Solent: Creative industries supported by minister’s visit to University of Portsmouth
The minister for Portsmouth Michael Fallon has visited the University of Portsmouth’s Creative and Cultural Industries (CCi) faculty as part of his remit to support jobs and growth in the city.
Creative industries make a vital contribution to the UK economy and account for 1.5 million jobs nationally.
Fallon toured the Motion Capture studio and witnessed several live demonstrations, including real-time facial animation. He saw first-hand how students are applying the latest technologies in virtual reality and data visualisation to research rehabilitation and virtual training. These have serious gaming applications, such as those developed with the Ministry of Defence, and are used for combat training and simulation.
He said: "Portsmouth and the surrounding area have real strengths in the creative and cultural industries, with companies like cutting-edge developers Climax Games, which makes computer games for the world’s biggest publishers from its base here.
"It was interesting to learn more about the work the University does to contribute to the sector's growth and to equip students with the skills they need for the jobs of the future. These latest technologies in virtual reality and motion capture clearly have a range of practical applications from computer gaming, to film making to training for the armed forces.”
Hosted by the vice-chancellor, professor Graham Galbraith, and the dean of the faculty of Creative and Cultural Industries, professor Catherine Harper, Fallon also viewed the Anglepoise Installation in CCi’s Space gallery, and met BSc computer animation and computer games technology students.
While in the city, the minister announced a new research project to help attract more investment in the maritime and marine engineering industry in the region; met with representatives of BAE Systems; visited a local fitness centre that has benefitted from government funding; and had a preview tour of a major exhibition in the National Museum of the Royal Navy in Portsmouth’s Historic Dockyard.
