SIRT Centre awarded $450K to help cultural non-profit expand digital and multi-platform storytelling

Sheridan’s Screen Industries Research and Training (SIRT) Centre has secured a $450,000 Applied Research and Development (ARD) grant through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada’s (NSERC) College & Community Innovation (CCI) program to support a three-year project with Newfoundland-based, non-profit arts organization Camber Arts. The applied research collaboration will explore how cultural non-profits can use digital tools and AI technologies to create digital experiences efficiently, expand audience access, strengthen sector resilience and share Canadian stories more widely.

The future of Canada’s cultural sector depends in part on how well it can adapt to rapid shifts in engagement and technology. As the sector faces growing instability and disconnection from its rapidly changing communities, financial sustainability becomes an increasingly concerning issue. At the same time, ongoing digital disruption is reshaping how audiences engage, with many gravitating toward online and multi-platform experiences. As a result, traditional art forms, such as live theatre, are losing market share, widening the gap between how non-profit cultural experiences are produced and how contemporary audiences access them.

For cultural non-profits like Camber Arts, this presents a critical challenge: expanding audience reach while building long-term resilience in a digital-first environment. However, adapting creative work across platforms requires specialized expertise and production infrastructure that can be difficult and costly to develop independently, leaving many non-profit organizations without the capacity to fully participate in this shift. Partnering with SIRT on “Intelligent Workflows for Narrative Game Design”, the applied research project will investigate how Canadian stories can be adapted across formats like books, games, theatre and immersive experiences to expand audience reach.

Led by Director of Research & Innovation Dr. Lia Tsotsos, SIRT film production specialist Kevin Santos and software engineering researcher Mohammad Moussa, the research team will translate a new story each year to evaluate the time, cost and resources required. Through experimentation with AI-enabled content creation tools, refinement of workflows across mobile, desktop and virtual reality platforms as well as evaluation of test audience engagement and impact, SIRT will provide Camber Arts with working prototypes and evidence-based insights into the most effective approaches. In doing so, Camber Arts will be well-positioned to continue advancing innovative storytelling.

“Sheridan’s applied research expertise and ecosystem plays a critical role in helping organizations respond to disruption with confidence and purpose,” said Dr. Vicki Mowat, Dean of Research at Sheridan. “By bridging emerging technologies and creativity, we are expanding opportunities for cultural non-profits to adapt to a changing digital landscape and develop sustainable approaches for the future.”

This applied research collaboration continues SIRT’s momentum in advancing innovation with impact, building on a recent federal investment in AI-driven tools and virtual production technologies, a Virtual Production micro-credential through Sheridan’s Creative Industries Catalyst and contributions to Sheridan’s recognition by Research Infosource Inc. as Canada’s top college for AI research partnerships.

About the Screen Industries Research and Training Centre

The Screen Industries Research and Training (SIRT) Centre drives creative and technological advances within the screen industries — such as film, television, interactive digital media, gaming and virtual/augmented reality — and innovative application of screen industry technologies within the performing arts and other sectors. SIRT empowers industry and community partners to advance innovation in storytelling and content creation through leading-edge applied research and customized training to equip professionals with the skills and practical knowledge they need to make an immediate and positive impact on the workforce. SIRT is an integral part of Generator at Sheridan, where people with diverse perspectives work together across disciplines and sectors to spark ideas and advance solutions that really matter. For more information, visit sirtcentre.com.

About Generator at Sheridan

Generator at Sheridan is where purpose and passion unite the extraordinary research, innovation and entrepreneurship undertaken by Sheridan’s faculty, staff and students, working across disciplines and sectors, to drive meaningful impact for an ever-changing world. In addition to our exceptional faculty-led research, Sheridan also boasts five renowned research and entrepreneurship centres that provide innovation supports to community, industry and government partners. Learn more at sheridancollege.ca/generator.