What MyWorld does

MyWorld is a £30 million UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Strength in Places Fund creative technology programme, extended to a six-year lifespan with a cited total programme value of £70 million, established in 2019 and led by the University of Bristol. It is not a separately incorporated company but a publicly-funded R&D consortium: the University of Bristol acts as the data controller, and 13 partner organisations across academia (UWE Bristol, University of Bath, Bath Spa University) and industry (Aardman, BBC, BT, Digital Catapult, Watershed, Lux Aeterna, Bristol Old Vic, Esprit, Opposable Games) execute the programme under consortium agreements. The programme serves creative-technology startups, established studios, academic researchers and creative professionals in the West of England, with primary activity flowing through funding competitions (Challenge Call, Collaborative Research and Development, Sandbox, Fellowships in Residence) executed by Watershed and Digital Catapult, and through access to capital-intensive production facilities.

The platform operates on a 'Discover, Learn, Build' architecture. Discover delivers pre-market research findings from partner universities; Learn provides short courses, postgraduate programmes (MSc/MA Immersive Technologies at the University of Bristol) and skills training; Build is operationalised through innovation grants and access to world-class production infrastructure. The Sheds, opened in 2024 at the University of Bristol's Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus, is the flagship facility and combines a 9m x 3.5m LED Virtual Production Stage, a 28-camera Vicon motion-capture system supporting 10 simultaneous performers, a 10-camera Condense Reality volumetric-capture system, Edit Suites with DaVinci Resolve / Unreal / Unity enabled, a Reality Emulator (CAVE) digital-twin facility on 5G, and a globally unique Smart Cinema equipped with EEG, eye-tracking, thermal imaging, heart rate and skin response biometric monitoring. The Observatory unit converts programme activity data into models for future interventions.

MyWorld does not generate commercial revenue. Its income is grant-based — £30M from UKRI SIPF in 2020, plus £40.2M of leveraged investment into the regional ecosystem — and is distributed to grantees (441 businesses supported, ~£1m CR&D Round 1, £1.2m CR&D Round 2, £450k across nine Challenge Call awards of £50k, £270k across six Sandbox awards of £45k, and Fellowships at £12,000 each). Pricing for facility access and postgraduate programmes is not publicly disclosed. The programme spans creative-technology verticals including film/TV, music production, gaming, immersive XR, fashion-tech, drone shows, haptics, robotics, VR/MR, location intelligence, broadcast and radio, animation and audience analytics, with the grantee mix dominated by early-stage UK startups and a small number of established studios (Aardman, Real World Studios, Lux Aeterna).

Name

MyWorld

Legal name

MyWorld (UK Research and Innovation Strength in Places Fund Programme)

Website

https://myworld-creates.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Short description

MyWorld is a £30M UKRI Strength in Places Fund creative technology R&D programme led by the University of Bristol, serving West of England startups and creative businesses through world-class production facilities, grant funding streams, and a 13-partner academic-industry consortium.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Creative Technology R&D Programme

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) (541715)

SIC

Services-Allied To Motion Picture Production (7819), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Metaverse & Social Virtual Worlds (BPAMAKAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Tech & Digital Skills Classes (Coding Basics, Design Tools, AI/No-Code) (THAJAKAL), Training, Enablement & Talent Development Summits (THAHAMAH)

Keywords

• Creative technology R&D
• Research funding programmes
• Immersive production facilities
• Virtual production studios
• Creative industry innovation

Headquarters

HQ city

Bristol

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. UKRI Strength in Places Fund: MyWorld is a £30 million creative technology programme funded by UK Research and Innovation's (UKRI) Strength in Places Fund (SIPF). The programme does not generate commercial revenue but distributes funding to businesses through grants, fellowships, and access to facilities for R&D activities.
2. Programme Extension Funding: MyWorld has been extended into a sixth year due to delays in opening The Sheds facility. The programme is described as a £70M creative technology R&D programme focused on the future of creative production, distribution and experience.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

MyWorld is a UK Research and Innovation Strength in Places Fund programme that delivers creative technology research and development through a consortium of 13 academic and industry partners led by the University of Bristol. It provides innovation grants (Challenge Call, CR&D, Sandbox, Fellowships), access to dedicated R&D facilities (The Sheds with Virtual Production, Motion Capture, Volumetric Capture, Smart Cinema, Reality Emulator), postgraduate degrees and short-course skills training, and experimental production collaborations. The programme targets creative-technology businesses and researchers in the West of England to accelerate product and prototype development.

Product overview

MyWorld is a creative technology R&D programme and facility provider, not a single unified product but rather a platform-plus-services architecture comprising world-class physical facilities, funding programmes, and skills development offerings. The core infrastructure includes The Sheds facility featuring Virtual Production Stage, Motion Capture, Volumetric Capture, Smart Cinema (unique biometric research cinema), Edit Suites, and Reality Emulator. The programme offers multiple funding streams including Challenge Call (£50k awards with accelerator), CR&D (£1m-£1.2m shared grants), Sandbox (£45k per team), and Fellowships in Residence. Skills offerings include MSc and MA Immersive Technologies programmes. Research focuses on the Creative Continuum: content creation, capture, delivery and consumption. The programme connects 13 academic and industry partners across the West of England region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Sheds
• Smart Cinema
• Challenge Call Funding
• Collaborative Research and Development (CR&D)
• Sandbox Funding
• Fellowships in Residence
• MSc Immersive Technologies (Virtual and Augmented Reality)
• MA Immersive Arts (Virtual and Augmented Reality)

Quantifiable outcome

• 441 businesses supported, 400 jobs created, £40.2m additional funding leveraged
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers22 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability13 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, key and supporting.

• University of BristolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead institution for MyWorld programme. Home to The Sheds facility at Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus. Contributes research expertise in AI-based video coding, Visual Information Laboratory, and Film and Television Department.
• University of the West of England (UWE Bristol)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner institution operating research facilities. Home to the Digital Cultures Research Centre, VR Lab, and Pervasive Media Studio collaboration with Watershed.
• University of BathcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner institution with CAMERA research centre for motion capture and visual effects. Contributes expertise in inclusive design and immersive technologies.
• Bath Spa UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner institution operating skills and training facilities. Home to Centre for Cultural and Creative Industries and The Studio in Bath. Contributes Immersive Audio Network and spatial audio expertise.
• WatershedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK's first media centre since 1982. Leads Sandbox funding calls and Fellowships in Residence programme. Operates Pervasive Media Studio with UWE Bristol and University of Bristol. Has leveraged over £72m of funding into programmes.
• Digital CatapultcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology organisation leading Challenge Call and Collaborative Research and Development (CR&D) funding calls. Provides 16-week accelerator programmes with industry partners including NVIDIA.
• Aardman AnimationskeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerAward-winning animation studio. Conducted virtual production R&D at model scale, establishing new R&D unit with MyWorld support. Global leader in stop-motion animation.
• BBCkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor broadcaster partner contributing to Challenge Call industry challenges, particularly around AI in creative industries. BBC Research & Development provides technical expertise.
• Lux AeternakeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-BAFTA and Emmy award-winning VFX studio. Conducting AI toolsets R&D and produced RENO short film tested in Smart Cinema. Leading voice on ethical AI use in VFX.
• BTsupportingTechnology or IntegrationTelecommunications partner providing infrastructure expertise and connectivity solutions for creative technology applications.
• Bristol Old VicsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerTheatre partner hosting Fellows in Residence and exploring digital presentation of theatrical performance. Historic cultural institution in Bristol.
• EspritsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerFilm production company contributing to creative technology ecosystem and experimental productions.
• Opposable GamessupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerGame development studio participating in creative technology collaborations and industry partnerships.
• NVIDIAkeyTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partner for Challenge Call accelerator programmes. Provides expertise and tools for AI, GPU computing, and graphics technologies in funded projects including virtual production and game development tools.
• Amazon Web Services (AWS)supportingTechnology or IntegrationCloud infrastructure partner for Challenge Call focused on AI in creative industries, providing technical resources and platform support.
• University of Bristol Visual Information LaboratorykeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorld leader in AI-based video coding with contributions to MPEG standards. Collaborates on volumetric video delivery research including deep learning compression methods.
• Bristol Interaction GroupkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research group at University of Bristol specializing in human-technology interaction. Studies user interaction with Air Giants' soft robotics prototypes.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Market position

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MyWorldCreates

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments8 records

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

Frequently asked questions about MyWorld