Dear Colleague,

Welcome to the XR Stories and XR Network+ newsletter! During the last two months we've held an XR Network+ roadshow at Abertay University, welcomed creatives-in-residence to the XR Stories immersive technology lab and launched eleven new virtual production R&D projects. Coming up; XR Stories at Aesthetica Short Film Festival, XR Network+ at Beyond, and a seminar on digital avatars and character design. Read on to find out more.

New VP collaborations

XR Network+ has launched a second round of projects focused on research collaboration and innovation in areas aligned with Virtual Production (VP). Led by researchers at UK universities, the collaborations span diverse aspects of VP technologies including simulation, hybrid performance, haptics and interactive art.

XR Stories at ASFF

XR Stories will run the VR and Immersive Experiences Lab at the 2024 Aesthetica Short Film Festival (ASFF), providing specialist technical support and equipment to immerse visitors in new stories and perspectives. Content for this year's lab was selected and curated by XR Stories in collaboration with the UAL London College of Communication.

R&D Funding Roundup

The XR Stories R&D funding roundup captures recent opportunities for  researchers, companies and creatives. It also includes a summary of opportunities that are soon to open, including a share of £3.7m available to UK businesses working on R&D projects that provide digital therapeutics for mental health solutions. 

XR Network+ at Beyond

XR Network+ will present two panel discussions at Beyond 2024 to explore EDI issues in the Virtual Production and immersive industries, and the role of immersive technology for the future of live performance. The project will also present a live performance session that will showcase a new tool for virtual dance collaboration and co-creation.

RSC R&D challenge projects 

Two project teams have been selected selected to work with the Royal Shakespeare Company on a research and development challenge to explore the creative possibilities of virtual production technologies in live theatre performance. Photo by Peter Cook © The RSC. 

New white paper

XR Network+ has published a new white paper that presents a comprehensive outline of the current landscape, challenges and opportunities within Virtual Production (VP) and Extended Reality (XR) technologies. The paper  reports on data gathered during XR Network+ workshops in 2023 and 2024. 

Abertay University   

On 22 October, the XR Network+ team travelled to Abertay University to bring  together local academics and artists, and to share updates from CoSTAR, Immersive Arts, the Royal Shakespeare Company and the University of York. The next roadshow will take place at UAL on 12 February 2025.

Advancing digital avatars  

On Wednesday 20 November 2024, join the next XR Network+ online seminar to hear about two research and development collaborations that are using extended reality technology to advance the world of digital avatars and character design in mixed-reality performance and video games.

If you've got an update you'd like us to share, please email the team at enquiries@xrstories.co.uk.