Immersive Arts is an ambitious three-year programme taking place across the UK, using an artist-led approach to working with immersive technologies. This exciting programme encourages artists of all backgrounds and experience to explore, experiment or expand how they work, or would like to, with immersive technologies.

The programme’s purpose is to:

• Create accessible and inclusive opportunities, breaking down barriers to working with immersive tools.
• Support artists to develop innovative work, regardless of their level of experience or technical knowledge.
• Build a strong community of creators across the UK to share ideas and collaborate.
• Advocate for a more diverse and sustainable future for immersive arts by disrupting traditional approaches and championing new voices.

We know that ‘immersive’ means different things to different people and in different contexts. For this programme, we define it as ‘art that uses technology to actively involve the  audience’.

This may include the use of virtual, augmented and extended reality in the creation of artwork that bridges between physical and digital spaces, engages multiple senses, artwork which connects people to each other and/or to their environment.

This definition is intentionally broad and aims to provide guidance without limiting the scope of what people can apply for, and to encourage creative experimentation.

Three strands of funding is available:

1. Explore (£5,000): Supports early-stage exploration and skills development with immersive technologies. Projects last 3-6 months, with 3 scheduled meetings with an Immersive Arts Producer..
2. Experiment (£20,000): For developing prototypes and testing concepts with small audiences. Runs for 4-9 months, with training and refinement opportunities and 3 scheduled meetings with an Immersive Arts Producer.
3. Expand (£50,000): For projects in advanced stages, helping to scale impact and enhance engagement. Lasts 6-12 months, with tailored mentoring and additional support.

Over 200 projects will be funded across the UK between 2024 and 2027. We funded 83 projects in the 2024 funding round and are looking to award roughly double that number in the 2025 funding round.

We received 2517 applications from artists around the UK, spread across the three levels of grant funding. You can read our reflections on Round 1.

You can read the general commentary from the first funding call.

The main focus areas of our feedback was on: why some applications were deemed ineligible; and why some applications were selected for funding whilst others were not.

You can read more about the funded projects that are currently underway on the Projects section of our website. You can also read our news announcement.

If you have questions about the application process that are not covered in this FAQ guide, you can email us at info@immersivearts.uk or use our contact form.

If you face barriers to applying, we are offering one-on-one chats with Immersive Arts Producers. These sessions will run in August and September 2025.  Find out more information about the support we offer on our access page.

If you have a complaint about any aspect of the programme or an individual or organisation involved in the programme, please refer to the Complaints Process. We take all feedback seriously and are committed to addressing any issues.

You are eligible to apply for an Immersive Arts grant if:

• you are an individual artist, creative practitioner or creative technologist
  (or)
• you are an arts-based organisation, small group or collective (10 people or fewer for Explore and Experiment, up to 50 people for Expand)
  
• your application is artist-led and/ or arts-focussed
• you are based in the UK
• you are aged 18 or over
• you have a UK bank account in your own name.

Larger organisations can be named as a partner on applications, but this is not expected or required.

We mean anyone involved in creative practice, including artists, creators, technologists and practitioners from a wide range of disciplines. This could include individuals or small groups working in fields such as visual arts, performing arts, music, film, design, literature, architecture and more.

All art forms are eligible for funding, as long as the applicant demonstrates a genuine interest in exploring, experimenting with, or expanding their use of immersive technologies within their creative practice. 

Yes, you must be UK-based to apply for Immersive Arts funding. Applicants need to be individuals, micro-entities or small companies based in the UK, with a UK bank account in their name. This includes artists working in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland​.

Artists based in the Channel Islands are not eligible to be lead applicants, however they can be listed as partners/ collaborators in a proposal led by a UK-based artist.

No. Individuals, whether working independently or within an organisation, are welcome to apply. The key requirement is that you have a UK bank account in your name.

Limited companies and charities can apply as long as they meet the criteria for organisation size (up to 10 people for Explore and Experiment, and up to 50 people for Expand).

Students can apply if they can demonstrate that they have a creative practice separate from their studies and that their project is separate from any formal education curriculum. The funding cannot be used for projects that are part of a degree or course requirements, such as tuition fees or academic work​.

No, your project doesn’t have to focus on XR. We encourage experimentation with a range of technologies – spatial computing, 360-degree video, spatial audio, binaural sound, haptics and sensory feedback or responsive environments – that actively involve the audience. And we welcome applications which make the case for using other technologies that enable an audience to be actively involved in the artwork.

We have created an Immersive Words guide to explain some of the common language we use or are used in the immersive art world that you may find useful.

Yes, but the lead applicant and primary activities must be UK-based, with funds going into a UK bank account​. Primarily, the funding should be used for UK-based activities. International costs may be considered if they are crucial to the project’s success.

Yes, you can still apply for Immersive Arts funding even if you have other project funding, as long as the Immersive Arts funds are not being used to cover costs that are already funded by another source. Your application proposal should focus on new or additional activities related to immersive technologies that are not covered by your existing funding.

We recommend leveraging your creative networks, attending relevant events, checking out the credits of work you enjoy or exploring platforms like LinkedIn and Innovate UK Immersive Tech Network to connect with technologists or other specialists you may need.

We will continue to evaluate this need as the programme develops. While we don’t currently offer support for connecting with potential partners, time spent building these relationships can be included in your project budget as research and development. 

During the application process, several types of support are available to help you, including:

• Information Webinars: Watch webinars to learn about the process and ask questions. Access our Information Webinars.
• Access Support: In some cases, we may be able to help cover the costs of any access support you need to complete your application like support workers, interpreters or alternative submission formats (text, video, audio). Visit our Access page.
• Producer Calls We are offering one-on-one calls with an Immersive Arts Producer for those who face barriers to applying. Find out more information and how to book a call here.
• Information Documents: Our Guidelines, are available in large print, easy-read, audio and British Sign Language (BSL). View here
• Application Forms: You can apply by audio, video or text and in English, Welsh or British Sign Language using our application portal.

We welcome applications in the Welsh language and British Sign Language. If you need to apply in a different format or require additional support (like sign language interpreters or scribing assistance for example), then please get in touch. We may be able to help cover the costs.

We ask successful applicants to provide details of any access requirements to participate in the programme. Where relevant, we can provide some additional funding to contribute to that access support.

Costs for support workers, access to  equipment, or technology, are typically covered through Access to Work.  We encourage artists applying with such requirements to set up Access to Work for ongoing support..

Mentoring and training can be tailored for those with access requirements or caring responsibilities. Our partners Unlimited offer access specific workshops and cohort-based assistance. Read more on our access support page.

In some cases, we can help you with your application by supporting access costs, like support workers or interpreters. To ask for help with application access costs, please complete this form.

The deadline for requesting access support is Monday 1 September 2025 at 17:00.

You can find more information about access support and how to contact us on our access support page.

Applications should be submitted through the official application portal.

We recommend reading the funding guidelines and the step-by-step guide before you start your application.

We have three strands of funding to choose from. Each strand is designed to support artists at different stages in their creative development with immersive technologies.

Choose the strand that provides you with the most relevant support to the stage of your project(s) and/or creative practice right now.

Think about what you would use the funding to do and what your priority development areas are, then look at how these match to the criteria for each fund.

You can read the details and criteria about each strand here:

• Explore (£5,000)
• Experiment (£20,000)
• Expand (£50,000)

If you are unsure which to apply for, you can take our online quiz.

Eligible costs include:

• project development
• materials & equipment
• professional fees
• training fees
• travel, accommodation and subsistence
• marketing / audience development: (Experiment and Expand only).
• venue hire
• access & inclusion

Match funding is not required, and access costs for artists/ artists teams do not need to be included at this stage. 

For further details on what can and cannot be funded, refer to the relevant strand criteria in the funding guidelines

Ineligible costs include:

• capital expenditures
• overheads/ general running costs not related to the project
• debt repayment
• non-artistic activities
• fundraising events
• equipment not directly related to the project
• formal education and tuition fees
• projects in formal education settings (eg activity undertaken by students as part of their academic curriculum) 
• costs already covered by other income or funding
• alcohol

As a grant, this funding is inclusive of any VAT which may be applicable. Therefore you should budget for any relevant VAT associated with your project proposal. If you’re unsure about VAT for your project, it’s a good idea to seek advice when preparing your budget.

You can be the lead applicant for one application per funding round. You may be listed as a collaborator or partner on other applications.

Eligible artists can submit one application in this round of funding, to either Explore, Experiment or Expand. You can apply for this round of funding regardless of whether you applied in a previous round.

The deadline for applications in the current funding round is Monday 29 September 2025 at 14:00. Be sure to submit your application before this date, as late submissions will not be accepted.

Projects can begin once applicants have received notification of their successful application and have signed their funding agreement. However, please consider that the funds will arrive up to a month after contracting.

For this first round, if you are successful you will be notified in January 2026, with project timelines starting in February 2026.

We understand that academic and research collaborations may be part of your creative practice. Artists can apply with a project that has an academic partner involved, but academic organisations cannot be a lead applicant.

The funding can be used to pay for costs to access university facilities (eg. loaning kit, renting lab or test spaces, technician support, etc). It cannot be used to pay for formal academic activity (ie work undertaken as part of a university course, teaching or research). If an academic researcher is involved with your project, we would expect their costs, including their time and any associated Full Economic Costing (FEC), to be met through other means.

If you’re unsure about ineligible costs, please get in touch. 

In the context of the Immersive Arts funding guidelines:

• Equipment refers to items directly related to your project’s activities, such as VR headsets, software licenses or technical tools. These are considered eligible costs as they are specific to the development and execution of your project.
• Capital assets, on the other hand, are typically larger-scale investments intended for long-term use or permanent infrastructure, such as buildings, major facility upgrades or significant renovations. These are ineligible because the funding is designed to support project-specific needs rather than broader or long-term capital investments.

The key distinction is that eligible equipment costs must be tied to the immediate delivery of your project and its outcomes, whereas capital assets represent broader, enduring investments.  

Visit the Immersive Arts funding portal and enter your email address to begin. A verification code will be sent via email. Enter this code to verify your identity, and then create a secure password.

You can easily reset this by clicking the ‘forgot password?’ link on the login page. You just need to input the email that you registered with, then a temporary passcode is sent to you.

Once you are logged in you can change your password in your ‘Profile’, located in the top right hand corner.

If you signed up for an account but didn’t get your email, check your junk or spam folder. Sometimes the email goes there by mistake.

Search your inbox for emails from: no-reply@app.goodgrants.com

Still no email?

Try registering again using the same email address. If your account was already created, it will tell you. If that doesn’t work, contact us for help. Email: info@immersivearts.uk

If the dropdown menus, or other features, are not working it might be to do with your browser. We have found browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Edge work best. You can also try clearing your cache in your browser settings. Alternatively, ad blockers and browser extensions can cause issues with the application portal. Temporarily disabling these can resolve problems.

Once an application is submitted, it can’t be edited. If there’s an urgent need to make changes, please contact us.

Applications from 2024 are still accessible, but you will need to navigate to them under

‘My applications,’ then select 2024 from the ‘Active Season (2025)’ drop down bar.

This is probably due to a required question not being answered. Check through the application form to make sure that a required question hasn’t been missed. 

You may have turned off email alerts when setting up your account. 

• Log in to your account on the Immersive Arts UK portal.
• Click your name at the top right of the screen.
• Select “Profile” from the drop-down menu.
• A new page will load with four tabs at the top. Click the last tab called “Preferences.”
• In this section, you’ll see options for “Subscriptions”. Tick the boxes to allow notifications and broadcast emails.
• Once selected, click the “Save” button at the bottom of the page.
• If it works, a message will appear at the top of the page. “User profile successfully updated.”

This should help you receive updates and messages from us.

We follow a multi-step process to make sure each application is reviewed fairly:

• Eligibility Check: Your application will undergo an initial review to ensure it has been completed correctly and meets the eligibility criteria (e.g., being UK-based and focused on immersive arts).Applications that meet the funding criteria will progress to the next stage.
• Criteria Evaluation & Scoring: Next, a panel of experts in the field of immersive arts from diverse backgrounds will carefully review your application against the funding criteria.

Explore applications that meet the criteria will be recommended for funding. If there are more qualifying applications than funds available, a longlist from each nation will be created using random sampling. That selection will move forward to portfolio balancing.

Experiment and Expand applications will be reviewed and scored against their relevant criteria, with the highest scoring will move forward to the interview and/ or portfolio balancing.

• Interviews (for Expand strand only): Shortlisted applicants for Expand will be notified in late November/ early December 2025 and invited to interviews in December 2025.
• Portfolio Balancing: A final process of curation and balancing will be made by the Immersive Arts national partners, ensuring a range of ideas, artforms, geographical location and lived experience.

We expect to receive many more applications that meet our funding criteria than we are able to fund. The highest scoring applications from our review process will be progressed to a shortlist. The shortlist will then be considered by a portfolio balancing panel made up of the Immersive Arts partners who will make a final decision on funding. This is a process used by many funders and aims to ensure we support cohorts with a range of ideas, art form, geographical location and lived experience.

• Ideas and art form: the panel will consider the content of the applications to ensure that we are supporting a wide variety of the kinds of work that make up immersive arts.  
• Geography: Immersive Arts is supported by a consortium of five funders, four of whom are responsible for supporting artists in specific UK Nations; England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The panel will ensure that funds are appropriately allocated in each of the four UK Nations, as well as considering the spread of geography within Nations. 
• Lived experience: we believe both that cohorts will be more dynamic if they bring together a diversity of lived experience, and that structural inequality in the UK means that right now funding processes don’t automatically produce those results.  

The panel will refer to demographic information shared by candidates at application stage which external reviewers will not have seen. In practice this means that where two applications have received very high scores, the final decision may prioritise those led by candidates with one or more of three protected characteristics (global majority, disabled, women/minoritised gender). This is because evidence tells us (see below) that they are likely to have experienced significant structural barriers elsewhere. Read more on our approach to demographics.

You will be notified of the outcome of your application in January 2026. All applicants will receive notification, whether successful or not. This will be sent via the application portal.

As we’re expecting a high volume of applications, we will not be able to give individual feedback, but we are committed to sharing learning from the programme. We will write a short report reflecting on the first round of applications and why shortlisted applicants were selected.

You can read the feedback from our first round.

Yes, you can make one application per funding round to either Explore, Experiment or Expand. 

Yes, you can make one application per funding round to either Explore, Experiment or Expand. However, we would expect you to apply to a different strand to the one you previously successfully applied to.

For example, if you previously received an Explore grant you could apply to Experiment, or Expand. Aside from this your success in a previous round will not positively or negatively affect your eligibility.

Successful applicants will be contracted directly by the producing partner in their region (Cryptic in Scotland, Nerve Centre in Northern Ireland, Wales Millennium Centre in Wales and Watershed in England). All grants will be contracted in compliance with the standard UKRI funding terms and conditions or similar.

The development labs will provide a space for focussed iteration of the proposed project under the guidance of Crossover Labs and a team of expert industry mentors.

We’ll be developing each project in terms of narrative, user experience and audience strategy as well as practical elements such as finance plans, timelines and prototype planning.

Each project team will leave the lab with a clear strategy for their prototype and a developed pitch/proposal with which to seek funding in the future.