Op initiatief van de vakgroep kunst en economie van de Universiteit Utrecht is samen met het Lectoraat Kunst en Economie het onderzoeksprogramma Creative Grounds ontwikkeld. Creative Grounds, European Research Programme on Cultural Entrepreneurship 2009-2013 vormt de basis voor PhD-trajecten en vormt een brug tussen meer fundamenteel onderzoek en praktijkgericht onderzoek.

Het onderzoeksprogramma Creative Grounds bestaat uit 7 onderzoeken:

1. Cultural entrepreneurship: artists, artistic interventions and organisational life
Aim: To research the effects of interventions by visual artists who contribute their artistic creativity to visualise organisational life and group cultures.

2. Cultural entrepreneurship in CEE/SEE: the role of international foundations/donors in support of cultural NGOs
Aim: to research the role of international foundations/donors in stimulating cultural entrepreneurship in transitional societies of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE/SEE)

3. Cultural entrepreneurship in the upcoming Creative Industries in China
Aim: to research the role of cultural entrepreneurship in stimulating creative industries and Creative SMEs in China.

4. Growth and Developments of Creative teams/Creative firms
Aim: to research growth and development of creative teams in the initial phase, entering into a more mature phase, especially in the new media.

5. Growth and Development of creative production firm in its pioneering phase
Aim: to research longitudinally the growth and development of a creative production firm in the first phases of its existence.

6. Cultural entrepreneurship and intellectual property rights in Africa
Aim: To research the consequences of the system of intellectual property rights, and specifically of copyright, for cultural life and cultural entrepreneurship in countries in Africa.

7. Cultural entrepreneurship as an expression of freedom
Aim: To deepen understanding of scientific and professional dilemmas of integration of two freedoms, freedom of art and freedom of entrepreneurship as the foundations of cultural entrepreneurship.