T17/3582 Contract for Creative Fuse:Digital Literature

The University is seeking a supplier to work alongside Northumbria’s Creative FUSE team and take the lead on designing and delivering a professional digital development programme for writers in the North East of England.

Focusing specifically on the needs of writers in the region (sole traders / freelancers / SMEs), the development programme will:

• equip writers with the practical skills and broader competencies that will enable them to create and build their own brand digitally;
• equip writers with the knowledge that they need to develop, market and sell their work through digital platforms and with digital partners;
• develop a resource bank of advice and guidance that keeps pace with development in digital technologies.

In order to deliver these aims, the supplier will engage with industry and business by incorporating professional expertise into the design and/or delivery of the support where relevant, and developing resources and case studies in collaboration with businesses to ensure that the resources keep pace with developments in digital technologies.

The professional digital development programme will support writers across the region through a range of activities, including a seminar series, a resource bank, a library of case studies, mentoring support, and tailored advice and guidance. The programme will deliver sustained support assists (c. 12 hours face-to-face contact) to writers.

Focusing specifically on the needs of writers in the region, the professional digital development programme will cover aspects including (but not limited to): understanding the industry; audience development; understanding technology within the specific context of writing; developing practical skills with digital technologies. While the programme content will be agreed with the successful supplier, it is likely to cover (but not be limited to): vlogs, blogs, podcasts, audio books, crowd funding, developing websites, and popular systems such as Wordpress.