The Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) is a key funding partner in a major new research facility at Salford’s MediaCityUK, which aims to generate £25m of investment into research over the next 8 years.
Led by the University of Salford, the Framework for Innovation and Research in MediaCityUK (FIRM) will provide the mechanism that connects the BBC and the Digital & Creative Industries sector in the Northwest to international academic and industry research specialists and funding mechanisms.
The AHRC and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) are providing £2.72m to fund FIRM through the cross-council Digital Economy Programme. The funding, which was conditional on FIRM raising further investment from other partners, has now been confirmed following the approval by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) of £630,000 for FIRM.
FIRM will promote and develop research capacity in Higher Education (HE) in a way that is responsive to the needs of industry. It will not only drive high-quality, innovative research, but will also provide economic benefit by delivering technological and sociological insights ready for commercial exploitation, through the development of new products and services and the exploitation of new markets.
The project will deliver 18 major collaborative research projects between industry and HE in the creative, ICT and digital sectors. It will employ 30 researchers across the Northwest working on collaborative research projects and 180 across the UK. In addition, FIRM aims to generate or lever £25 million of research investment from the private sector over the next 8 years.
AHRC Chief Executive Professor Rick Rylance said:
“The development at MediaCityUK provides a unique opportunity to realise the benefits of bringing knowledge and expertise in the arts and creative sectors together with digital technologies. This development will provide a boost to MediaCityUK and give the UK a lead in this major sector of our economy. As a Mancunian myself, I am particularly interested in following its success. It is a terrific development.”
Steven Broomhead, Chief Executive of the NWDA, said:
“The NWDA is already investing over £30m in the physical development of MediaCityUK. This additional investment in FIRM, based within the NWDA-funded Media Enterprise Centre, has already helped to unlock millions of pounds of national research funding and the project will go on to generate over £20m of private investment in research over the next 8 years. FIRM will help bring the BBC and other MediaCityUK tenants together with Higher Education and by utilising the recently announced NorthernNet technology we can spread the benefits of MediaCityUK and collaboration across the North.”
The core partners in FIRM are the BBC, the University of Cambridge, Goldsmiths University of London, Lancaster University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Northwest Vision and Media and the University of Salford.
FIRM will be located within the Media Enterprise Centre (MEC) at MediaCityUK. The MEC’s lease and initial operations will be supported by £4.2m from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), £3.8m from the NWDA, plus additional funding from Salford City Council and income from tenant companies. Salford City Council signed the lease with Peel Media in November.
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AHRC Media Contact Tom Chlebik: t.chlebik@ahrc.ac.uk Tel: 0117 9876 816
Notes to editors:
NorthernNet:
The Northern Way has invested £9.4m, supported by a further £2.27m from the NWDA, in developing physical premises and a very high speed telecommunication network of 100Mbs (on average and upgradeable to 1 Gbps). For the first time, the Northwest, Yorkshire and the North East will have a single high speed, secure, digital network that connects the region’s creative and digital industries and customers. NorthernNet has 15 Media Access Bureaus operational across the North including a central hub at MediaCityUK.
The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) works to deliver economic success in England’s Northwest by building the competitiveness of its businesses, people and places. Utilising our technical expertise and strategic influence, we help the region’s 250,000+ businesses to develop and grow, as well as supporting international trade and encouraging inward investment.
University of Salford:
As well as being the lead partner in FIRM, the University of Salford is the second anchor tenant at MediaCityUK. In 2011, when the first phase of development is complete, it will enjoy a prime waterside location next to the BBC. The new University hub will comprise 100,000 sq ft and will be linked to the University's four faculties on the main campus at Peel Park.
With state-of-the-art facilities, the University site will focus on employer-led and postgraduate learning and research collaboration, and will act as a gateway to the University's full range of services for its industry and community partners
The RCUK’s Digital Economy Programme aims to realise the transformational impact of information and communication technology for all aspects of business, society and government. The Arts and Humanities Research Council is working with the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Medical Research Council (MRC) to ensure the delivery of this important programme.
Arts & Humanities Research Council: Each year the AHRC provides approximately £102 million from the Government to support research and postgraduate study in the arts and humanities, from languages and law, archaeology and English literature to design and creative and performing arts. In any one year, the AHRC makes approximately 700 research awards and around 1,350 postgraduate awards. Awards are made after a rigorous peer review process, to ensure that only applications of the highest quality are funded. The quality and range of research supported by this investment of public funds not only provides social and cultural benefits but also contributes to the economic success of the UK.
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council is the main UK government agency for funding research and training in engineering and the physical sciences, investing more than £800 million a year in a broad range of subjects – from mathematics to materials science, and from information technology to structural engineering.
MediaCityUK is a long-term development for the digital and creative industries situated on a waterfront site at Salford Quays, just a few minutes from central Manchester. MediaCityUK is being developed and managed by Peel Media, a division of the Peel Group.
MediaCityUK’s community will include the BBC, the University of Salford, Northwest Vision and Media and more than 15 companies already based in The Pie Factory, next door to the current MediaCityUK construction site. Phase 1 is due for completion in 2011.
Peel Media is working in partnership with Salford City Council, Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company, and the Northwest Regional Development Agency.