South West Creative Technology Network launch
News
Local businesses join Bath Spa University and partners to celebrate South West Creative Technology Network launch
Thursday, 14 June, 2018On Tuesday 12 June, local businesses, researchers and investors turned out to celebrate the inaugural launch of the South West Creative Technology Network (SWCTN), hosted by lead project partners Bath Spa University, University of the West of England (UWE) and Kaleider.
The event, held during Creative Bath festivities in Queen Square in the centre of the city, saw Professor Kate Pullinger, Director of the Centre for Culture and Creative Industries at Bath Spa University, Jon Dovey, Professor of Screen Media at UWE, and Katie Keeler, Executive Producer at Kaleider, take to the stage to share insight into the exciting opportunities offered by the new £6.4m Government-backed three-year initiative to boost the South West’s creative technology sector.
Local businesses including Visit Bath, Future Joinery Systems and Royds Withy King Solicitors, gained first-hand information about how the project could help them work collaboratively with universities and other South West organisations, to build better links with communities, and transform the way people engage with digital technology.
Bath Spa University’s Kate Pullinger said: “It was fantastic to launch the South West Creative Technology Network to a local audience made up of businesses of all sizes. We are very much looking forward to bringing great minds from the South West creative industries, organisations and higher education together, to capture imaginations and develop new ways for those in the region and further afield to interact with technology.”
Attendees also learnt about the immediate potential to bring their ideas to life, including how to apply for one of 24 paid Immersion Fellowships beginning this September, each with a bursary of £15,000. The Fellowships are open to industry professionals and those in academia who are looking to explore new ways to blend physical and virtual worlds. Those interested need to apply online before the 31 July deadline.
Following a period of shared learning, the cohort of applicants, producers and university leads will then be invited to pitch for a prototype grant from a £240,000 pot of funding, and an industry showcase will be held for all chosen prototypes in summer 2019.
Funding comes via Research England’s Government-funded Connecting Capability Fund (CCF). The South West project is one of just 18 selected for support from across England, and the only one which includes a focus on the creative industries. £4.6m has been awarded to the networking project from the CCF, with universities and other partners contributing an additional £1.8m.
The three-year project will focus on joint research, seed funding for new business ideas, consultancy and training, the creation of new companies and social enterprises, and public and community engagement.
For more information about the South West Creative Technology Network, and to apply for an Immersion Fellowship, visit www.swctn.org.uk.
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Kate Pullinger