Programme
MyWorld
About MyWorld
MyWorld is a flagship programme for the UK’s creative technology sector. Led by the University of Bristol, it convenes the leading universities in the region, and over 30 technology, creative and film companies to cement the West of England’s position as a creative media powerhouse.
Through the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Strength in Places fund, MyWorld is building on existing strengths in research and innovation to deliver benefits for their local economy by driving regional leadership, economic growth and inward investment.
If you’re interested in finding out more about the MyWorld programme, or want to get involved, please fill in our Expression of Interest (EOI) form by clicking the below button.
You can also read more about the MyWorld programme here, or click here to sign up to the MyWorld Newsletter.
Programme benefits
Drawing upon local expertise – including startups and scaleups, established businesses, investors, government and public sector, research and academia – MyWorld will catalyse the development of creative technologies and address industry challenges in the West of England. This includes groundbreaking applications of immersive technologies such as virtual and augmented reality
MyWorld will forge vital connections between world-leading academic institutions, creative businesses and tech companies including Netflix, Tencent and BT to facilitate knowledge sharing and creative excellence. The project will create more than 700 jobs and boost the UK economy by £223 million.
Connections to world-leading organisations
Access to local expertise
Boosting local growth and investment
MyWorld Funding Opportunities
Digital Catapult’s Challenge Calls and Collaborative R&D Calls will support creative technology projects that demonstrate clear advancements in technology and novel applications of existing technology to new and emerging industry challenges. These will accelerate the adoption of advanced digital technologies generating growth and inward investment.
MyWorld presents opportunities for organisations of all sizes to engage with the programme; including freelancers, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), corporates, communities and academics. Digital Catapult’s challenge-focused accelerators will offer funding, business and technical support to research and prototype new products and services; whilst CR&D projects bring industry and academic partners together to address industry challenges.
Challenge Calls
The Challenge Calls will support individual businesses to develop innovation that has potential for imminent real-world application. Each call will focus on a challenge developed in partnership with regional partners and local organisations, and will focus on building demonstrations and minimum viable products that illustrate how your tech solutions can solve creative technology industry challenges.
Successful projects will receive up to £50k in funding and will be supported by a tailored programme of technical and business support and mentoring.
The first call will launch in January 2023. Please click here to find out more, or fill in our EOI form.
Collaborative Research and Development Open Calls (CR&D)
MyWorld’s CR&D Calls will provide up to £2 million worth of funding for industry-led projects that address challenges facing creative industries from across the creative continuum – meaning anything from content development and production, to dissemination and audience experience.
Involving partners from research organisations in the region, each project will respond to industry challenges, accelerate the adoption of research and development (R&D) and deliver ambitious innovations in media production in the UK and beyond.
The first CR&D Call is now closed. Our second CR&D call will open in October 23. Please click here to find out more, or fill in our EOI form.
More info:
Other MyWorld opportunities will be offered by creative technology centre Watershed via their IDEAS Fellowships and Sandbox programmes (for more information on this please click here), and the project will also see financial investment in new accessible facilities which will open in 2023.
MyWorld is one of the industry-defining projects comprising the Digital Catapult South West partnership, which aims to cement the region as one of the most innovative places in the UK.
Next steps
If you’re interested in finding out more about MyWorld and how to get involved, please fill in the below expression of interest form. We will ensure your enquiry reaches the correct programme partner.