Digital industries boosted as First Minister opens medialab
A state-of-the-art hybrid centre for digital media innovation and enterprise has been opened today by the First Minister of Wales at the University of Glamorgan’s ATRiuM campus in Cardiff.
The medialab aims to support and develop the digital media industry in Wales, and is a joint creation of the University’s Creative and Cultural Industries faculty and the Welsh Assembly Government’s European funded Academic Expertise for Business (A4B) programme.
Working with the University of Glamorgan’s Centre for Policy & Enterprise in the Creative Industries (PECi), the medialab facility provides entrepreneurs, designers and researchers with the facilities and opportunities they need to create new digital content and applications, developing graduate talent and working with leading media companies on the world stage.
The A4B funded facilities opened today by the First Minister included:
• A High Definition TV (HDTV) studio, developed in association with Sony. The £370,000 studio provides demonstrations, seminars and scoping work for media companies in Wales, realising the potential for HDTV technology in generating new movies and games. Among the facilities it offers are three of the latest Sony HDTV cameras, a mixing desk, and high density storage facilities.
• The largest Renderfarm in Wales, providing access to state-of-the-art hardware and software for games content development and computer generated imagery. The Renderfarm will be commercialised as part of an 18-month initiative to transfer knowledge between Glamorgan’s academic centre of excellence and the digital media industry in Wales. The initiative is supported by A4B and HEFCW funding and aims to become a commercial centre for media, animation and computer games companies in Wales.
The First Minister, Carwyn Jones AM, said: “The medialab is a real example of the innovative thinking we will need to continue building the creative industries in Wales which play a key part in our the economy. These facilities will enable Welsh companies to compete on the world stage with the very best in the digital industries.
“The Welsh Assembly Government wants to make sure this sector is in the strongest possible position to compete and bring about long term, sustainable growth. Facilities like this will help us achieve this vision.”
Julie Lydon, Vice Chancellor of the University of Glamorgan, said: “This is a superb facility that builds on the strong links between Glamorgan, the Assembly Government, and industry in Wales. It is a significant milestone in a major programme of investment, giving students the very best facilities and a real understanding of the creative industries and the world of work.”
With A4B funding, the University of Glamorgan is also developing a Media Industry Knowledge Exchange (MIKE) in collaboration with Swansea Metropolitan University, University of Wales Newport, and Aberstwyth University, to deliver a series of networking and knowledge exchange events with businesses and practitioners in the media industry in Wales. These events will promote the facilities and expertise within the four universities.
The next stage of the initiative, due to launch in early 2011, is a Digital Games Laboratory (DiGiLab). The DigiLab will aim to;
• produce digital games prototypes to demonstrate the commercial potential to leading games publishers, such as EA, Sony Interactive, and Ubisoft;
• broker relationships between existing companies, academia, and the games industry association, UKIE, to promote open innovation; and,
• provide work based learning opportunities for graduates to develop the next generation of games developers in Wales.
Professor Peter Robertson, Dean of the University of Glamorgan’s Cardiff School of Creative & Cultural Industries, said: “Glamorgan’s Creative and Cultural Industries faculty is a member of the Association for UK Interactive Entertainment (UKIE), and TIGA, the games industries trade associations. Last year the computer games market generated £3.31 billion for the UK economy, with video games software sales accounting for £1.62 billion. Recent consultation with companies has highlighted a lack of expertise in computer games content development. Our joint aim is to stimulate new product development of games content within media companies in Wales.”
- Ends -
8 September 2010
Source: University of Glamorgan
