The UK’s first national R&D facility for the creative industries will open its flagship facility at Pinewood Studios in January 2026.
Part of the CoSTAR Network, the CoSTAR National R&D Lab will be based in the heart of the Pinewood campus, located within the dedicated CoSTAR Stage attached to K Block.
It will offer cutting-edge virtual production technology, with a 236m2 sound stage and a series of research labs featuring spatial audio, volumetric capture and multisensory devices, as well as a private 5G/6G Network.
Funded with a £75.6m investment by the UKRI Infrastructure Fund (a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology) and delivered by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, the CoSTAR Network is the first national R&D network empowering gaming, TV, film, and live performance sectors with resources and innovation. Other facilities in the network include the Realtime Lab in Dundee, Screen Lab in Belfast, Live Lab in Wakefield, and Foresight Lab in London.
A cloud-based ‘Creative AI Compute’ facility, an incubation and partner business space, and prototyping facilities, will enable creative companies across the country to access the CoSTAR National Lab’s experimental and collaborative infrastructure.
The CoSTAR Stage at Pinewood will offer SMEs opportunities to explore technologies and content for digital humans, virtual environments, multi-sensory perception and worldbuilding.
The National Lab is a collaboration between academic and industry partners: Royal Holloway, University of London, National Film and Television School, Abertay University, University of Surrey, BT and Disguise.
Businesses will be invited to apply for a share of a £7m dedicated funding support through access programmes to develop their ideas in the lab.
Prof. James Bennett, Director of CoSTAR National Lab and Pro Vice-Chancellor, Creative Industries at Royal Holloway, University of London, said: “This is an amazing opportunity to unite our world-class research expertise in innovation technologies with Pinewood’s incredible history as a home of global film production.”
Creative Industries Minister Sir Chris Bryant, said: “Backed by £75.6m of government funding for the wider CoSTAR network, it is fantastic that the CoSTAR National Lab will be opening at Pinewood to keep the studios – and the UK – at the forefront of new technologies that will power the future of filmmaking.”
James Rider, General Manager of Pinewood Studios, said: “The CoSTAR National Lab will have a very welcome base at the heart of the British film industry. Pinewood Studios is a natural fit to nurture, develop and evolve new technologies and talent.”
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