Beyond the campus: higher education, cultural policy and the creative economy

This article examines the dimensions and dynamics of an expanding area of policy interest: the relationships between higher education and the creative economy. These activities feature collaboration between individuals and networks from the different sectors, involved in teaching, curriculum and policy development, research and knowledge exchange. They have become the focus of policy debates through their central role in stimulating innovation, creative and cultural clusters, sector development and graduate employability as well as their broader contribution to economic development and regeneration. They sit at the crossroads of different policy fields, namely cultural policy (involving the explicit support and development of the creative and cultural sector), higher education policy (including skills and curriculum development, but also fees structures and widening participation) and work and economic development policies (concerning, for example, employment regulation and business support). In this introductory essay, we explore two key dimensions through which higher education institutions and the cultural and creative sector interconnect: creative human capital and knowledge development, drawing on findings from a UK Arts and Humanities Research Council funded international research network looking at the platforms, practices and shared spaces beyond the campus. We also introduce the themes and contributions to this special issue of the International Journal of Cultural Policy.