Immersive Technologies Innovation Hub
What are we?
We are a new hub for innovation in immersive technologies based at MediaCity; a unique environment with the biggest concentration of creative, media, and tech businesses outside London. We are situated in a globally recognised innovation community, home to BBC, ITV, Dock 10, the University of Salford, and Europe’s largest purpose-built digital hub. [Ref. Creative and Media (investinmanchester.com)]
Immersive technologies are transforming the UKs creative industries, the country’s fastest growing sector. Our aim is to develop and guide the innovation community, to empower businesses in their pursuit of world-leading products and services.
Our primary areas are:
- Virtual and Augmented Reality Experiences to future-proof businesses and develop new audiences
- Virtual Production techniques and processes to expand the creative potential of Film, VFX and TV
- Innovation in Gaming and Interactive technologies, shaping a range of sectors such as Esports
What do we do?
We support GM businesses through three strands of activity:
Collaboration
Working with our industrial, brand, and research partners, we bring people together to explore emergent tech frontiers, fostering a community of collaboration and invention.
Innovation
We provide research support and host regular events and targeted Innovation labs, exploring key themes for local innovators through jam, play, make and break together, assisting their journey to bringing ideas to market.
Investment
We are investing in a number of key projects led by Greater Manchester businesses developing innovative tools, products, platforms, processes or pipelines using immersive or realtime technologies. As part of this we aim to encourage collaboration, partnership and private sector co-investment.
About Us
This project is funded by the Greater Manchester Innovation Accelerator programme.
Led by Innovate UK on behalf of UK Research and Innovation, the pilot Innovation Accelerators programme is investing £100m in 26 transformative R&D projects to accelerate the growth of three high-potential innovation clusters – Glasgow City Region, Greater Manchester and West Midlands. Supporting the Government’s levelling-up agenda, this is a new model of R&D decision making that empowers local leaders to harness innovation in support of regional economic growth and help attract private R&D investment and develop future technologies.
The Team
We are a partnership, led by Salford City Council and The University of Salford with MediaCity (Peel Media and Landsec) and its businesses. The MITIH project team includes:
Anthony Hatton
Innovation Programme Director, is the overall lead for the programme.
Prof Andy Miah
Principal Investigator at the University of Salford and Chair of the Metaverse Special Interest Group, University of Salford. He leads the research elements of the project.
Pete Woodbridge
R&D Innovation Manager, works closely with businesses to help them bring their ideas to life, shape the projects and solve technical and market challenges.
Caroline White
Community Engagement Manager, leads collaboration activity which allows new projects to develop across events, innovation labs and creative networks in the region.
James Spiers
Business Development Manager, is helping build partnerships with stakeholders from business, academia, public sector and other areas to strengthen the programme.
Margaux Stivanin
Margaux is a data policy expert and project co-ordinator who supports the project finance, administration and operations of the hub as well as contributing to economic analysis of the GM creative ecosystem.
Roger McKinley
Roger McKinley is a Research Associate with a background in arts innovation and R&D, connecting Manchester’s arts and culture sector to the innovation opportunities on the project.
Alice Jenner
Alice Jenner is an events coordinator, supporting a suite of events led by the hub to support Greater Manchester’s creative innovation community.
John O’Hare
John O’Hare is a Research Associate and spatial AI specialist who leads horizon scanning of emerging technologies and such as AI and new creative product development for the hub.
Want to get involved or need support?
If you are working for or with a business in Greater Manchester within our innovation themes, want to get involved or are seeking support, then please get in touch and join our community.