Module: CCO6001-20 Creative Incubator

Level: 6

Credit Value: 20

Module Tutor: Jake Hobbs

Module Tutor Contact Details: j.hobbs@bathspa.ac.uk 

1.Brief description of module

Creative Incubator is about exploring the commercial viability of your ideas. It helps you transform proposals for new digital products or services into commodifiable prototypes. Such prototypes should demonstrate the potential to be developed into products that could attract further funding or be released into the marketplace. In short, Creative Incubator investigates how we can make money from what we do, whether that is game making, web app development, animation, immersive creative media making or another form of digital creativity.

This module takes the form of a 13-week incubator. You participate as part of a crew to design and develop a product prototype around a given theme (e.g. health, heritage, environment). To support the enterprise aspects of Creative Incubator, you receive insight on funding models, collaborative working practices, audience analysis, professional networking, pitching and identifying routes to market. The output of Creative Incubator is a product prototype: a culmination of each crew’s collaborative skills, technical knowledge and industry insight. Product prototypes are presented via a showcase event that takes place at the end of the module.

2. Outline syllabus: 

Creative Incubator engages a number of themes found in its real-world counterpart:

• Entrepreneurialism, team building and collaboration skills

• Ideation techniques for commercial projects

• Project planning (e.g. setting goals, identifying tools)

• An understanding of market research and audience profiling

• An overview of contemporary funding models

• Fund management strategies

• The development of a first steps prototype

• Pitching and negotiation training

• An understanding of online marketing

• Best practice surrounding ideas protection

• Access to mentorship to help shape ideas

• Opportunities to network with like-minded people and potential stakeholders

3. Teaching and learning activities: 

The Incubator

Creative Incubator draws on the design thinking methodologies as a model for collaboration and project development. This is a tried and tested approach to supporting small creative companies in the research and development of good ideas.

The module comprises industry insight talks, sandbox sessions, supervisory meetings and student-led workshops. You take ownership of an idea in small teams and draw on the theoretical foundations and best practices described by your mentors to grow your idea into something that has commercial promise. Mentors include your Bath Spa tutors as well as visiting speakers/entrepreneurs who have frequent and recent experience of the topics listed above.

It is essential that you engage Creative Incubator actively from the start. A poor, rushed idea is typically much harder to ‘sell’ than one that has been well considered. You are required to undertake self-directed study, organise crew meetups outside of teaching time, and follow up the networking opportunities presented to you by your mentors.

Assessment Item 1:

• Assessment Type: Course Work

• Description:   Showcase

• % Weighting: 25%

Assessment Item 2:

• Assessment Type: Course Work

• Description: Incubator Portfolio

• % Weighting: 75%