West Midlands' £6.75m bid to become 'leader in innovation' with gaming and creative industries cluster
A West Midlands university says it has joined forces with the Royal Shakespeare Company and three other West Midlands universities to lead a £6.75 million project to support the growth of creative sectors across the region.
The CreaTech Frontiers collaboration, which is led by Birmingham City University (BCU) and also includes Coventry University, the University of Birmingham, and The University of Warwick, will involve high-profile industry partners such as Vodafone, Digital Catapult, Rebellion, Holosphere, Reach plc and Hollywood Gaming.
The scheme focuses on developing the region’s micro and small and medium-sized businesses who work in creative technologies like video games, virtual production and immersive reality.
Creative SMEs will be able to apply for grants from a £1.8 million fund, accessing academic R&D expertise, mentoring and training, and using world-class research and development labs to create new products and services. The investment is being delivered by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) on behalf of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
“AHRC is delighted to announce a new wave of Creative Industries Clusters that will create vital support for technology and innovation in the UK’s world-leading creative industries and expand our regional investment.," said AHRC Executive Chair, Professor Christopher Smith.
“They will support artists and creators so they can benefit from new technologies across a wide range of platforms, and develop their innovation and business skills.
“The remarkable projects made possible through our Creative Industries Clusters span sustainable fashion, game design and extended reality, and have attracted major co-investment. They have helped solve real-world problems and they deliver commercial benefits to the UK economy in line with the Government’s Industrial Strategy.”
Lamberto Coccioli, Professor of Music and Technology at BCU’s Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and project lead, said: “CreaTech Frontiers will bring together the most valuable assets of this region; a young and diverse talent pool, world-class research, outstanding arts organisations, and a budding tech sector, to spark innovation and stimulate growth.
“We’re delighted to support creative technology companies in the West Midlands with a comprehensive programme of grants and skills development led by industry needs. It’s fantastic news for the people and businesses of Birmingham and beyond.”
More than 70 paid internships and 16 funded PhDs will also be made available through the initiative to nurture talent and drive innovation among creative professionals of the future.
The list of industry partners also includes Capture Ltd and Elemental Compute, with support from sector bodies WMCA, TechWM, Create Central, and Culture Central.
BCU Vice-Chancellor Professor David Mba added: “The creative sector in the West Midlands is a key part of Birmingham City University's heritage as well as the city’s future. We believe that supporting people in the region to develop the skills required is essential to keeping the ecosystem thriving – and this is what we are striving to do through the University's new strategy
“We’re delighted to be leading this project, which can help secure the future of the creative industries for the region.”
