Public Funding for Vika Books Ltd

Victoria Forrest has a First Class BA (Hons) in Graphic Design from the University of the Arts, and an MA in Communication Art & Design from the Royal College of Art, London. Victoria lives in Bristol with her husband and 6yo son. Victoria founded VIKA to create inclusive publications enhanced by creative technologies. In 2020, Victoria became the Great British Entrepreneur of the Year for Creative Industries in the South West and of the UK's TechWomen100\. VIKA's ambitions are to become the UK's first Augmented Reality (AR) publisher for The Arts. Victoria will do this by commercialising her Connected Books(TM) concept---AR/XR books brought to life through the seamless integration of immersive technologies and the printed page. This trailblazing concept is showcased in Victoria's multi-award-winning XR publication, _Where is the Bird?_ (WITB?): the first AR British Sign Language (BSL) book for children. WITB? uses AR to encourage pre-speech communication between babies and adults. Families read the illustrated book, and use an app to render the pictures in AR animation and watch videos demonstrating the BSL signs. WITB? is the only book using AR/XR to create BSL editions in publishing, a lifeline for the Deaf community previously excluded from publishing. Awards range from British Book Awards for Small Press of the Year to Outstanding Entrepreneurship, Best New Business, and National Technology Awards for AR/VR Product of the Year 2020\. IP showcased in WITB? has 3-5 patents-pending demonstrating the power of immersive technologies to include sign language editions in publishing. The PCT will enter National Phase in July 2022\. If unsecured, all IP will be lost. This award is designed to protect and exploit this game-changing IP through two routes: (1) PROTECTION: Recommendations from an InnovateUK-funded IP Audit will inform R&D into and implementation of a robust IP strategy, i.e. global competitor analysis/searches, prioritisation of patent/trademark applications in global territories, and a suite of internal contracts to define ownership and provide well-defined commercial relationships. This work is the foundation of VIKA's business strategy to secure ambitious new income streams. (2) EXPLOITATION: R&D into the commercial potential of patents in and beyond publishing; and designs for new products showcasing protected IP. This will enable us to enter ambitious digital tenders with protected designs underpinned with a robust legal framework to use ourselves or license to third parties. With meaningful traction and new income, VIKA will seek investment/loans to scale and realise ambitions.

Baby BSL is a high-quality AR storybook that uses a combination of smartphones, printed and kinaesthetic products to teach British Sign Language (BSL) to hearing parents of pre-verbal deaf or hearing children (e.g., under 3). By combining AR, MR (video and audio) with print and textiles, Baby BSL uses simple narratives to create an interactive illustrated children's pop-up story book and communications aid. There is currently a lack of accessible and consistent 'baby sign language' in the UK as the teaching assets for British Sign Language (BSL) underperform compared to those for American Sign Language (ASL). Baby BSL inspires and empowers hearing parents to learn to sign at home and encourages greater BSL uptake in nurseries. It's a playfully immersive interface that combines existing smartphone technology with familiar objects and everyday scenarios, e.g, a walk in the park. Baby BSL encourages families to copy and learn useful signs as a foundation for communication. Associated merchandise includes books, cards, comforters, games and augmented clothes. This first phase of the project is Industrial Research concluding with a suite of demonstrative prototypes. A team comprising two creative design businesses specialising in print and VR, an academic and an innovation studio will inform the phases of our human-centered study comprising market research, design & prototyping, user-testing and evaluation. The results of analysis will be used to create a range of quick fire prototypes for commercially viable products. Prototypes will be tested in a series of human-centered workshops with parents and pre-schoolers. Results from user-testing will be logged and evaluated and used to inform design iterations tested with deaf and hearing families. To conclude, a final suite of designs together with series of recommendations for future development will be created and will form the basis of a larger study to develop a viable business case and series of scalable designs for a commercially viable product in 2019.

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