A new facility in Wakefield will help drive the next generation of production technologies to revolutionise the UK’s film, TV and performing arts industries. The state-of-the-art lab is part of the Creative Industries Sector Vision, which sets out the Government’s ambition to maximise the potential of the UK’s creative industries so they generate an extra £50 billion for the economy and support a million more jobs by 2030. A consortium, led by the University of York, has been selected by the UK Government to host one of four new labs specialising in the future of virtual production – a range of techniques that use computer-generated imagery (CGI), hyper-real sound, augmented reality and motion capture to create virtual sets and environments. Lab Director, Professor Gavin Kearney from the School of Physics Engineering and Technology at the University of York, said: “We are thrilled to announce our new lab facility; it will build upon the University’s world-leading applied research for the creative industries, as well as the support and growth initiatives of Screen Yorkshire and XR Stories in the screen industries sector across our region.” Virtual production allows filmmakers and theatre directors to create large-scale digitally-generated environments that performers can interact with in real-time using LED panels, as a faster and less expensive alternative to green screens. The technology has been used to great success in the ABBA Voyage live concert at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London and on Disney’s hit show The Mandalorian. Located alongside studios and leading entertainment technology companies at Production Park in Wakefield, the lab will bring together expertise from the University of York, Vodafone, Screen Yorkshire, and support from Wakefield Council and the York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership. The lab will focus on applying new virtual production technology to live events and how the latest developments can be used to ensure the UK has the skills and infrastructure to stay on the cutting edge of this type of technology. The lab is part of UKRI’s Convergent Screen Technologies and performance in Realtime (CoSTAR) programme, supported by £75.6 million of government funding and £63 million of new industry investment, which will form the largest virtual production research and development network in Europe, with four facilities across the country. Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said: “Yorkshire has a rich history in film, TV and the performing arts, home to unforgettable scenery and highly skilled creatives behind popular productions including The Duke, All Creatures Great and Small and Happy Valley. “Now we’re putting West Yorkshire at the forefront of future technology for the next generation of filming and live events. Together with experts across the UK, this new lab will make sure the UK stays ahead of the latest developments transforming our screens and stages.” The network will include a national lab at Pinewood Studios, and a new Insight and Foresight Unit led by Goldsmiths and the British Film Institute. Three regional hubs, in Dundee, Yorkshire and Belfast, are expected to contribute a combined £33 million to the economy and support 423 jobs. Partners involved across the programme include the National Film and Television School, BT and BBC Northern Ireland as well as Royal Holloway, Ulster and Abertay universities. Film and TV productions in Yorkshire boosted the local economy by more than £235 million in 2019 and the region has provided backdrop for some of this year’s biggest blockbusters, including Mission:Impossible 7 and the latest Indiana Jones film (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny).

A pioneering sustainability centre, launched today (14 June 2023), is set to help South Yorkshire meet the challenges posed by the climate emergency, while also providing positive opportunities for the people, places and businesses in the region. The South Yorkshire Sustainability Centre (SYSC) is the first centre of its kind in the UK, connecting world-leading academic research with local businesses, public sector organisations and charities to overcome challenges like decarbonisation and helping the region meet its net-zero targets. Creating a pipeline of sustainability research with the people who need it, the centre will also help to create new jobs, skills and economic opportunities in the region. At the heart of the SYSC is a partnership between the University of Sheffield, Sheffield Hallam University, the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, the four South Yorkshire local authorities – Sheffield, Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham – and a range of private and voluntary sector organisations. The launch by South Yorkshire Mayor, Oliver Coppard, follows the announcement of the centre at the South Yorkshire Economic Summit in 2022. Over the past 12 months the SYSC has been focused on three key areas that represent the highest-emitting and most difficult to decarbonise elements of the economy and relate directly to regional priorities. Tackling these areas will have a massive impact on our region. These are:

• Retrofitting homes in South Yorkshire to reduce energy use and improve health and wellbeing Working with the University of Sheffield, Doncaster Metropolitan Council (MBC) identified a total of 1,800 homes that needed to be treated and upgraded to help the city reach 100 per cent net-zero by 2040. Homes were retrofitted with combinations of solid wall insulation and wall updates, new roofing, loft insulation, window glazing and door upgrades, and heating controls. The project is also helping to tackle a high-level of fuel poverty, affecting around 17 per cent of homes, and also supporting residents’ wellbeing and satisfaction with their home. As well as retrofitting homes, researchers are also working to understand how and why people move around Doncaster to help reduce transport emissions and help local organisations make decisions on services that are not only more sustainable but are better for the people using them.
• Reducing the amount of CO2 emitted from farm to fork To achieve net-zero within the UK food system we need to develop technologies and processes that reduce the amount of CO2 emitted from ‘farm to fork’. The centre is looking at how we can produce food using low-carbon processes, embedded in local and regional communities.
• Helping regional industry and business decarbonise and move to clean fuels The centre is working with regional industry and business to help them decarbonise and move to using clean fuels whilst maintaining the quality of their products. In South Yorkshire we have major manufacturers in foundational industries that underpin the UK’s economy. Decarbonising these industries will bring far wider benefits at a national level.

Director of the SYSC, Professor Rachael Rothman from the University of Sheffield, said: “We all know that to combat climate change we need to urgently reduce carbon emissions, but doing so without balancing the connected economic and social issues will only lead to more inequality and poverty in society. “The challenges we face are complex and cut across industries, society and academic disciplines, but there are also opportunities; for jobs, economic growth and a more sustainable and thriving future. The decisions and changes we make now will have an immense impact on that future. “We will connect our world leading research together with the region to provide the evidence needed to make those decisions and drive change. “It makes me incredibly proud to know that South Yorkshire is playing such a pivotal role in the journey to a sustainable future.” The SYSC was launched at the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) Technology Centre with speakers South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard, Co-Founder of Civic Square, Immy Kaur and SYSC Director Professor Rachael Rothman. Active Travel Commissioner and Olympic gold medal cyclist, Ed Clancy, also spoke at the event after leading a group cycle from the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority offices on Broad Street West – close to Sheffield train station – to the AMP in Rotherham. South Yorkshire’s Mayor, Oliver Coppard, said: “The climate crisis is perhaps the biggest challenge we face, but if we get our response to it right, the rewards are significant: making our homes more sustainable will also make them warmer and cheaper to heat; investing in green technology to help us reach net-zero emissions will also create great new jobs in the industries of the future, and grow our economy too; investing in public transport, as well as walking and cycling infrastructure, will mean more of us can leave our cars at home, creating safer, more liveable neighbourhoods and better connected communities. “But we will only be able to build that new future if we work in partnership, with our communities, our businesses and our institutions across South Yorkshire. “That’s why I’m so pleased to be launching South Yorkshire’s Sustainability Centre, bringing together leading academics, harnessing the resources and capabilities of our great universities to help build a greener, fairer future that works for all our communities, right across the region, and providing leadership to the whole of our country.” Professor Koen Lamberts, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sheffield, said: “The world is facing a climate emergency and universities are uniquely positioned to respond to the global challenges we face. “We are proud to be leading the South Yorkshire Sustainability Centre, which will connect our world-leading and world-changing sustainability research with businesses, public sector organisations and charities. “Through working together, we can tackle urgent global issues like decarbonising to meet net-zero targets, and make a significant impact on our region, creating new green jobs, skills and economic opportunities.” Sheffield Hallam University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Chris Husbands, said: “Climate change is the greatest challenge facing humanity and it is vital that universities utilise their research excellence, expertise and knowledge to help bring about societal change. “The South Yorkshire Sustainability Centre is an excellent example of how collaboration and partnership can bring together organisations across a region and across disciplines to realise economic and social impact through the common goal of addressing urgent sustainability challenges. “Sheffield Hallam is delighted to be a lead partner in this important initiative so we can better connect academic networks, local expertise and delivery partners to drive positive change in our region.”

Cities in Yorkshire and Humberside and the North East are lagging behind the rest of the UK when it comes to productivity, but have enormous potential for growth and prosperity, a new briefing from The Productivity Institute (TPI) has found. ‘The Yorkshire and The Humber and North East Productivity Challenge’, written by Kate Penney from The Productivity Institute – of which the University of Sheffield is one of eight partners – provides key insights into productivity growth within the region and highlights a number of strategic initiatives for growth and development. While overall productivity in the region is below the national average, Sunderland, with its strong manufacturing base, has exhibited higher productivity levels and growth rates than the UK as a whole. However, cities in Yorkshire and the Humber, including Bradford, Leeds, Sheffield, and York, have struggled to match the national average in productivity growth over the past decade. The brief highlights several factors that contribute to the productivity challenges faced by the region. The prevalence of low-productivity firms, under-investment in research and development and skills, and inadequate regional connectivity have hindered substantial productivity improvements since 2008. Additionally, the North East and Yorkshire and the Humber were among the least resilient regions to the 2008 global financial crisis and have been significantly affected by Brexit, given their reliance on EU markets for trade. The brief will assist the business community in the region by highlighting various initiatives that offer potential for future productivity improvement, and examines various factors and bottlenecks that shape regional growth. The brief is intended to inform the discussions and actions of the Regional Productivity Forum (RPF) for Yorkshire, Humber and the North East, based at the University of Sheffield. The forum is one of eight regional productivity forums established by TPI. The TPI is an ESRC-funded initiative that brings together academics with business, industry and policy representatives to identify and address the causes of the UK’s weak growth in productivity. Professor Jason Heyes, a Professor of Employment Relations at the University of Sheffield’s Management School and the academic lead for the Yorkshire, Humber and North East RPF, commissioned the new report, as part of ongoing work to understand and address productivity challenges in the region. Professor Heyes said: “This paper provides extremely important information about productivity in our region and the obstacles to improvements in economic performance that different parts of our region face. It will help our RPF to develop initiatives that we hope will make a strong contribution to improving productivity in Yorkshire, Humber and the North East including investing in and retaining skilled workers, the adoption of green and digital technologies and incentivising innovation.” In the North East, the new governance structure resulting from the devolution deal will provide greater powers and opportunities for growth and innovation in areas such as advanced manufacturing, health and life sciences, energy, tech, and business services. In Yorkshire and the Humber, the focus is on leveraging the region’s strengths in sectors such as healthcare and innovation, manufacturing, financial and professional services, and digital technologies. The region has established itself as a major centre for financial and professional services outside of London and earns billions from advanced manufacturing and R&D activities. However, there is a need for increased investment, both public and private, in research and development to unlock further growth potential. One of the common challenges faced by both Yorkshire and Humber and the North East is the need for improved connectivity and transportation infrastructure. The cancellation of the planned HS2 rail eastern leg to Leeds has raised concerns, but the Transpennine route will receive upgrades to enhance connectivity. Infrastructure investment is crucial to facilitate economic growth and ensure efficient access to markets. Professor Bart van Ark, Managing Director of The Productivity Institute, said: “By adopting a comprehensive ‘scorecard’ approach, we analyse key metrics across five core drivers: business performance, skills and training, policy and institutions, health and wellbeing, and investments and infrastructures. “These regions have enormous potential for growth and prosperity, particularly in sectors such as clean energy, advanced manufacturing, digital technologies, and healthcare innovation, and by implementing strategic policies, fostering innovation, and increasing investment, there is the real opportunity for them to unlock their productivity potential and contribute to the national economic landscape.” Sarah Tulip, Chair of the Yorkshire, Humber and the North East RPF, and Senior Director at IT services and consulting company Cognizant based in Leeds, added: “This paper both sadly highlights the lack of productivity in these regions, with both sitting in the bottom quartile nationally and that major factors such as the significant lack of investment have driven this down during challenging times when it needed support most. “What I believe shines through is that despite adversity, the cities across Yorkshire, Humber and the North East are finding ways to reinvent themselves – and in areas of innovation, becoming world leading across sectors. With the right support, powers, skills and investment in the region, this could be accelerated and have a massive impact both locally for its people, creating high skilled work and transforming some of the left behind communities, but also nationally in allowing the region to contribute more significantly. I look forward to us diving deeper into some of the core challenges faced.”