AHRC CoSTAR Satellite Labs: Accessible Creative R&D Infrastructure

Opportunity to join the CoSTAR Network and host national research and development (R&D) infrastructure for the creative sector.

This funding opportunity is an expansion of the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Convergent Screen Technologies and performance in Realtime (CoSTAR) programme, AHRC’s flagship national network of creative research infrastructure. It will deliver up to two Showcase Labs and up to two Satellite Labs, a Virtual Compute Lab and additional Access Programmes, primarily funding equipment, technology, staff, utilities and an access programme to support small medium enterprise utilisation.

Successful consortia will set out a programme that will:

• Design and fit out of state-of-the art creative R&D facilities, including relevant technology infrastructure. These facilities may constitute a refurbishment or extension of an existing facility and must be co-sited with a screen production facility, studio or performance company.
• Collaborate with CoSTAR National Lab and the rest of the network to identify opportunities and needs for coordinated R&D programmes and disseminate research outcomes.
• Contribute to demonstrator or pilot programmes with National Lab.
• Provide access to knowledge exchange, commercialisation and enterprise functions for CoSTAR Network partners.
• Manage the R&D laboratory facilities, including staff resourcing for a period of three years.
• Develop and implement a model to secure external co-investment for their lab to ensure long-term financial sustainability.

Satellite Labs and their consortia should:

• Have sufficient capability to act as a lab contributing to the research and innovation activity and impact of the CoSTAR Network.
• Be formed from a demonstrable track record of Createch research and innovation activity.
• Be capable and willing to conform to technical standards adopted by the CoSTAR network and play a role in the CoSTAR Technology Roadmap.
• Act as a point of presence providing access to the CoSTAR National Infrastructure, including support for companies engaging with the network
• Have technical expertise and staff resource sufficient to support these objectives.
• Be situated in a region of demonstrable Createch technology activity that is distinct from (and additional to) the existing CoSTAR Labs.
• Specialise in an industrial application area of sector that extends the CoSTAR Network beyond its current activity, but which also demonstrates the technology convergence underpinning CoSTAR. extra showcase requirement.

The duration of the award is three years from April 2027. Projects must start by 31 May 2027.