation and enforcement; Creators and creative practice; Online intermediaries and physical and virtual platforms; User creation, behaviour and norms; and, Human rights and the public interest. Our deliverables across these themes will be drawn together to inform a Research Blueprint for the UK Creative Economy to be launched in October 2016.