InGAME

What InGAME does

InGAME is a publicly funded collaborative R&D centre for the videogames industry, led by Abertay University in partnership with the University of Dundee and the University of St Andrews, and legally housed within the University Court of the University of Abertay Dundee. Operating 2018-2024 under AHRC and Scottish Funding Council grants via the Creative Industries Clusters Programme, it deployed research infrastructure into the Dundee games cluster to de-risk creative experimentation, develop scale-up capacity, and diversify growth opportunities for games companies.

The core offering is a platform-plus-services model: (1) the InGAME R&D Programme delivering collaborative industry-academia research and an Innovation Voucher scheme managed via Interface UK; (2) the Resolver Innovation Toolkit, a modular methodology platform of 27+ tools and playbooks (Discovery Lab, Moonshot Canvas, ROI Matrix, AR Design Playbook, etc.); and (3) the Applied Games Lab, a 2023 spin-out built by Sean Taylor and Dr Chris Lowthorpe that applies game technologies, game design, and game-based AI to non-gaming sectors including healthcare, agriculture, fashion, and culture. Wayfinder provides the philosophical framing for the toolkit.

The business model is non-commercial: services are delivered to industry partners at no direct cost, funded through public research council grants, industry co-investment (e.g., Nesta, V&A Dundee), and now the Applied Games Lab commercialization vehicle. Over 5 years InGAME delivered 177 industry collaborations, upskilled 2,283 professionals, and stimulated £11.5M in industry co-investment, with £84.7M projected GVA for Scotland over 10 years (a claimed 16x return on public investment). Customers are primarily Dundee-region games SMEs plus cross-sector enterprise partners (V&A, Leith Agency, Denki, Hyper Luminal Games, Future Fashion Factory); go-to-market runs through academic partnership, vouchers via Interface UK, and innovation labs/workshops.

Name

InGAME

Legal name

The University Court of the University of Abertay Dundee

Website

https://innovationforgames.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

InGAME is a publicly funded collaborative R&D centre for the UK videogames industry, led by Abertay University with Dundee and St Andrews, delivering industry-academia research projects, the Resolver innovation toolkit, and the Applied Games Lab spin-out to games SMEs and cross-sector partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Games Industry R&D Services

NAICS

Computer Systems Design Services (541512)

SIC

Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Game Development (Unity, Unreal, 2D/3D) (EDAMACAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Game-Based Learning & Gamification Authoring (EDAFAHAF)

Keywords

• Collaborative research development
• Games industry innovation
• Academic industry partnership
• Applied games research
• Innovation voucher schemes

Headquarters

HQ city

Dundee

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public Research Funding: InGAME is funded by the Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) via the Creative Industries Clusters Programme as part of the Industrial Strategy, with additional funding from the Scottish Funding Council
2. Industry Co-Investment: Stimulates industry co-investment from partner companies and organizations for collaborative R&D projects

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

InGAME is a collaborative research, development and innovation centre for the videogames industry led by Abertay University in partnership with the University of Dundee and University of St Andrews. It delivers academic-industry R&D projects, an Innovation Voucher scheme, the Resolver innovation toolkit (a modular set of tools and playbooks), and the Applied Games Lab, which applies game technologies and game-based AI to solve real-world challenges across sectors such as health, fashion, agriculture, education, and culture.

Product overview

InGAME is a research and innovation centre for the videogames industry, led by Abertay University in partnership with the University of Dundee and University of St Andrews. The organisation operates as a platform-plus-services model consisting of: (1) the core InGAME R&D Programme delivering collaborative industry-academia research and innovation support, including an Innovation Voucher scheme; (2) the Resolver Innovation Toolkit, a modular platform of 27+ tools, toolkits, and playbooks spanning exploration, alignment, orientation, evaluation, and specialist methodologies for innovation project lifecycles; (3) the Applied Games Lab, a spin-out sub-brand providing applied games innovation services that harness game technologies and game-based AI; and (4) the Wayfinder framework offering philosophical principles for innovation practice. The offering spans from Innovation Vouchers for direct company support to self-service toolkits and collaborative R&D projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Applied Games Lab: A pop-up innovation catalyser built to unlock the power of applied games, igniting collaborations, sparking innovations and delivering projects that transform industries, economies and society.
• Resolver

Products and services

• InGAME R&D Programme A collaborative research and innovation programme that drives growth and innovation in the videogames industry through academic-industry partnerships, delivering industry collaborations, upskilling professionals, and stimulating industry co-investment.
• Innovation Voucher Scheme A funding mechanism that supports games companies to access research and development expertise, with vouchers managed in partnership with Interface UK.
• Resolver Innovation Toolkit A modular toolbox of innovation tools, toolkits, and playbooks designed to support the full lifecycle of innovation projects, including exploration, alignment, orientation, evaluation, and specialist methodologies.
• Applied Games Lab A pop-up innovation catalyser that applies game technologies, game design, and game-based AI to solve real-world challenges across sectors including health, sustainability, education, and social innovation.

Quantifiable outcome

• £84.7 million projected GVA for Scottish economy over 10 years (16x return on public investment)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

26 partnerships are on record, tiered core, key and minor.

• Abertay UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead institution of the InGAME partnership. InGAME is led by Abertay University which provides the main institutional backing and governance for the project.
• University of DundeecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating partner in the InGAME project, contributing to research and development activities. Abertay grants Dundee perpetual license to use Foreground IP for academic research, teaching and collaboration.
• University of St AndrewscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating partner through the Institute for Capitalising on Creativity (ICC) which published evaluative reports on InGAME's impact. Contributing academic research expertise.
• Interface UKcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorManages the R&D Voucher Scheme on behalf of InGAME. All applicants provide consent for InGAME to share personal data with Interface for impact evaluations.
• NestakeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on Playbox project for A Healthy Life Mission and SmartView dairy farming innovation. Deborah Fox, Director of Creative Innovation at Nesta, provided testimonial praising the Applied Games Lab's deep domain expertise and collaborative approach.
• V&A DundeekeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Net Zero Catalyzer Lab exploring how game design tools can reduce carbon footprint of permanent and touring exhibitions in the GLAM sector.
• DenkikeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration on Autonauts game exploring unintended positive externalities for education, resulting in development of dedicated educational version.
• StoryFutures AcademykeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Inclusive Design Accelerator Challenge to democratize adoption of inclusive design in immersive content creation.
• Open InclusionkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on Inclusive Design Accelerator Challenge focused on accessible and inclusive immersive content development.
• Leith AgencykeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on women's health innovation project exploring how applied games can address health disparities and biases through a women's health 'co-pilot'.
• UK Interactive Entertainment (Ukie)keyStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK games trade body partner whose research revealed game technologies worth £1.3 Billion for non-gaming industries.
• Future Fashion FactorykeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaunched ambitious open innovation competition to harness applied games for fashion sustainability, upskilling 10 UK SMEs.
• Hyper Luminal GameskeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunded through Inclusive Design Accelerator to embed accessibility in Pine Hearts game, developing toolkit for broader use.
• 4J StudiosminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelivery partner in InGAME's network of industry and academic collaborators.
• Outplay EntertainmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelivery partner in InGAME's network of industry collaborators.
• Sony Interactive Entertainment EuropeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelivery partner providing industry perspective and potential collaboration opportunities.
• MicrosoftminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelivery partner in InGAME's ecosystem.
• GoogleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelivery partner in InGAME's ecosystem.
• The Independent Games Developers Association (TIGA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrade association partner in InGAME's delivery partner network.
• Creative ScotlandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational funder and partner in Scotland's creative industries ecosystem.
• Scottish EnterpriseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScotland's national economic development agency partner.
• Dundee City CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal government partner supporting the Dundee videogames cluster.
• UNESCO City of DesignminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDundee's UNESCO City of Design designation supports the creative innovation ecosystem.
• Women in GameminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelivery partner focused on diversity and inclusion in the games industry.
• Biome CollectiveminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelivery partner - Dundee-based games and interactive entertainment organization.
• Creative DundeeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal creative industry organization and delivery partner.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Innovate UK (part of UKRI): UK's national innovation agency funding business-led R&D; InGAME is a beneficiary and listed funding partner (UKRI). Comparable as the policy-level counterpart that determines whether public R&D funds continue to flow to entities like InGAME.
• Digital Catapult: UK-wide innovation centre accelerating the adoption of advanced digital technologies across industries; comparable to InGAME as a publicly-funded, university-adjacent catalyst that brokers applied R&D projects between tech startups and enterprise customers, though operating at far broader scale and across multiple deep-tech verticals.
• Ukie (UK Interactive Entertainment): UK trade body for the interactive entertainment industry whose research underpins InGAME's market sizing (£1.3B game tech for non-gaming). Comparable as a cluster-level institution serving UK games companies with policy advocacy, market intelligence and ecosystem coordination.
• Fraunhofer IAIS: Germany-based applied-AI research institute within the Fraunhofer network, comparable to InGAME for its publicly-funded applied research model, university partnership structure, and focus on translating research outputs into cross-sector industry projects (relevant given InGAME's game-based AI positioning).
• BAFTA Games: Industry body supporting UK game-makers through awards, training and talent programmes; comparable to InGAME for its role in legitimising and developing UK games-industry talent, though operating via programming and recognition rather than direct R&D project delivery.
• Nesta (Centre for Creative Economy Innovation): UK innovation foundation running challenges, missions and applied R&D programmes (e.g. A Healthy Life Mission, SmartView dairy innovation in partnership with InGAME). Comparable as a publicly-oriented, mission-driven applied-innovation entity operating at the intersection of research, policy and commercial deployment.

Others

• Abertay University (parent): Lead university of the InGAME partnership and the legal entity (University Court of University of Abertay Dundee). Not a peer in the competitive sense, but a parent/administrative counterpart providing governance, fiscal sponsorship and academic talent pipeline on which InGAME depends.

Direct peers

• Creative Industries Clusters Programme Network: The wider AHRC-funded network of nine Creative Industries Clusters covering fashion, screen, crafts, food, music, publishing etc.; direct peer cohort to InGAME with comparable funding model, KPIs and impact-reporting structure, making them natural parallel/competing units for follow-on funding and policy attention.
• Interface UK: Scotland and UK's only dedicated knowledge exchange service matching businesses to academic expertise; named delivery partner for InGAME's Innovation Voucher scheme, making it an operational twin and natural peer for the demand-side of academic-industry R&D brokering.
• StoryFutures Academy: UK-led creative R&D academy partnering with Royal Holloway, NHTV Breda and Sheffield Hallam to drive innovation in immersive storytelling and games; almost identical operating model to InGAME (Creative Industries Cluster Programme, AHRC-funded, academic-industry R&D) and already a named collaboration partner on the Inclusive Design Accelerator.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/InGAME_Dundee
• GitHubgithub.com/IngameDundee
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCwDG6yuorderV_-yGFqwAZg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ingame-dundee

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 InGAME