Economic Growth Through the Creative Industries

The UK’s creative industries contributed £108 billion to the national economy in 2021. In Yorkshire and the Humber, film, television and games production has been growing at a higher rate than in the rest of the UK since 2009.

The University of York has helped to drive additional growth in the region through collaborations with creative businesses and practitioners.

XR Stories, a partnership between the University, the British Film Institute and Screen Yorkshire contributed to the economic growth of the region’s screen industries through the generation of new research, supporting innovation, enhancing skills and training offerings, and by embedding the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion across all aspects of their engagement with the screen industries.

In terms of economic growth, XR Stories contributed some remarkable results. From an initial investment of £6.5 million from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), the partnership realised £25.7 million of co-investment. £6.6 million of additional revenue was generated by SMEs working with XR Stories by the end of 2023.

XR Stories funded 114 funded R&D projects across 224 different companies. The team helped Sky explore new digital product opportunities by working with two Yorkshire-based creative companies, Joi Polloi and Reflex Arc. They developed a motion-tracking game for children and an audio-driven game demonstrating the potential of Sky’s technology for an accessibility-first approach. The collaboration enabled Sky to leverage leading academic research and connect with regional companies at the forefront of XR storytelling to explore radical new audience experiences.

In another XR Stories-funded project, Sheffield-based interactive content studio Megaverse was supported to develop new technologies, boost employee numbers and secure significant new commissions. In one project they explored how augmented reality could be used to help theatre production teams save time and money through the creation of a new app. Megaverse has doubled in size year-on-year since its launch in 2018 and now wins six-figure value contracts, quoting XR Stories as playing a vital role in helping them achieve such exponential growth.

XR Stories also supported skills development for individual practitioners and local organisations. It delivered 154 training schemes, with more than 2,000 individuals participating and 279 businesses engaged. They worked with partners across the region, including Screen Yorkshire, Lightforge Academy, Film Hub North and many others to offer a broad range of training and development opportunities.

A remarkable result of XR Stories and the University’s leadership in the creative industries is the CoSTAR Live Lab, part of the £75.6 million AHRC-funded UK R&D network for creative technology. It’s a dynamic partnership between the University of York and Production Park with key industry players that will lead R&D to pioneer new developments in live events and performances.

CoSTAR Live Lab is creating a brand new state-of-the-art R&D facility at Production Park in Wakefield and brings together a team of experts committed to advancing the creative industries through cutting-edge applied research. Facilities will include spaces dedicated to developing new technologies for screen, stage and into the metaverse. The lab will leverage novel R&D in virtual production technologies including computer generated imagery, spatial audio, motion capture and extended reality to create groundbreaking live performance experiences.

The CoSTAR Live Lab will also significantly contribute to the growth of the UK economy and job market. Through an Access Programme, it will incubate startups, accelerate creative industry organisations and deliver training programmes around next generation live performance technologies.

Facts & Figures

  • XR Stories has realised £25.7 million of co-investment based on an initial investment of £6.5 million from the Arts and Humanities Research Council.
  • 600+ different companies engaged in work with XR Stories.
  • 154 training schemes delivered by XR Stories – 2000+ individuals participated and 279 businesses engaged.
  • CoSTAR Live Lab is part of the £75.6m Arts and Humanities Research Council-funded UK R&D network for creative technology.

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