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The first national R&D network serving the UK's world-leading gaming, tv, film and performance sectors.
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The CoSTAR Network, funded with a £75.6M investment by the UKRI Infrastructure Fund and delivered by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, is the first national R&D Network empowering gaming, TV, film, and live performance sectors with resources and innovation.
The CoSTAR Network will connect cutting-edge research and technology partners such as BT, Disguise, BFI, Sony Interactive Entertainment and Studio Ulster, with the world-class expertise and skills found in specialist research and development labs across the country to build a national infrastructure that can compete globally.
The Network brings small and medium-sized enterprises the opportunity to experiment and grow by providing access to funding, facilities and the lab’s leading researchers and industry experts to enable them to develop a spark of an idea into something that can compete on a world scale.
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Discover the CoSTAR labs across the UK.
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National Lab
Provides creative companies access to cutting-edge facilities, technologies and research. The CoSTAR National Lab will ensure the UK’s screen and performance sectors have the tools, facilities, knowledge, expertise and infrastructure to compete globally. Based in Buckinghamshire, the CoSTAR National Lab is led by StoryFutures at Royal Holloway, University of London and is delivered in partnership with Pinewood, Disguise, BT, Abertay University, University of Surrey and The National Film and Television School.
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Realtime Lab
The CoSTAR Realtime Lab pioneers new frontiers in real-time technology, bringing together the UK’s leading minds in gaming, film and animation. Focused on integrating real-time and AI technologies, this lab is a hub for experimenting with dynamic interactive experiences. Led by Abertay University, the CoSTAR Realtime Lab has two sites in Dundee and one in Edinburgh and is a partnership with the University of Edinburgh, Interface, 4J Studios and the Scottish Government’s Techscaler programme.
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Live Lab
Reimagining the future of live performance, the CoSTAR Live Lab at Production Park explores immersive, multisensory and interactive technologies to transform audience experience, shaping next-generation live experiences for screen, stage and into the metaverse. The Live Lab is led by the University of York and their partners include leading industry figures such as Sony Interactive Entertainment, Vodafone, Opera North, TAIT, Megaverse, and Tileyard North.
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Foresight Lab
The CoSTAR Foresight Lab is generating foresight and insight for industry, researchers, and policymakers to shape the future of creative R&D in gaming, TV, film, performance, and digital entertainment. By mapping the adoption, use and impact of new, emergent and convergent technologies, the CoSTAR Foresight Lab will provide robust intelligence that responds to the needs of this fast-growing sector. The Foresight Lab is led by Goldsmiths, University of London, with partners including the BFI, the University of Edinburgh and Loughborough University.
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Screen Lab
The CoSTAR Screen Lab is a state-of-the-art virtual production facility that is set to become a global hub for the creative industries driving the next generation of visual effects technologies that will revolutionise the UK’s film, TV and performing arts industries. The lab is based at Studio Ulster, a large-scale virtual production campus at Belfast Harbour Studios. The Screen Lab is led by an Ulster University-led consortium which brings together expertise from BBC Northern Ireland, Belfast Harbour, Northern Ireland Screen and specialist animation studio Humain.
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