Cultural and Media Policy Studies News and Events
CMPS Annual Lecture & Cultural Policy Network Launch - 10th June
CMPS is delighted to welcome Professor Tom Crick, Chief Scientific Advisor to DCMS to give this year's Annual Lecture - Why Culture Needs Science: Evidence, Expertise and the Public Value of DCMS. The event will also mark the launch of the University's inter-disciplinary Cultural Policy Network, hosted in SCAPVC.
The lecture will be on Weds 10th June from 4pm-6pm in FAB0.03. More details below. It will be followed by a wine reception, so please register your attendance here
Why Culture Needs Science: Evidence, Expertise and the Public Value of DCMS
In this Annual Lecture, Professor Tom Crick MBE, Chief Scientific Adviser at DCMS, will reflect on the role of science, research and expert advice in shaping policy across the department’s unusually broad portfolio. He will discuss how DCMS is strengthening its evidence base through its major R&D Programme, the College of Experts, and flagship analytical work such as the Culture and Heritage Capital Programme. The lecture will focus in particular on the department’s refreshed Areas of Research Interest, setting out the major research questions and evidence needs where DCMS is seeking deeper engagement with academic, sectoral and interdisciplinary expertise.
The lecture will explore what a more mature relationship between cultural policy and research might look like: one capable not only of informing individual decisions, but also of helping government understand, evidence and act on the wider public value of culture, creativity, media and civic life in a period of rapid technological, social and economic change.
Professor Tom Crick MBE is to the UK Government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport, where he provides strategic leadership on science, research, and evidence-informed policy across sectors including culture, creative industries, media, sport, and civil society. He is at the University of Bristol, with an interdisciplinary research and policy portfolio spanning AI, data governance, digital skills, and the role of technology in society, particularly across culture, creativity and the information ecosystem.
Tom has extensive experience at the research–policy–practice interface, including senior leadership roles in academia and public bodies. His work has shaped national approaches to STEM education, AI governance, and digital innovation, with a particular focus on public value, place-based growth, and responsible and inclusive technology adoption. He currently serves on a number of national and international advisory bodies, and is a non-executive director in the utilities sector. He was previously Deputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor at Swansea University, where he led civic mission and supported research and innovation strategy. He was appointed MBE in the 2017 Queen’s Birthday Honours, and is a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales and the Academy of Social Sciences.