XR Stories leads new project to unlock the potential of virtual production for the digital economy

XR Stories has launched a ground-breaking five-year project that will combine world-class research with industry expertise to drive innovation in virtual production across the UK.

The project, XR Network+ Virtual Production in the Digital Economy, will create a specialist community at the convergence of ideas, technologies and creative practice in virtual production to deliver impact and opportunity for the whole of the digital economy.

XR Network+ is led by XR Stories at the University of York in collaboration with fellow Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Creative Industries Cluster Projects (CICP) at Ulster University, Cardiff University, the University of Edinburgh and University of the Arts London. 

The project builds on the success of the CICPs and the significant interest that has emerged from these projects in supporting research and development in XR (eXtended reality) technologies as they intersect with virtual production.

Over the next five years, XR Network+ members will work alongside more than 20 project partners from across the UK academic, creative and industrial sectors to explore the vast potential that virtual production offers for production practices, content creation and audience experiences. 

XR Network+ was officially launched at Beyond 2022 where Director of XR Stories, Damian Murphy, joined a panel discussion to introduce the project alongside XR Network+ partners from Ulster University, Cardiff University and University of the Arts London.

Damian comments: “With virtual production technologies evolving at such a rapid pace, the launch of XR Network+ is timely in terms of the significant interest and investment in this area and the potential for spillover impact outside of our core creative industries. The project is a vital response to coordinate the UK’s research base alongside both industry and regional investments to provide a pathway for the next stage of investment and growth at a national level.”

In 2023, XR Network+ will release pump priming grants available to academics and researchers working alongside companies.

XR Network+ is funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

Published on 3 November 2022