REACT
A development scheme which enabled companies to research possibilities in digital media, create new ideas and deliver innovation to market.
REACT was established in 2011 to fund collaborations between creative companies and academics in the field of arts and humanities. These collaborations encourage knowledge exchange, cultural experimentation and the development of innovative, creative uses for emerging digital technologies.
In 2008 Watershed developed Sandbox as a commissioning scheme supporting creative companies to explore cutting-edge ideas, without the pressure of a client demanding a product. The inaugural Media Sandbox supported six companies from across the South West to develop these early stage digital media ideas. Now in its fourth year, 19 companies have participated in Media and Theatre Sandboxes, creating games, experiences, theatre, apps, installations and software.
Watershed and REACT are working together to deliver a series of Sandbox commissions across its four years of funding. The Heritage and Books & Print Sandboxes were launched by REACT in 2012, and supported exploration into how academic research and creative technology can transform the UK's heritage experiences and define the future of publishing.
Funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), REACT (Research and Enterprise in Arts and Creative Technology) is one of four UK Knowledge Exchange Hubs for the Creative Economy and is a collaboration between UWE Bristol (the University of the West of England), Watershed and the Universities of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter.
Ended in September 2016