The UK's creative industries are a national economic strength. Since the turn of the decade, employment, exports and output growth has easily outstripped that in the rest of the economy. Yet, behind this rapid growth lies structural challenges and business uncertainties. And while there has also been rapid growth in academic research on the creative industries, major gaps remain in the evidence base. The PEC will seek to address these and bring about a step change in the quality and quantity of evidence used to inform decision-making with respect to the creative industries. We propose to organise the PEC's work activities in five overlapping workstrands, each led by an expert UK research centre, and coordinated through a Management Board, chaired by Nesta. We indicate our current thinking on priorities below, however in the first year of the PEC's operation we will consult extensively with industry and policymakers on research questions and beyond that keep the PEC's research agenda relevant and inclusive through ongoing engagement and a mixture of commissioning research activities. In workstrand 1 Creative Clusters, led by the Science Policy Research Unit at Sussex University, we want to map and visualise the UK's creative clusters by mining official, open and online data sources, and plugging data gaps using a survey instrument based on that used in the AHRC-funded Brighton Fuse and Creative Fuse North East studies. We will investigate local spillovers between creative and other industries, and conduct foresight activities that will engage industry and policymakers on future opportunities and challenges. In workstrand 2 Skills, Talent and Diversity, led by The Work Foundation, we will track the evolving employment needs of the creative industries. The supply of talent to the creative industries has failed to keep pace with demand - a challenge exacerbated by a lack of diversity. Further, technological, consumer and global trends are driving a shift in production methods and commercial models, creating the need for 'fused' creative, digital and entrepreneurial skills. The PEC will explore how industry, policymakers and educators should respond. In workstrand3 Intellectual Property, Business Models, Access to Finance and Content Regulation, led by CREATe at Glasgow University, we want to develop digital and open data tools that consolidate the evidence on the effects of IP rights on creative production and consumption, changes in business models, and the emerging data economy. We will undertake research on the challenges for the production, distribution and international exploitation of UK AV content in the context of evolving technologies, globalisation and Brexit. We will also research barriers to finance in the creative industries and how policies should address these. In workstrand4 Arts, Culture and Public Service Broadcasting, led by the School of Journalism, Media and Culture at Cardiff University, we want to focus on the opportunities and risks for value creation in creative industries arising from public investment in cultural institutions and public service broadcasters. A priority will be to analyse the challenges arising from the use of digital technologies in the arts, entertainment and news (including platform expansion, data analytics and personalisation, and experimentation), and what policymakers, regulators and funders can do to support the creation of value. In workstrand 5 Creative Industries and International Competitiveness, led by Newcastle University Business School, we will deliver a better understanding of the UK's creative industries in the international economy, including how FDI, immigration and trade influences the spatial distribution of the creative industries. We also propose to improve our understanding of the consequences of Brexit for the creative industries and to inform international trade and investment policies to promote their interests going forward.