Creative, Digital & Tech

Norwich’s creative, digital and tech industry is booming, with digital tech businesses at the heart of our region’s growing economy. The University of East Anglia and Norwich University of the Arts play a big role in the success of this industry, as well as the dynamic, innovative and supportive tech community in the area – which hosts regular meet-up events.

In fact, a national study by Tech Nation pinpointed Norwich as a ‘vibrant technology cluster’. With organisations existing to ‘accelerate the growth and amplify the success of the digital economy in the East of England’, it’s no wonder our region is a bustling hub for digital start-ups with such a high success rate.

With events like Sync the City, a hackathon 54 hour start-up event, there is a huge amount of talent and innovation in Norwich, and the city has a thriving and collaborative tech and digital creative community.

Norwich is England’s first UNESCO City of Literature – which may explain why it is a city full of creatives. Nurturing those creatives is Norwich University of the Arts, an established name in arts, design and media education for more than 175 years. Their reputation for excellence is well earned, as Norwich University of the Arts was awarded Arts University of the Year by the Daily Mail University Guide (2025).

The UEA’s award winning MA in creative writing has generated many world famous authors, including Kazuo Ishiguro, Ian McEwan and Rose Tremain.

In addition, CreativeUEA builds on UEA’s longstanding history of creativity and innovation – across the arts, sciences, social sciences and enterprise – to explore new areas of interdisciplinary research, learning, action and outreach.

Credit: NUA
  • Norwich is England’s first UNESCO City of Literature
  • With a 43% startup retention rate, Norwich is one of the top-performing cities in the East of England.
  • Norwich University of the Arts was ranked 10th in the Sunday Times Good University Guide 2022
  • Norwich has been pinpointed as a ‘vibrant technology cluster’

Case Studies

  • Sally's Relocation Story

    Originally from Northern Ireland, by way of Belgium and London, Sally moved to Norwich in 2014 with her family. She runs her own small business, designing and making knitted lambswool textiles. She’s also an art and textiles technician at Norwich High School.

    Sally’s Relocation Story

  • Ross's Relocation Story

    Ross made the decision to move his business to Norwich from his base in London in May 2021. We discover what made him decide to make the move, and what he loves about working in Norwich…

    Ross's Story

  • Ebi's Relocation Story

    Ebi moved to Norwich from Lagos, Nigeria two years ago after learning Norwich was ranked as one of the best places to live in the UK.

    Ebi’s Story

  • Ali's Relocation Story

    Discover what it's like to move from New York to Norwich. Ali Smith, a photographer, musician, and writer explores her journey, insights on Norwich's creative community, and the challenges of relocating across the Atlantic.

    Ali Smith: A Transatlantic Move

  • Norwich for Digital Start-Ups

    “The digital community in Norwich enables you to build a network very quickly. It’s a great place to live and work, gives you a great lifestyle, along with a lower cost of living (compared to other counties in the south). Access to a talent pipeline via the universities and colleges. Access to business incubators such as Akcela. It’s a small city, so we are naturally clustered, which creates serendipity.”

    Case Study: Norwich for Digital Start-ups