Detecting Dark Matter Data: data gaps for innovation and R&D activity in the creative industries

How can we collect data about the creative industries for processing and analysis in a way which is more useful for data consumers (such as policymakers and funders) and for data producers (such as businesses and individual creatives)? Although a wide variety of quantitative and qualitative data sources on the creative industries are available, policymakers and creative practitioners alike still struggle to use data effectively as a decision support tool in their strategic thinking and planning. In particular, there is tacit knowledge that sector activity occurs which is not well-captured through traditional economic analysis mechanisms like Companies House data or the Office for National Statistics’ Annual Business Survey. One research participant referred to this data gap as the ‘dark matter’ of the sector. Our research focused especially on data gaps for innovation and R&D activity in the creative industries.