The Hong Kong Polytechnic University's School of Design has established a new laboratory to further promote digital entertainment technologies.

Assistant Marketing Manager of the school Shirley Fisher told the reporter on Thursday that the laboratory acted as a bridge between the creative industry and the education sector.

Known as Multimedia Entrepreneurial Research, Education and Creative Laboratory (MERECL), the laboratory was officially unveiled on March 1.

Occupying a net floor area of about 700 square meter, MERECL is home to some 30 multimedia and design experts. It is equipped with advanced multimedia infrastructure, and with convenient access to the multitude of cutting-edge facilities in the same building.

As a new key digital entertainment laboratory in Hong Kong, MERECL will develop creative intellectual properties for commercialization.

It will also offer specialist training in digital creative skills ranging from motion capture to screen-writing, provide pre-incubation and graduate training facilities to set new digital, design and creative ventures, as well as digital media services to businesses.

The operation of MERECL will focus on "transmedia" ventures and the MERECL will produce creative property that could be launched simultaneously as a movie, a game, a book and in some other forms.

(Xinhua News Agency March 3, 2006)