A major initiative to develop screen-based media in the West of England has secured £46million in funding.
MyWorld is a five-year project being led by the University of Bristol to create new research and development (R&D) facilities and partnerships between regional and national organisations, and global tech giants including Netflix, Google, and Microsoft.
The idea to pioneer new digital formats and technologies across fiction, documentary, games, and live performance is expected to start later this year and is predicted to generate more than 700 new jobs.
It could also boost the regional economy by £223million, according to the organisations involved.
The initiative was awarded £30million by the UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) Strength in Places Fund (SIPF) with a further £16million coming from an alliance of more than 30 industry and academic partners.
Business secretary Alok Sharma said: “The UK’s world-leading research and development industries in Bristol are critical to fuelling our economic recovery.
“With this major £46 million investment, we’re backing some of Bristol’s very best scientists and researchers as they work to develop new solutions for film-making and the creative industries.
“The ground-breaking research we’re backing is not only good for consumers and the creative industries, but it will also create new jobs opportunities right across the South West.”
The BBC, Aardman Animations, BT, Digital Catapult, and Bristol Old Vic and Theatre Royal Trust, along with a host of other creative companies and sector organisations, are all part of the cross-sector consortium.
The University of Bath, University of the West of England (UW), and Bath Spa University are also involved in the project, which will provide advanced training programmes and talent development.
Accessible facilities are also planned as part of the scheme, with Bristol’s Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus, Bristol-based production studios Bottle Yard, and Bath Spa University as key focal points.
Professor David Bull, MyWorld lead and director of Bristol Vision Institute, said: “The South West is already a creative capital in the UK and MyWorld aims to position the region amongst the best in the world, driving inward investment, increasing productivity and delivering important employment and training opportunities.
“This is the beginning of an exciting journey, which will align research and development endeavours across technology and the creative arts, to help businesses realise their innovation potential, raise their international profile, and maximise the advantages of new technologies.”
The initiative is among seven projects nationally selected to share £186million government funding as part of the UKRI’s SIPF. The successful projects have all been under development with UKRI pilot funding since last year.
Professor Hugh Brady, vice-chancellor and Ppresident of the University of Bristol, said: “In recent weeks, screen-based technologies have transformed the way we interact with each other professionally and personally, providing a lifeline in so many different ways.
“Uniting Bristol’s world-leading interdisciplinary research with the very best creative talent, locally and further afield, will strengthen and expand these relationships, allowing us to collectively cross new frontiers.”
West of England Mayor, Tim Bowles added: “MyWorld is an ambitious project, important in supporting innovation-led regional growth and illustrating the power of the region to work collaboratively and achieve a global profile”.
