Universities given multi-million pound games technology boost

COVENTRY University’s Serious Games Institute and Aston University are set to play a leading role in a £1.5m research project which aims to help manufacturing firms transform their business models using games technology.

The project, announced by universities and science minister David Willetts shortly after he visited Coventry University, is part of a wider £45m funding package from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council  (EPSRC) designed to improve manufacturing competitiveness in the UK.

Coventry’s Serious Games Institute (SGI) and Aston University will work with the University of Sheffield on the gaming technology initiative, the goal of which will be to encourage UK firms to use ‘gamification’ to sell services as well as products.

The research team will create serious games using three dimensional virtual worlds which can represent and handle the complex data systems of companies looking to adopt product service systems.

A host of industry partners – including Ford Motor Company, MAN Truck & Bus and Birmingham Science Park – will test out the games as part of the project.

Willetts visited Coventry University to meet with vice-chancellor Professor Madeleine Atkins and see the latest technologies available to staff and students in the new £55m engineering and computing facility.

He 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 £45m 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.”

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