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Barry hosted the launching of a report by the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts which published the first ever map of British creativity, identifying the nation's top 'creative hotspots'.

The report illustrated different areas of Britain present different profiles of creative specialisation. Creative industries were shown to compete well in terms of innovation at both the national and regional level, while clustering in similar areas as other innovative industries. NESTA also released an interactive online tool which allows users to see where creative businesses 'cluster' to create areas of excellence and growth.

Barry added the report shows that universities should be doing more to foster creative skills development and industries.

"It is vital that we nurture the skills needed for the creative industries in our schools, colleges and universities. There is no reason why Yorkshire can't be a beacon region for this. Exciting new initiatives such as the Kirklees Studio School are exactly the type of innovative steps we should be taking."

Barry hopes the government will support the findings of the study by maximising existing creative clusters and removing barriers to collaboration between businesses. He believes universities should similarly promote creative innovation in the increasingly tech-intensive industry.

The report was launched 16^th February by NESTA and the Associate Parliamentary Group for Design and Innovation.

To learn more about creative clusters, visit www.nesta.org.uk or see http://www.nesta.org.uk/events/assets/features/creative_clusters_and_innovation_report/ to read the full report.