USW supports Green Cymru Challenge Fund

The University of South Wales (USW) is supporting the launch of a new partnership to find innovative and creative ways to cultivate a sustainable screen sector for Wales.

The Green Cymru Challenge Fund is a partnership between Ffilm Cymru Wales – the development agency for Welsh film – and Clwstwr, an innovation programme for the South Wales screen sector, funded by the Creative Industries Clusters Programme which is part of the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy.

The multidisciplinary innovation fund will offer funding to research and develop new ways of working in the film and TV industry, with the aim of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, and will look to find solutions to key environmental challenges within the film industry in Wales.

The funding call is open to individuals, organisations and collaborations across sectors, including:

• Film, Television and Media
• Academia
• Technology (IT, Software, Electronics and Computer Services)
• Transportation
• Energy and Water
• Waste management

Three projects will be awarded up to £25,000 each. Successful applicants will then be invited to Green Cymru Challenge Workshops to develop their ideas before submitting a formal application.

The deadline for submitting expressions of interest is 20 August, with winning projects due to start in November this year.

Professor Ruth McElroy, Chair of Ffilm Cymru Wales and Professor of Creative Industries at USW, said: “We simply cannot afford to wait any longer to tackle climate change. The TV and film industries have a surprisingly large carbon footprint. According to BAFTA, each hour of TV generates 13 metric tons of carbon dioxide. That's roughly equal to what the average American citizen generates in a whole year. Working in partnership is vital if we are to make our growing film and TV sector cleaner, greener and more sustainable.”