Annex A: Technical Approach |
Does Technology Programme Funding add value?
Investment by ‘theatre supply’ partners, which include SMEs, is primarily directed towards funding product and process improvement that meets existing theatre production customers short-term needs. These partners can afford to invest very little in R&D and could not, therefore, afford to participate in this long term research without TSB funding. Their involvement in this project enables the TSB to promote additional commitment, through reducing risk, to longer-term, more innovative research which goes beyond the partners existing R&D activities and which involves them in higher levels of risk but with the potential for greater rewards. Without TSB funding this project would not be possible since the theatre supplier base is made up of a large number of such small organisations. Within ‘theatre production’ companies production budgets do not allow for the level of R&D this project entails. The bulk of current investment is used to fund new productions and develop creative ideas as opposed to significant R&D investment of this nature. Moreover, the high levels of variability in success of individual productions, and hence revenue, can create high levels of financial risk to participating in any long term R&D project of this nature. To develop a system capable of re-creating the complex environment of theatre productions a multi-partner collaboration is required which will encompass virtual simulation, information extraction, extensive knowledge of theatre production processes and software creation. Sharing the risk between the partners, with financial support from the TSB, provides the only viable, safe way for the project to proceed and of reducing the R&D and exploitation risks.