Heritage and innovation brought together
"It’s not just about us creating experiences - it’s about giving museums, heritage sites and visitor attractions the tools to create their own, easily and affordably."
Innovation and heritage will come together perfectly in a new project funded by the Innovate UK’s Immersive & Creative Industries Launchpad.
Local business Panivox, in collaboration with the British Motor Museum (home of the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust), has been awarded funding through the programme to support the continued development of RichCast, a ground-breaking interactive storytelling platform.
RichCast is designed to transform how audiences create, distribute, and engage with interactive rich media across all smart devices - particularly within the cultural heritage sector. It enables users to play, create, and share immersive multimedia experiences using voice, images, video, animation, and branching narratives.
With the support from Innovate UK, Panivox will integrate powerful new capabilities including multilingual AI tools, geolocation functionality, and built-in analytics to empower cultural organisations to develop and manage their own high-quality digital experiences without the need for specialist skills or expensive equipment.
"We are thrilled to receive this funding, which allows us to accelerate RichCast’s development and support the cultural sector in new and exciting ways," said Philip Oliver, Co-Founder of Panivox. "It’s not just about us creating experiences - it’s about giving museums, heritage sites and visitor attractions the tools to create their own, easily and affordably."
As part of the project, Panivox will work closely with the British Motor Museum, which welcomed over 140,000 visitors in 2024. Together, they will produce RichCast-powered demonstrators to showcase how the platform can enhance storytelling and visitor engagement both on-site and online.
Stephen Laing, Head of Collections and Engagement at the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust, said: “We are excited to be working with Panivox on an Innovate UK-funded project that places accessibility and audience engagement at its core. RichCast offers an innovative approach to digital storytelling, giving museums like ours new ways to share stories and make collections more interactive, multilingual, and engaging for a broader audience, both on-site and online.
“This partnership allows us to explore the cutting edge of audience interaction and help shape a platform that could transform how heritage organisations connect with the public in today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape.”
The project will contribute to the continued growth of Coventry and Warwickshire’s creative industries cluster. CWX, the region’s cluster management organisation for immersive and creative technologies, sees this partnership as a reflection of the region’s position as a leader in this sector and highlights how scalable innovation can create pathways for local skills development, academic collaboration, and digital adoption.
Miriam Beresford, CWX project officer, said: “We are delighted to see Panivox and the British Motor Museum exemplify how Coventry and Warwickshire’s creative businesses and cultural institutions can work together to push boundaries in immersive storytelling that is rooted in our region’s rich heritage. This project highlights the commercial and cultural potential of creative technologies in Coventry and Warwickshire.”
* Innovate UK’s Immersive & Creative Industries Launchpad closed at the end of last year, having delivered around £7.5m of grant funding to this very important industry sector. The Coventry and Warwickshire programme was developed through a partnership between Innovate UK (the national innovation agency), Coventry City Council, Warwickshire County Council and the West Midlands Combined Authority.