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Gaming research to help UK manufacturers

A £1.5m gaming research project will be led by Coventry University’s Serious Games Institute (SGI), in a bid to help manufacturers develop their business models.

The scheme, which is part of a wider £45m funding package from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), will use gaming technology to improve UK manufacturers’ competitiveness.

Universities and Science Minister, David Willetts, announced the project at Coventry University on Thursday, when he met with Vice Chancellor Professor Madeleine Atkins and visited the University’s £55m engineering and computing centre.

Mr Willetts, MP for Havant in Hampshire, said: “The UK has a proud history of manufacturing but to build on this success industry needs access to the very latest science and technology.

“This £45 million package of investment will see our world-class research base investigating innovative new manufacturing equipment and techniques.

“This will support our industrial strategy in a range of important sectors, driving growth and keeping the UK ahead in the global race.”

SGI will work with Aston University and the University of Sheffield to promote ‘gamification’ within UK manufacturing firms as a way of selling services and products.

Big-name firms such as Ford Motor Company, MAN Truck and Bus and Birmingham Science Park will also test out the gaming technology developed by SGI.

Further to the scheme at Coventry, five other ICT research projects have been undertaken for manufacturers that will focus on concepts such as cloud computing, crowdsourcing, ICT dashboards and platforms after finding investment from EPSRC.

Professor Sara de Freitas, director of the Serious Games and Virtual Worlds Applied Research Group at the University, commented: “To be chosen to lead this project in partnership with Aston University and the University of Sheffield represents an excellent opportunity, particularly for the West Midlands region which is now positioned very much as a global leader in the serious games industry.

“The announcement of the EPSRC’s investment in research into applied games technology is fantastic news, and for Coventry University and its Serious Games Institute the project marks a significant milestone in our efforts to work with more businesses to help them take advantage of what is fast becoming an essential way to boost growth potential.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Miranda Dobson .