Find out more about Innovate UK's Global Business Innovation Programme in this information webinar for applicants. South Korea will invest $181.8 million this year in Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and devices to support the growth of the country's digital content industry. The GBIP will prepare a select group of innovators to access the market, meet South Korean counterparts and foster new partnerships during a five day tailored country visit. Applications close on 16 February 2022.

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Factory 42 presents The Green Planet AR Experience, a new EE 5G powered immersive experience in Piccadilly Circus, London. Created by Factory 42 with BBC Studios and inspired by the landmark series, The Green Planet AR Experience is a boundary-breaking project, funded by DCMS’ 5G Create Competition. It combines captivating storytelling with cutting-edge technology. Audiences travel through five digitally-enhanced realms with a virtual David Attenborough to discover the wonderful world of plants and their importance to our planet. Open to the public 11 Feb - 9 Mar and free to attend.

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 1 & 3 March: Budgeting & Scheduling for Immersive Projects 

Even for the most experienced producer of creative content, executive producer or project manager, XR projects can be particularly daunting. Delivered by Emmy-Nominated Executive Producer Katie Grayson, this lab from StoryFutures Academy consists of two remote half day labs and will dive into the specifics of producing XR projects. Applications close on 16 February.

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StoryFutures Academy’s Train the Trainer scheme is pleased to announce a third call out for university educators keen to bring immersive production into their courses and teaching materials. Building on the success of the first two cohorts, made up of 14 university projects across the UK, Train the Trainer will support a further five academic projects to explore innovative ways to develop courses to train students in immersive production. Apply by 27 February.

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A new £10million scheme has been launched by NI Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey MLA to support a range of sectors in their recovery from the impact of the pandemic. The Department for Communities has appointed Future Screens NI in partnership with Arts Council NI to deliver the Art Work - Covid Recovery – Employment and Skills Initiative for the Arts Sector. The funding offers support for individuals to enter into the Arts, Creative Industries, Sport, Heritage, Voluntary and Community sectors in Northern Ireland where job roles have been impacted by the pandemic. Apply by 25 February.

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The UAL Fashion, Textiles and Technology Institute (FTTI) and British Council have announced 5 UK and Official Development Assistance country SME partnerships, to share £100k funding and business support for sustainable design and production under the New Landscapes: FTT Catalyst R&D Grant Scheme. The scheme will take forward R&D into ideas for the future of sustainable fashion, textiles and related technology, focusing on sustainable innovation across manufacturing and commerce, materials and digital.

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The XR Stories funded Storylab project has provided support to early-career screen industries talent in the Leeds City Region to deliver immersive and interactive stories. Working in partnership with BRiGHTBLACK, XR Stories funded masterclasses and mentoring, enabled participants to evolve their ideas into developed stories. Each project explored how innovative tech could be used to engage and challenge audiences.

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With the future funding model of the BBC in the spotlight, new research from the PEC calls for better ways of measuring the value of public service broadcasters. It is important that in the future the impact of broadcasters, including Channel 4 and BBC, on areas like community cohesion and growing local economies, is taken into account. This will be vital if the aim for public service broadcasters is to remain valuable in the eyes of the public, and to be able to compete with tech giants such as Netflix and YouTube.

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Doncaster-based Prox and Reverie has been awarded £100k R&D funding through XR Stories, to create an immersive experience for the Science Museum Group at the National Science and Media Museum in Bradford. XR Stories and StoryFutures Academy will work together to support Prox and Reverie in developing a groundbreaking experience that will be part of the museums’ ‘Broadcast 100’ celebrations - a series of exhibitions, displays and events to mark the 100 year anniversary of the BBC and 40 year anniversary of Channel 4.

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In collaboration with Future Screens NI, grants of up to £25,000 are available from the Arts Council NI funding programme. The aim of the funding is to develop partnerships that will use the arts within new and emerging digital, immersive technologies to expand the possibilities of how the arts can be distributed and utilised in new and innovate ways. Apply by 28 February. 

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Update: Clwstwr Creative Industries Report No. 1.2

Clwstwr researchers have updated the report, The size and composition of the Creative Industries in Wales, to include the latest available data - giving insights for the period immediately before the COVID-19 pandemic. The report details the size and composition of the sector before the disruption caused by the pandemic, serving as baseline that will allow researchers to give accurate and detailed assessments of the impact of COVID-19 on creative enterprises in Wales (this study will take place in the summer of 2022).

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Creative Informatics is kicking off 2022 with six new Challenge Projects from a fantastic range of creative and cultural organisations across Edinburgh and South East Scotland, including: Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, Fruitmarket, SkyShows Aerial Ltd, Traverse Theatre, South of Scotland Enterprise, and Anarkik3D. Funding up to £20k is available to successful individuals or SMEs with the skills to help them overcome obstacles in their work using data and data-driven technologies. Applications close on 11 February.

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Dame Ottoline, Chief Executive of UKRI, met with representatives from the media sector at the BBC Cymru Wales New Broadcasting House in Cardiff to hear about Clwstwr’s ground-breaking R&D projects. The session included a presentation from award-winning film producer and founder of Good Gate Media, John Giwa-Amu. He shared the R&D journey of their Clwstwr project – Real Time Render / Interactive Promo – which resulted in the interactive film Deathtrap Dungeon, based on the Ian Livingstone Fighting Fantasy gamebook.

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Vivobarefoot is on a mission to create made-to-measure, sustainable footwear that can be recycled into new products in a circular economy. Collaborating with the Royal College of Art in a project funded by Future Fashion Factory, the brand is developing the digital tools to enable custom shoe design, as well as a circular business model to retain the value of every resource.

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Opening in March 2022, 'Virtual Veronese' is a new virtual reality experience in which you'll be able to see how Veronese’s ‘The Consecration of Saint Nicholas’ would have looked in its original setting and discover the story of its creation. Commissioned by StoryFutures in partnership with the National Gallery, Focal Point VR developed and produced the experience as part of the StoryFutures StoryLab programme. Open from 7 March to 3 April at The National Gallery, you can book tickets now. 

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 3 March: Journey of a Burberry Trench

Burberry’s iconic trench coats are still rooted in Yorkshire design and manufacturing: each piece is created in Castleford from luxury fabrics made near Keighley, proudly continuing the journey of Made in Britain. Hosted by Future Fashion Factory, this special online session from Burberry, Lutf Rehman, Senior Manager (Engineering and Quality) will tell the story of a trench from fibre to finished product. Follow each stage of manufacturing process and discover how many highly skilled professionals work on every Burberry trench, with an opportunity to ask questions and hear more about manufacturing luxury fashion in the UK.

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This year's SXSW Conference and Festival celebrates the convergence of the tech, film, and music industries. Featuring conference sessions, film festival screenings, music festival showcases, world-class exhibitions, networking opportunities, competitions, awards ceremonies, and much more.

SXSW 2022 is a hybrid event with an online component including live streamed content from across the programme, as well as unique networking opportunities. If you plan to attend in person - register now and book your hotel early for the best rates. 

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Last week's Creative Coalition Festival 2022 is now available to watch back - catch up on three jam-packed days of sessions, featuring projects from UKRI's Audience of the Future Challenge. The festival programme included inspiring speakers, interviews, performances, immersive experiences, and engaging workshops, and addressed the most important questions facing the UK’s Creative Industries. Creative UK Federation members can access all Creative Coalition Festival content on demand - find out more about joining here.
 

 24 June - 3 July: Eureka! Innovation in Design, Research & Sustainability

Eureka! is a 10-day event taking place at Somerset House in London. The exhibition and discussion forum will showcase 25+ leading universities at the forefront of research in design, sustainability and innovation. It offers a platform for ideas that tackle the world’s challenges and spark debate on how to design for a better future. It is also an opportunity for discussion between institutions and disciplines, plus the chance to network with professionals, policy-makers, general public, students and young people. Presented by the team behind London Design Biennale, please email Victoria Broackes if you’d like to discuss participation or a project idea.