Technology roadmap for the Creative Industries

This paper discusses the findings of research conducted between 2013 and 2016, which concerned the development of technology roadmaps for the Creative Industries. The roadmap presented in this paper was built based on input from communities of creative and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) experts collected during the consultation and validation phases of the research. It provides a synthesis of challenges and recommendations from the five creative sectors examined by the project – Architecture, Art, Design, Games, Media and e-Publishing – and proposes research directions for the development of desired future technologies, by highlighting innovative future developments in the Creative Industries, while also assessing their technology maturity in the short, medium and longer terms. By rating the desired technologies as ‘present’ (1–2 years), ‘possible’ (2--5 years), or ‘probable’ (5–10 years or beyond), the roadmap gives orientation towards the development of new technologies and related business models and skills and provides guidance for informed policy-making. The paper thus aims at enabling stakeholders – creators, professionals, SMEs, creative groups, creative communities, associations, organisations and institutions, as well as governments and policy makers – to maximise their benefit and the societal value from the new emerging technology landscape in the Creative Industries.