The annual showcase event which promotes new talent in the digital games sector has begun.
Run by Dundee-based UK Games Talent and Finance CIC (UKGTF), Tranzfuser aims to deliver “a shot in the arm” of emerging top talent into the growing UK games development ecosystem.
A total of 28 teams from across the UK, including three from Dundee, are taking part in this year’s event which will see students and graduates run a digital games project over the summer and then pitch for funding.
The programme prepares the teams to form their own games studios, while participants also develop a substantial portfolio to take to potential employers.
Founded in 2015, the project is now a key part of the digital games sector, with 140 studios winning support so far.
Teams deliver a comprehensive pitch, including a financial plan and selected projects secure £5,000 of funding, with the eventual winner receiving up to £20,000, which allows them to form a new studio and receive further support.
The project has been hailed as a best practice model in a report to the Scottish Government into the Scottish technology ecosystem review.
It could be adopted by the wider tech industry as a way of promoting innovation and developing new businesses.
Chief executive of Tranzfuser, Paul Durrant, said the tech sector in Scotland has “huge potential” and a Tranzfuser type programme could be part of the extra support needed to retain top tech talent in Scotland.
He said: “The notion of supporting graduates from key disciplines with real world experience to work on their own project in inter-disciplinary teams immediately after graduation, has been shown to increase their readiness for enterprise or employment opportunities.
“Tranzfuser plays a key role in developing what is an important business sector – it is an industry that can continue to grow and one that has not been badly affected by the pandemic.”
A number of participants in the programme have gone on to achieve international success.
