Periodic Report Summary 1 - GRO (Games Research Opportunities and Research Excellence in Cornwall and the EU)
Project Context and Objectives:
The GRO project has established an ERA Chair in Digital Games Technology, to lead research and innovation in digital games at Falmouth University. This is a market which is experiencing exponential growth globally, and one in which Europe could take the lead. As a catalyst for regional development, high level research in this area also has the potential to make a significant contribution to the “Grand Challenges” facing society, such as health and wellbeing and carbon reduction, as game technology and thinking has applications which are potentially significant to the wider economy and society. The appointment of the Chair and associated research team is also a catalyst for building a sustainable games sector in Cornwall. Research excellence in this field would allow us to collaborate and lead research and innovation across the commercial, cultural and social sectors. The ERA Chair will actively contribute to the definition and implementation of Smart Specialisation Strategies at a regional, national and European level. This will facilitate the integration between research investment and EU Cohesion Funding, accelerating regional development. Building on this research excellence, Falmouth University will establish a European Institute for Digital Games Design and Technology. This will incorporate a world-class and sustainable hub for Digital Games research. Centred in a rural, economically-deprived region, the Institute will build on the University’s engagement with the creative industries and other sectors where games concepts and technologies can create significant benefit. In this way, we aim to create the conditions required for innovation and high growth business performance in the region and in other European regional economies.
Project Results:
The main focus of the project so far (first 6 months) has been the recruitment to the ERA Chair, ie. finalising the job description, recruitment and selection, finalisation and signature of the employment contract with the successful candidate. The job description was assessed using the HERA system, an approach adopted as standard practice across the higher education sector in the UK. A bespoke recruitment website was set up for the ERA Chair (and subsequently adapted for the research team) and advertisements were placed in UK and European outlets which have international reach, as well as a number of specialised networks and bulletin boards. Numerous direct approaches were also made by Professor Moore to leading figures in the field to raise interest and referrals. Regardless of the route taken, all candidates were required to formally apply and were reviewed and assessed consistently and fairly in line with the University’s rigorous recruitment procedures. All applications were first scored against the job description and a short list compiled. A recruitment panel was formed, chaired by Professor Moore and included recognised internal and external subject specialists. 10 applications were received and four were shortlisted. All interviews were completed by July 2014 and the appointment made with a contractual start of 1 October.
Potential Impact:
The deliverable and milestone for Workpackage 1 have been fully achieved. The successful candidate, Professor Simon Colton, brings to Falmouth a number of links into National Funding that aims to build impact in the games industry. His presence has already widened Falmouth’s participation in world class research. Colton is currently the principal investigator on two EPSRC-funded projects and two EC projects, and a co-investigator on another two EPSRC and one EC-funded project. He works with seven university research partners in the UK and 10 partners across eight other countries on these projects. He is the impact coordinator for the Intelligent Games and Games Intelligence Centre for Doctoral training consortium run at Essex, York and Goldsmiths Universities (www.iggi.org.uk) and performs a similar role for the PROSECCO research network (www.prosecco-network.eu). Colton has brought Falmouth University in as a partner in a bid for a proposed Digital Creativity Hub with the University of York, Goldsmiths College and Cass Business School. A bid to the EC H2020 programme (ICT 19b) entitled “Make My Game” is also in development with the University of Malta, Sony Computer Science Lab Paris, Delft Technical University and Goldsmiths. This will focus on the human-centric procedurally enhanced design of games, and aims to develop technology that will make more widely accessible the means of making games. Colton recently won an EPSRC “Telling Tales of Engagement” competition for his group’s work on the ANGELINA automated game design project (www.gamesbyangelina.org) and they will use the £10k prize at Falmouth to enable the software to build games by working with (and paying directly for the work of) third party designers. Falmouth University is making substantial strides in its strategic goal to become the Smart Specialisation lead in Research and Innovation in Digital Games. To increase the potential for impact in this area, we have invested in the creation of innovative postgraduate and undergraduate enterprise-led courses in digital games and are building an infrastructure for the incubation and support of start-ups in the area of digital games which has been part-financed by the ERDF. We have built productive links with local and national game and game-related companies, including Cornish game developers, such as: Anti-Matter Games, SpryFox Games and Yoonic App Development; and national companies including Supermassive Games, Media Molecule and Sony Entertainment. As mentioned previously, Falmouth has also become a partner in an EPSRC Next Stage Digital Economy bid for a Digital Creativity Hub, and this has has 85 industrial partners.
List of Websites:
http://www.falmouth.ac.uk(si apre in una nuova finestra)
The GRO project has established an ERA Chair in Digital Games Technology, to lead research and innovation in digital games at Falmouth University. This is a market which is experiencing exponential growth globally, and one in which Europe could take the lead. As a catalyst for regional development, high level research in this area also has the potential to make a significant contribution to the “Grand Challenges” facing society, such as health and wellbeing and carbon reduction, as game technology and thinking has applications which are potentially significant to the wider economy and society. The appointment of the Chair and associated research team is also a catalyst for building a sustainable games sector in Cornwall. Research excellence in this field would allow us to collaborate and lead research and innovation across the commercial, cultural and social sectors. The ERA Chair will actively contribute to the definition and implementation of Smart Specialisation Strategies at a regional, national and European level. This will facilitate the integration between research investment and EU Cohesion Funding, accelerating regional development. Building on this research excellence, Falmouth University will establish a European Institute for Digital Games Design and Technology. This will incorporate a world-class and sustainable hub for Digital Games research. Centred in a rural, economically-deprived region, the Institute will build on the University’s engagement with the creative industries and other sectors where games concepts and technologies can create significant benefit. In this way, we aim to create the conditions required for innovation and high growth business performance in the region and in other European regional economies.
Project Results:
The main focus of the project so far (first 6 months) has been the recruitment to the ERA Chair, ie. finalising the job description, recruitment and selection, finalisation and signature of the employment contract with the successful candidate. The job description was assessed using the HERA system, an approach adopted as standard practice across the higher education sector in the UK. A bespoke recruitment website was set up for the ERA Chair (and subsequently adapted for the research team) and advertisements were placed in UK and European outlets which have international reach, as well as a number of specialised networks and bulletin boards. Numerous direct approaches were also made by Professor Moore to leading figures in the field to raise interest and referrals. Regardless of the route taken, all candidates were required to formally apply and were reviewed and assessed consistently and fairly in line with the University’s rigorous recruitment procedures. All applications were first scored against the job description and a short list compiled. A recruitment panel was formed, chaired by Professor Moore and included recognised internal and external subject specialists. 10 applications were received and four were shortlisted. All interviews were completed by July 2014 and the appointment made with a contractual start of 1 October.
Potential Impact:
The deliverable and milestone for Workpackage 1 have been fully achieved. The successful candidate, Professor Simon Colton, brings to Falmouth a number of links into National Funding that aims to build impact in the games industry. His presence has already widened Falmouth’s participation in world class research. Colton is currently the principal investigator on two EPSRC-funded projects and two EC projects, and a co-investigator on another two EPSRC and one EC-funded project. He works with seven university research partners in the UK and 10 partners across eight other countries on these projects. He is the impact coordinator for the Intelligent Games and Games Intelligence Centre for Doctoral training consortium run at Essex, York and Goldsmiths Universities (www.iggi.org.uk) and performs a similar role for the PROSECCO research network (www.prosecco-network.eu). Colton has brought Falmouth University in as a partner in a bid for a proposed Digital Creativity Hub with the University of York, Goldsmiths College and Cass Business School. A bid to the EC H2020 programme (ICT 19b) entitled “Make My Game” is also in development with the University of Malta, Sony Computer Science Lab Paris, Delft Technical University and Goldsmiths. This will focus on the human-centric procedurally enhanced design of games, and aims to develop technology that will make more widely accessible the means of making games. Colton recently won an EPSRC “Telling Tales of Engagement” competition for his group’s work on the ANGELINA automated game design project (www.gamesbyangelina.org) and they will use the £10k prize at Falmouth to enable the software to build games by working with (and paying directly for the work of) third party designers. Falmouth University is making substantial strides in its strategic goal to become the Smart Specialisation lead in Research and Innovation in Digital Games. To increase the potential for impact in this area, we have invested in the creation of innovative postgraduate and undergraduate enterprise-led courses in digital games and are building an infrastructure for the incubation and support of start-ups in the area of digital games which has been part-financed by the ERDF. We have built productive links with local and national game and game-related companies, including Cornish game developers, such as: Anti-Matter Games, SpryFox Games and Yoonic App Development; and national companies including Supermassive Games, Media Molecule and Sony Entertainment. As mentioned previously, Falmouth has also become a partner in an EPSRC Next Stage Digital Economy bid for a Digital Creativity Hub, and this has has 85 industrial partners.
List of Websites:
http://www.falmouth.ac.uk(si apre in una nuova finestra)