Bristol’s place as one of the leading creative hubs for screen-based media is to get a £46 million boost which could create more than 700 jobs in the area.
Those behind the ‘MyWorld’ project, which is being led by the University of Bristol, say the investment will launch a ‘creative media powerhouse’ called Myworld.
This will ‘supercharge economic growth’ and create more than 700 jobs.
The initiative will link up the likes of Netflix, Google and Microsoft with Bristol-based studios and creative firms like Aardman and the Bottleyard, as well as places like the Bristol Old Vic and the Theatre Royal, and many of the smaller digital creative companies working on everything from green screen technology to CGI and virtual reality.
At the heart of the initiative is the University of Bristol, which will look to include MyWorld at the Temple Quarter hub it is about to start constructing near Temple Meads station.
“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,” said Professor David Bull, the MyWorld Lead and director of Bristol Vision Institute.
“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,” he added.
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 unique cross-sector consortium, a MyWorld spokesperson explained.
“The hub is projected to generate more than 700 new jobs and boost the economy by £223m,” she said.
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“It will forge dynamic collaborations between world-leading academic institutions and creative industries to progress technological innovation, creative excellence, inclusive cultures, and knowledge sharing,” she added.
The University of Bristol’s vice-chancellor, Professor Hugh Brady, said that the coronavirus lockdown had showed just how important screen-based technologies will be in the future, as we move into a post-Covid world with more connections using our screens.
“This funding award is tremendous news for the University, the city of Bristol, and the entire South West region, particularly at a time of economic uncertainty that could hit the creative sector hard,” he 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.”
The initiative is among seven projects nationally selected to share £186m government funding as part of the UKRI’s SIPF. The successful projects have all been under development with UKRI pilot funding since last year.
