The Technology Strategy Board (www.innovateuk.org) is to invest nearly £6 million of government funding in nine innovative strategic research and development projects and ground-breaking trials that will show how co-operation between digital infrastructure providers, content producers, users and software developers can be improved to earn revenue.

Part of the Technology Strategy Board’s £18m ‘Collaboration across Digital Industries’ initiative, the projects and trials will be in areas such as:

• Integrating digital technology and processes from original equipment manufacturers through the supply chain in the automotive sector.
• Developing a prototype local TV platform providing low-cost access to locally-produced content.
• Micropayment technologies to enable online users to purchase real and virtual goods and services with virtual currencies.
• Developing an open web-based community and cloud-based IT platform providing a wide range of tailored software tools and products to help deliver effective healthcare commissioning. 

Iain Gray, the Technology Strategy Board’s Chief Executive, said:

The companies leading the projects and trials are: American Express Services Europe Ltd, Exemplar Associates Ltd, Forensic Pathways Ltd, Idio Ltd, Jaguar Land Rover, Living PlanIT, Magellium Ltd, Sitekit and Wax Digital Ltd.

A ‘digital value chain’ typically starts with content or services from any sector being produced and distributed via an information infrastructure, such as the internet.  Information may be modified or tailored to suit end user needs and assist the delivery of a physical product or service.  Creating a sustainable value chain ensures that everyone who has contributed to a service sees an appropriate share of the revenue.

‘Collaboration across Digital Industries’ is part of the Technology Strategy Board’s digital investment programme, which also involves the creation of the UK Digital Testbed.  The testbed – IC tomorrow (www.ictomorrow.co.uk), which came online in 2010 – allows businesses to test new digital services and run trials with consumers in a dedicated area of the internet.