A win for small gaming businesses
Support for the video game industry has entered the next level, with the UK Government announcing a new fund to help small businesses working in the industry to get their game on.
Minister for Communications, Ed Vaisey, has launched the new £2 million fund, which will be managed by the University of Abertay in Dundee’s new £8.5 million video games centre of excellence.
The university is now inviting UK small businesses to apply for grants from the fund of up to £25,000 to help them produce video game prototypes. The university will also offer undergraduates and recent graduates the opportunity to work on games development projects using Abertay’s “Dare to be Digital” model. Dare to be Digital is a competition which challenges computer science and art students to design their own video game.
Grant applicants are asked to get in contact with the university to be guided through the application process. They will then be asked to complete a short pitch document and once that has been approved, to submit a more comprehensive proposal document and project plan.
Launching the fund yesterday, Mr Vaisey welcomed an independent review of education and training in the UK games sector to be spearheaded by Ian Livingstone OBE, Life President of Eidos, and carried out by NESTA and Skillset.
Mr Vaizey also welcomed trade bodies Tiga and ELSPA’s announcement this week that they would be working together to review tax support for the games sector.
He said: “Government recognises the difficult challenges faced by the UK video games industry in the wake of a new economic climate.
“It is an industry that has real potential to create the high quality jobs of the future that will be so important as we recover from the recession.
“We need to invest in talent that will ensure the UK remains at the forefront of games creativity.
“That is why it is important to focus on skills and on giving small companies the support they have been telling us they need to help them take forward innovative new games concepts.
“These small and start-up companies will play an important part in enhancing the international competitiveness of our games industry, whilst showing the UK is open for business.”
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