NEW lab space and start-up support for the creative arts, business and technology sectors is needed to stay at the forefront of ground-breaking innovations.

That is the key message from a year-long study looking at how the fusion of creative arts, design, business and technology can accelerate innovation and business creation in the creative and digital economy.

The FuseBox24 research project was led by Gillian Youngs, the University of Brighton's professor of digital economy and deputy director of the college of arts and humanities centre for research and development.

Funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, the study was conducted with Wired Sussex, the Brighton members' organisation which helps companies and freelancers in the digital, media and technology sectors create, innovate and grow.

FuseBox24 built on the pioneering findings of Brighton Fuse, which highlighted how the fusion of arts, humanities, design and technology skills had accelerated business success in creative and digital economy.

Professor Youngs said: “The aim of FuseBox24 was to get deeper inside the fusion picture to find out how innovators can be developed as collaborative, flexible, robust sustainable and customer-focused.

“The project tested a toolbox of techniques combining creative arts, technology and business approaches to those ends.”

By focusing on the innovators themselves she said the results “turn conventional thinking about innovation on its head”.

The report calls for new shared space, for creatives and makers as much as technology and to enable sole traders and micro-businesses to collaborate and develop ideas.

There should also be new support and tools fusing creative arts, business and technology approaches to enable them to gain the most out of collaboration for sustainable innovation.

Prof Youngs added: “FuseBox24 findings demonstrated that arts, humanities and design approaches are highly effective in meeting these needs.

“The dual power of collaborative and individual development in achieving business and customer focus and clarity in innovators needs to be prioritised in skills and education as well as business support arenas.

“Local economic partnerships, sector skills councils, further education and higher education all have roles to play here.”

FuseBox24 also called for “more experimentation in where and how research takes place, and greater orientation towards, and opportunity for, co-creation with artistic, business and technology practice”.

Phil Jones, managing director of Wired Sussex, said: “We do see this as a standard-bearer for a new model of supporting businesses.”

For the full report go to fusebox24.co.uk