Developing dihybrid delivery: how higher education institutions can become integrated collaborators in creative innovation

This paper presents a discussion on the evolving role of staff working in higher education institutions (HEIs) in the UK to deliver research, development and innovation (R,D&I) activity with the creative and cultural industries. It focuses on the complex job roles that exist in HEIs undertaking these activities and those working as interlocutors, entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs and innovators. The term “dihybrid staff” has been adopted to explain how the individuals and teams within HEIs delivering this work possess a wide range of skills and experiences gained from work in both academia and industry (the creative sector). The paper coins the term “dihybrid” for staff in HEIs and assesses the evolving role of these “dihybrid staff”– often somewhere between industry and academics - who increasingly design, lead, manage, and deliver programmes. Individually and collectively, they engage with this sector on behalf of the HEIs in which they work and undertake a range of knowledge exchange activities. The paper presents a model for analysing the skills required from staff within UK HEIs doing this work with a focus on its future development. • University staff play a key role in the innovation ecosystems of creative industry clusters. • Decentralised leadership is central to ensuring all cluster actors’ skills and experience are fully accessed. • Integrated collaboration rather than intermediation as a leadership style from universities in developing clusters. • University staff with diverse skills and experience from beyond academia were key to successful creative industry clusters.