Overview
Funded as part of the £75.6m CoSTAR Network Investment from the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Infrastructure Fund and delivered by the UKRI Arts & Humanities Research Council, this national lab for Creative Industries R&D brings together cutting-edge infrastructure with world-leading multi-disciplinary research teams to speed up the use of new and innovative technologies in the UK’s film, TV, and performance industries.
In 2026, a Lab in the historic heart of the Pinewood campus will offer cutting-edge virtual production technology with a large sound stage, alongside a series of Research and Development (R&D) lab spaces featuring spatial audio, volumetric capture and multisensory devices, as well as a private 5G/6G Network.
A cloud-based Creative AI Compute facility and an incubation and partner business space will also be available, along with prototyping facilities which will enable creative companies across the country to access the Lab’s experimental and collaborative infrastructure.
The Challenge
The Sector Plan clearly articulates the place of the Creative Industries at the heart of the government’s Industrial Strategy and Growth Mission, due to their national and global impact, multiple strengths and successes, and rapidly increased demand.
We need to continue to invest, explore and innovate in order to continue to lead in this field – most notably with regard to creative technology (‘createch’).
Another key challenge – and opportunity – is to harness the power of the diverse talent and activity in the UK. This is a dynamic sector comprising mainly SMEs and small businesses and many freelance workers. Providing the infrastructure to enable these businesses to scale up and innovate with the most advanced technology will unlock enormous opportunity.
As such, CoSTAR infrastructure – with the National Lab a key component of this – is critical in enabling the UK screen and performance sectors to continue to lead the world in future waves of advanced computing technologies.
Partnerships
The CoSTAR Stage at Pinewood Studios will offer creative companies unparalleled opportunities to explore, exploit and innovate in technologies and content. This includes digital humans, virtual environments, multi-sensory perception and worldbuilding, underpinned by the world-class R&D of its academic and industry partners Royal Holloway, National Film and Television School (NFTS), Abertay University, University of Surrey, BT and Disguise.
Research
Led by the award-winning StoryFutures team at Royal Holloway, University of London, the CoSTAR National Lab will be underpinned by its rich heritage in storytelling and a partnership that builds exciting new synergies between creative ideas and emerging technology; from deep AI and machine learning research and games engine expertise , to industry-leading training .
Impact
The CoSTAR National Lab enables the scaling-up of existing creative partnerships and will support smaller creative enterprises with accessible opportunities to experiment in a de-risked environment.
Businesses will be invited to apply for a share of £7m dedicated funding support through Access Programmes to develop their ideas in a dynamic environment that not only deepens and strengthens the UK creative technology ecosystem, but also promotes inclusive, sustainable and ethical innovation and business growth.
