The University of Warwick has joined forces with the Royal Shakespeare Company and three other West Midlands universities to deliver a £6.75 million project to support the growth of sectors such as gaming and creative content across the region.

The CreaTech Frontiers collaboration, which also includes Coventry University, the University of Birmingham, and is led by Birmingham City University will involve high-profile industry partners such as Vodafone, Digital Catapult, Rebellion, Holosphere, Reach plc, and Hollywood Gaming.

The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) believe the creative content and gaming sectors have the potential to generate £65m and create 1,500 jobs by 2030. 

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: “Talent is everywhere but opportunity is not. That’s why we are supporting firms, artists and freelancers that are innovating, using new technology and driving growth in creative clusters across the country.  

“Birmingham and the West Midlands have a rich industrial history, and we are putting them at the forefront of a potential new industry developing the amazing technology that will revolutionise visual effects in film, theatre and gaming.”

CreaTech Frontiers is funded by investment from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) on behalf of UK Research and Innovation, which has designated the West Midlands a Creative Industries Cluster. 

Professor Rachel Moseley Vice-Provost and Chair of Faculty of Arts at the University of Warwick said: "The University of Warwick is thrilled to be part of this consortium which will bring together leading universities and cultural organisations to create significant and lasting impact in the region.

“This funding will help advance the creative content and gaming sectors through knowledge exchange activity, the facilitation of industry and academic partnerships, and job creation. It will also provide networking and education opportunities as well as funding for CreaTech SME's to develop and grow innovative ideas. We are excited to be able to host these initiatives from Fusion, which is also home to our on-campus Esports Centre"

AHRC Executive Chair, Professor Christopher Smith, said: “AHRC is delighted to announce a new wave of Creative Industries Clusters that will create vital support for technology and innovation in the UK’s world-leading creative industries and expand our regional investment. 

“They will support artists and creators so they can benefit from new technologies across a wide range of platforms, and develop their innovation and business skills. 

“The remarkable projects made possible through our Creative Industries Clusters span sustainable fashion, game design and extended reality, and have attracted major co-investment. They have helped solve real-world problems and they deliver commercial benefits to the UK economy in line with the Government’s Industrial Strategy.” 

Professor Chris Bilton, Warwick academic lead on Createch Frontiers, added: “This is a fantastic opportunity for our students to collaborate with createch entrepreneurs, artists and cultural organisations in the region and to build a new generation of createch businesses in the West Midlands and beyond. The Fusion Lab will provide a much-needed R&D resource for independent creators and world-leading cultural organisations and we’re excited for our students and researchers to be part of this.”

The list of industry partners also includes Capture Ltd and Elemental Compute, with support from sector bodies WMCA, TechWM, Create Central, and Culture Central. 

Meanwhile, Birmingham Opera Company will engage young people from deprived areas in the West Midlands in co-creating performances and discover potential careers in the sector. 

Cultural partners will also run R&D demonstrators, including experimental performance projects utilising creative technologies curated by RSC and showcased at SXSWLink opens in a new window – an annual event in Austin, Texas that combines film, media, and music festivals and conferences.

ENDS  

Notes to editors    

For further information contact:
Helen Annetts
Media & Communications Officer (Press Office)
Helen.Annetts@Warwick.ac.uk / 07779 026720

About the University of WarwickLink opens in a new window 
The University of Warwick is one of the UK’s leading universities, marking its 60th anniversary in 2025. With over twenty-eight thousand students from 147 countries, it's currently ranked 9th in the UK by The Guardian University Guide. It has an acknowledged reputation for excellence in research and teaching, for innovation, and for links with business and industry. The recent Research Excellence Framework classed 92% of its research as ‘world leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’.

About Birmingham City UniversityLink opens in a new window        
From art, accounting and architecture to midwifery, media and mechanical engineering, Birmingham City University (BCU) transforms the lives of its students by offering a wide range of contemporary and flexible courses at undergraduate and postgraduate level. Home to the award-winning School of Jewellery, the internationally renowned Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, and the innovative business incubator STEAMhouse, BCU has a history stretching back to 1843. It is also focused on the future, with its new strategy – ‘Rooted in Birmingham, Reaching BeyondLink opens in a new window’ - committed to the regeneration of the city and to enhancing communities across the West Midlands. 

About the University of BirminghamLink opens in a new window  
The University of Birmingham is ranked amongst the world’s top 100 institutions. Its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham, including researchers, teachers and more than 8,000 international students from over 150 countries.

About Coventry UniversityLink opens in a new window 
Coventry University is a global, modern university with a mission of creating better futures. We were founded by entrepreneurs and industrialists in 1843 as the Coventry School of Design and we continue to work with businesses to ensure we provide job-ready graduates with the skills and creative thinking to improve their communities.

With a proud tradition of innovative teaching and learning, Coventry University is now one of the largest in the UK and has world-class campus facilities, the UK’s first standalone 5G network and a digital community of learning. Our students are part of a global network that has 50,000 learners studying Coventry University degrees in more than 40 different countries and partnerships with 150 higher education providers worldwide.

About the Royal Shakespeare CompanyLink opens in a new window 
The Royal Shakespeare Company’s (RSC) mission is to bring people together to experience stories that deepen our understanding of ourselves, each other and the world around us, and that bring joy. Shakespeare’s exploration of all human nature is our inspiration and touchstone.

The Company’s roots lie in the bold vision of a local brewer, Edward Fordham Flower, who in 1879 established a theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon with his son Charles. The RSC as we know it today was formed by Sir Peter Hall, whose ambition was to produce new plays alongside those of Shakespeare and his contemporaries.

The RSC continue this today across our three permanent theatres in Stratford – the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, the Swan Theatre and The Other Place – and indeed online and around the globe. We believe everybody’s life can be enriched by culture and creativity. Our transformative Creative Learning and Engagement programmes reach over half a million young people and adults each year. We have collaborated with generations of the very best theatre makers and we continue to nurture the talent of the future.

About the West Midlands Combined AuthorityLink opens in a new window  
Led by the Mayor of the West Midlands, the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) brings together 18 local councils and three Local Enterprise Partnerships to oversee the transfer of powers and funding from Whitehall to the West Midlands. The WMCA is putting these new powers from government back where they belong, in local hands, bringing the region together to build a healthier, happier, better connected and more prosperous West Midlands.

Billions of pounds are being invested by the WMCA to improve the region’s transport network, transform its derelict industrial land into new homes and workplaces, support existing businesses and help grow the innovative, green industries of the future.

At the heart of this vision is a strong economy that is both green and inclusive, one that supports the region’s ambition to be net zero carbon by 2041 and offers everyone the opportunity of a good quality, affordable home and the skills needed for a worthwhile job.

About the UKRI Arts and Humanities Research CouncilLink opens in a new window 
The UKRI Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) funds internationally outstanding independent researchers across the whole range of the arts and humanities: history, archaeology, digital content, philosophy, languages and literature, design, heritage, area studies, the creative and performing arts, and much more. The quality and range of research supported by AHRC works for the good of UK society and culture and contributes both to UK economic success and to the culture and welfare of societies across the globe.