This research explores whether Scotland should establish a dedicated cultural export service to help its artists, creative practitioners and cultural organisations develop sustainable international opportunities.

Scotland’s culture is already shared around the world through touring, exhibitions, publishing, digital distribution, co-productions, professional services and long-term partnerships. However, Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic have created lasting financial, logistical and administrative barriers. Without better co-ordination and support, Scotland risks losing international opportunities, sector knowledge and a generation of globally connected practitioners.

Commissioned by the Scottish Government in partnership with the British Council, the research examines the needs of Scotland’s arts and cultural sectors and considers how a future service could respond. It draws on a survey of 124 respondents, 21 consultation groups involving 68 stakeholders, 13 in-depth interviews and desk research into cultural export systems in comparator countries. The report covers sectors including music, performing and visual arts, literature and publishing, festivals, craft and design, screen, digital and games, heritage, and traditional and Gaelic arts. It presents four potential models and recommends a phased, cross-sector service with music as its first fully developed specialist division.

Key findings

The evidence points to five headline findings:

  • Scotland’s export ecosystem is fragmented.
  • Brexit and Covid created lasting barriers.
  • Funding is poorly aligned to export realities.
  • Informal networks dominate access.
  • Comparator nations invest strategically in export infrastructure. 

Citation 

Beattie, B., Tully, K., & Kearns, T. (2026). Something similar, but different: Considering a Scottish Cultural Export Service. British Council.https://doi.org/10.57884/86AK-M139 
© British Council 2026. Shared under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses /by-nc/4.0/).

Share this