Screen Industries Research and Training Centre

What Screen Industries Research and Training Centre does

Screen Industries Research and Training Centre (SIRT) is a research centre of Sheridan College, located at Stage 10 of Pinewood Toronto Studios in Toronto, Canada. Founded in 2009 and operating as a NSERC-designated Technology Access Centre, SIRT delivers applied research and specialized training to film, television, interactive digital media, gaming, virtual/augmented reality, and performing arts clients across Canada. SIRT also holds Unreal Engine Authorized Training Centre status from Epic Games, which formalizes its role as a credentialed trainer for real-time 3D production pipelines.

The centre's core asset is a 10,000 sq. ft. production facility featuring a 7ft x 11ft InfiLed Hyper Pixel LED wall (78 panels) driven by Brompton S8 Tessera processors, a 1,800 sq. ft. motion capture volume with 40 truss-mounted OptiTrack cameras, an Esper photogrammetry rig with 72 Canon cameras for facial capture, 80-foot chroma key screens, ARRI/RED/Blackmagic cameras, and 10Gbps fiber connectivity. Underlying technology stacks include Unreal Engine 5 and Unity for real-time rendering, nDisplay for in-camera visual effects (ICVFX), OCIO and OpenVPCal for color pipeline calibration, and cluster rendering optimization. AI/ML work spans computer vision for 3D capture, photorealistic virtual humans, intelligent NPCs with context-aware behavior for VR training (developed with Spandrel Interactive), and large language model-based conversational agents. The bilingual open-source m-body project (NSERC-funded, four-institution consortium) targets generative character animation.

SIRT operates three revenue streams: (1) government and quasi-government research grants from NSERC, Ontario Centre for Innovation, Canada Foundation for Innovation, and NRC IRAP, supplemented by industry research grants such as the unrestricted grant from Autodesk Research; (2) applied research services delivered as collaborative R&D projects to production and technology firms (Dark Slope Studios, Spandrel Interactive, APG Media, Red Wolf Media); and (3) training programs including the 12-week Virtual Production Catalyst and Mocap U workshops, primarily funded through corporate-sponsored full scholarships from TD, Warner Bros. Discovery Access Programs, and Epic Games rather than participant tuition. Customer segments are horizontally oriented across production companies, educational institutions and students, technology and software companies, and performing arts/cultural organizations. Distribution is direct and regional, leveraging Pinewood co-location and the Sheridan co-op pipeline for talent access.

Name

Screen Industries Research and Training Centre

Legal name

Screen Industries Research and Training Centre

Website

https://sirtcentre.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SIRT is a Sheridan College research centre at Pinewood Toronto Studios that delivers applied research and specialized training in virtual production, motion capture, AI virtual humans, and real-time 3D workflows to film, television, gaming, and XR clients across Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Applied Research and Training Services for Screen Industries

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Computer Training (611420)

SIC

Services-Allied To Motion Picture Production (7819)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Twins & Scenario-Based Systems Training (Equipment/Process Simulators) (EDAFAJAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Digital Learning Content Development (eLearning, Labs, Simulations) (BPAEANAD), Data Science, Machine Learning & AI (Modeling, MLOps, GenAI) (EDABAFAE), Data, Analytics & AI Training (BI, Data Engineering, ML/GenAI) (BPAEANAH)

Keywords

• Virtual production research
• Motion capture services
• Screen industry training
• Applied research services
• Immersive media technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Research Grants and Government Funding: SIRT receives funding from government sources including NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada), Ontario Centre for Innovation (OCI), Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), and National Research Council Canada IRAP. The center also receives unrestricted research grants from industry partners like Autodesk Research.
2. Training Programs and Workshops: SIRT offers specialized training programs including the 12-week Virtual Production Catalyst program and Mocap U workshops. Programs may be funded through scholarships and grants from corporate sponsors.
3. Applied Research Services: Collaborative research partnerships with industry partners where companies engage SIRT for virtual production R&D, technology testing, and workflow development.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

SIRT (Screen Industries Research and Training Centre) is a NSERC-designated Technology Access Centre and research centre of Sheridan College that provides applied research services, customized training programs, and access to a state-of-the-art virtual production facility (Stage 10) at Pinewood Toronto Studios. The organization supports creators and innovators across film, television, interactive digital media, gaming, and VR/AR through collaborative research projects, industry partnerships, and workforce training in virtual production, motion capture, and AI virtual human technologies.

Product overview

SIRT (Screen Industries Research and Training Centre) is a research centre of Sheridan College providing applied research services and specialized training for the screen industries. The organization operates as three interconnected service pillars: Virtual Production training programs (Virtual Production Catalyst and Mocap U), Applied Research Services spanning Virtual Production, AI Virtual Humans, and Software Engineering & AI, and access to the Stage 10 technology facility at Pinewood Toronto Studios. The research case studies—including AI Character Solutions for Interactive VR Training and Advancing Colour Fidelity in Virtual Production—document outcomes from industry collaborations. SIRT functions as a NSERC-designated Technology Access Centre, empowering industry and community partners through leading-edge applied research and customized training to advance innovation in storytelling and content creation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• M-body: An open-source, bilingual, applied research project aiming to accelerate the advancement and adoption of generative character animation technologies, led by researchers from four post-secondary applied research centres and funded by NSERC.
• Virtual Production Catalyst
• Mocap U

Products and services

• Virtual Production Catalyst A 12-week intensive virtual production training program designed to kickstart careers in virtual production, featuring over 20 hours of hands-on LED volume training, a mini-capstone portfolio project, and instruction from industry experts. The program has a 50/50 in-person and online format. Full scholarships are available through TD sponsorship.
• Mocap U Intensive performance capture workshop for actors seeking to expand into video game performances. SIRT hosts and facilitates the performance capture section of the workshop, teaching actors how to do performance capture and voice over for video games.
• Applied Research Services Collaborative applied research addressing real-world challenges in screen industries including film, television, interactive digital media, gaming, and VR/AR. Services include expert R&D teams for pre- and post-production, access to 10,000 sq. ft. sound stage with LED walls and motion capture, Unreal Engine training and workflow support, and funding/grant navigation assistance.
• Stage 10 Virtual Production Facility State-of-the-art production facility at Pinewood Toronto Studios featuring LED Wall and Motion Capture (7ft x 11ft InfiLed Hyper Pixel LED Wall with 78 panels, 4x S8 Tessera Brompton processors, 40 OptiTrack cameras), Virtual Human and Facial Capture (Esper with 72 Canon cameras), Training Centre with high-performance workstations, ARRI/RED/Blackmagic professional cameras, and 80-foot chroma key screens with 10Gbps fiber connectivity.

Quantifiable outcome

• Latency reduction in LED volume systems through cluster rendering optimization
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability9 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, moderate and core.

• Transport CanadaminorOthersTransport Canada is responsible for developing and overseeing Government of Canada transportation policies and programs. They provide funding to projects that strengthen the transportation network.
• City of TorontomoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerCanada's largest city and hub for culture, business, and innovation. Plays a key role in supporting creative industries, economic development, and technological advancement.
• National Arts Centre (NAC)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerCanada's premier centre for performing arts, based in Ottawa. Committed to innovation in the arts and expanding access to diverse audiences.
• AutodeskcoreTechnology or IntegrationGlobal leader in software for 3D design, engineering, and entertainment. Tools like AutoCAD, Maya, and 3ds Max drive innovation in digital creation. Autodesk Research has provided an unrestricted research grant to SIRT.
• Unreal Engine (Epic Games)coreTechnology or IntegrationLeading real-time 3D creation tool used across gaming, virtual production, film, and immersive media. SIRT is an Unreal Engine Authorized Training Centre.
• Pinewood Toronto StudioscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState-of-the-art film and television production facility offering North America's largest purpose-built sound stages. SIRT's Stage 10 is located at this facility.
• Ballinran EntertainmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCanadian production company creating documentaries, factual content, and immersive media experiences with innovative production techniques.
• DarkslopecoreTechnology or IntegrationCreative technology company specializing in virtual production, game development, and immersive media. Collaborated with SIRT on color fidelity research for virtual production.
• Autodesk ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAutodesk Research explores how technology can be applied to emerging design challenges. They provided an unrestricted research grant to SIRT to explore applied research projects in content creation and storytelling, particularly in interactive digital media, animation, and 3D modeling.
• Red Wolf MediaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPremier marketing agency offering comprehensive services including production designed to advance businesses. Visited SIRT to explore collaboration opportunities in digital entertainment.
• Dark Slope StudioscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with SIRT on advancing color fidelity in virtual production, specifically cluster rendering optimization for ICVFX in Unreal Engine 5.
• Spandrel Interactive Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on AI character solutions for interactive VR training experiences, integrating intelligent NPCs with Metahuman avatars for scalable AI-driven simulations in Unreal Engine.
• MonogramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided congratulations on Epic Games grant for virtual production talent development, suggesting ongoing strategic partnership support.
• APG MediaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnering with SIRT to test and perfect LED display solutions for virtual production requirements. CEO David Weatherhead praised the partnership for real-world testing opportunities.
• Generator at SheridancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSIRT is one of five research, innovation and entrepreneurship centres at Sheridan under the Generator at Sheridan umbrella. Generator is Sheridan's research enterprise supporting innovation across the college.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• National Film Board of Canada (NFB): Canada's federal public producer of film and interactive media, with a long-standing mandate to advance creative technology and storytelling. Comparable to SIRT in its public-mandate R&D function for screen industries, though at significantly larger scale and with direct production rather than pure research/training focus.
• Foundry: Developer of industry-standard VFX and post-production software (Nuke, Mari, Katana) used across film, TV, and virtual production. Comparable to SIRT in collaborating on creative-technology R&D and in serving the same customer base of film/TV and virtual production professionals.
• Epic Games (Unreal Engine): Developer of Unreal Engine, the real-time 3D platform underpinning most modern virtual production pipelines, and a core technology partner of SIRT (Unreal Engine Authorized Training Centre). Comparable to SIRT in jointly advancing virtual production workflows and in training the next generation of Unreal-based production professionals.
• disguise (d3 Technologies): UK-headquartered technology company providing the integrated hardware/software stack for virtual production, including media servers and stage control. Comparable to SIRT as a core enabler of LED volume workflows and as a research collaborator in the virtual production ecosystem.
• Framestore: Global VFX and virtual production studio with offices in London, Montreal, and other production hubs, delivering work for major film and streaming clients. Comparable to SIRT in operating at the intersection of film technology, virtual production, and applied R&D, though at significantly larger commercial scale.

Direct peers

• Canadian Film Centre (CFC): Toronto-based, federally supported film and screen industry training and research centre operating a hybrid academic/industry model. Comparable to SIRT in its role as a Canadian screen-industries incubator combining professional training, applied research, and industry partnerships under a non-profit umbrella.
• Pixomondo: Global virtual production and VFX company operating LED volume stages across North America, Europe, and Asia. Comparable to SIRT in delivering virtual production services and working with LED walls and real-time engines (Unreal), though as a commercial production house rather than a research/training centre.
• Centre for Digital Media (Vancouver): Vancouver-based non-profit post-secondary institution offering graduate programs at the intersection of film, games, VR/AR, and interactive media. Comparable to SIRT in operating as a research-and-training hybrid serving the screen industries with industry partnerships and applied research outputs.
• NantStudios: El Segundo-based virtual production facility with large-scale LED volume and motion capture infrastructure serving major Hollywood productions. Comparable to SIRT in deploying similar technology stacks (LED volume, motion capture, real-time rendering) and pursuing industry R&D, though at commercial production scale.
• Vancouver Film School (VFS): Canadian private post-secondary institution offering accelerated programs in film, TV, animation, and game design with strong industry placement focus. Comparable to SIRT in providing specialized training for the screen industries and in its location within a major Canadian production hub (Vancouver).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCL0HFYC8x6Vh-UW5Wnf4WTA
• Facebookfacebook.com/SIRTCentreSheridan?ref=aymt_homepage_panel
• LinkedInca.linkedin.com/company/sirtcentre
• Instagraminstagram.com/sirtcentre
• Xx.com/sirtcentre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Screen Industries Research and Training Centre