Businesses in the creative industries are to receive about £50 million of Government investment, it has been announced.

Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said the money would give companies “the tools they need to expand their work and provide even more jobs”.

The investment includes £21 million through a three-year UK Global Screen Fund, following a year-long pilot.

Coronavirus – Tue Sep 8, 2020
The BFI’s Southbank cinema in London (Yui Mok/PA)

Administered by the British Film Institute (BFI), the fund from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) aims to increase the international reach and revenues of UK independent screen content.

Funding of £8 million will help start-up gaming businesses grow via the UK Games Fund, which was established in 2015 and is headquartered in Dundee.

More than £18 million will go to the Creative Scale Up Programme, which provides finance and business support to firms outside of London, as part of the Government’s “levelling up” agenda.

Ms Dorries said: “The creative industries in the UK are truly world class and I am committed to doing everything I can to support their innovative work as they continue to thrive.

“£50 million of Government investment will provide businesses across the country with the tools they need to expand their work and provide even more jobs as we look to level up opportunities across the country.”

Ben Roberts, chief executive of the BFI, said: “It’s great news that the UK Global Screen Fund is set to deliver a further three years of vital support to our world class independent screen industries. In its pilot (this) year, the fund has stimulated new international partnerships, boosting co-production, distribution and development opportunities to drive growth and export.

“This continued investment recognises the power and potential of UK screen content and ensures that we can build on its global impact, delivering for the UK economy and reaching new audiences around the world.”