UCA wins funding to help
revolutionise the gaming industry

The University for the Creative Arts (UCA) has secured a grant of almost £500,000 as part of a collaborative project to ignite innovation in the gaming industry in Surrey and the Southeast and improve its courses and research.

09 Oct 2023

The Games and Innovation Nexus (GAIN) project – comprising UCA, the University of Surrey and the University of Warwick – has secured £1.5 million from Research England’s Connecting Capability Fund (CCF).

The funding will support the creation of regional alliances in such areas as CreaTech and the creative sector, which will connect experience to areas where there is potential for innovation and faster exploitation of technologies.

It will also help build a bridge between academic research and the gaming industry, establish a network of knowledge transfer, innovation processes, and infrastructure, and help bring new gaming products or services to market.

Professor Simon Macklin, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of UCA, said: “The creative industries have always been at the heart of UCA’s mission. By being at the forefront of GAIN, we are championing both, the “business of creativity” and our commitment to driving innovation in the sector, reinforcing our position as a global leader in this field.”

For UCA, the funding means an enhanced university experience for students that is more holistic, and industry-facing. They will benefit from improved hardware, software and facilities and greater collaboration with industry, such as visits, talks, networking events and mentorship opportunities.

Staff will also benefit, using the funds to enhance their skills - spearheading research projects, working on joint projects with industry professionals, and developing course contents that taps into the latest industry trends. 

Dr Amer Alwarea, Acting Director of Research and Innovation at UCA, added: "This collaboration will stimulate our research communities, invigorate innovation in CreaTech, and champion sustainable expansion within the gaming sector. The fusion of academia and the gaming industry sets us apart and sets a new standard for the creative sector.”

UCA's involvement in GAIN, bolstered by the CCF award, reaffirms its global authority on creative arts, technologies, and business for the creative industries and underscores its unwavering commitment to shaping the future of the creative sector.

To learn more about innovation at UCA, visit the UCA Innovation Hub.

To learn more about the creative industries in Surrey, visit UCA’s Creative Industries Network page.

To learn more about the Secretary of State for Science Innovation and Technology’s £60m commitment to HE, visit the Wonkhe website.