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Our work

SIGN is the sister initiative to XR Stories, a £15 million project that provides research and development funding to support the potential of immersive and interactive technologies for digital storytelling in Yorkshire and the Humber.

The two projects share the overarching ambition to make this region the UK’s centre of expertise in digital screen storytelling. SIGN will complement XR Stories by: 

  • Developing initiatives to facilitate a more diverse workforce, producing more diverse content for more diverse audiences 
  • Creating a comprehensive business support programme for both start-ups and more established businesses 
  • Investing in skills, training and talent development
  • Gathering information about the sector and undertaking new research to ensure activities build on strong evidence and best practice
  • Evaluating and building on success as the project develops.

SIGN is aligned with the Industrial Strategy and its focus on boosting productivity by backing businesses to create jobs and generate economic growth.

SIGN operates across four broad and interconnected workstreams.

  • Diversity & inclusion

    Building a diverse and inclusive workforce across the screen industries

  • Business support

    Helping businesses survive and thrive

  • Skills & training

    Upskilling the workforce, and responding to training and talent development needs

  • Research

    Investigating the challenges facing the screen industries and devising evidence-based interventions