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 immersive art 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 producer support included.
2. Experiment (£20,000): For developing prototypes and testing concepts with audiences. Runs for 4-9 months, with training and refinement opportunities.
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.

If you haven’t already, you could watch our Funding Webinar on our YouTube channel, where Tom talks about this in more detail, with lots of great examples: youtube.com/@ImmersiveArtsUK

Over 200 artists across the UK between 2024 and 2027. The funding will be distributed across three rounds, with successful applicants receiving support through one of the three funding strands: Explore, Experiment, or Expand.

If you have a complaint about any aspect of the programme or an individual or organisation involved in the programme, please refer to the Immersive Arts Raising a Concern policy on our website. We take all feedback seriously and are committed to addressing any issues.

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

• An individual artist, creative practitioner, or technologist.
• An arts organisation, small group, or collective (10 or fewer people for Explore/Experiment; up to 50 for Expand).
• Based in the UK, aged 18 or over, with a UK bank account.
• 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, you don’t need to be self-employed or have a company to apply. 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.

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. More info here.
• Timebank Sessions: Book online chats with Immersive Arts Producers for guidance. Contact us to book a session.
• Access Support: Request financial assistance for accessibility needs, like interpreters or alternative submission formats (text, video, audio). Learn more here.
• Application Documents: All documents, including guidelines, are available in large print, easyread, audio, and British Sign Language (BSL). View here.

You can apply by audio, video or text, and in English, Welsh, or 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 provide financial assistance.

We ask successful applicants to provide details of any access needs required to participate, and can offer additional funding where applicable. Costs for support workers or equipment are typically covered through Access to Work, so we encourage setting this up for ongoing support.

Mentoring and training can be tailored for those with access needs or caring responsibilities. Unlimited offers support for Access to Work applications, including workshops and cohort-based assistance.

How do I request access support?

If you need this information in any other format, access support to apply, or have any other access questions, send us an email or call or text on 07926 699909.

Note our phone is only staffed during daytime working hours – if you call outside those hours leave a message and someone will get back to you. 

The deadline for access support is 4 November 2024, four weeks before the application deadline, which gives us a bit of time to ensure you get the support you need.

Applications should be submitted through the official application portal.

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

Note: Access provisions for funded artists (e.g., support workers, interpreters, or travel costs associated with removing barriers to participation) do not need to be included in your project budget. Immersive Arts will work with successful applicants to ensure the proper resources are in place based on individual needs.

For further details on what can and cannot be funded, refer to the relevant funding strand criteria in the 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 include any VAT costs in your proposed budget as the grant will not provide additional funds to cover VAT on top of the awarded amount. 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 an application to one strand – Explore, Experiment or Expand – in each round of funding. We advise you to select the strand that is most suitable for your creative practice or project at this time. You will be able to apply again for future rounds whether or not they were funded through an earlier application.

The deadline for applications in the current funding round is midday 2 December 2024. 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. For this first round, if you are successful you will be notified in February 2025, with project timelines starting as early as March 2025, depending on the strand you’ve applied for.

We understand that academic and research collaborations may be part of your creative practice, and these partnerships are within scope of the Immersive Arts funding. The grant can be used to pay for costs directly associated to accessing university facilities e.g. loaning kit, renting lab or test spaces, technician support etc. However, you cannot use the grant for academic research activity, including academic’s time. If an academic researcher is involved with your project, we would expect their costs, including any associated Full Economic Costing (FEC), to be met through other means.

• 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.

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

1. 1. 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).

2. Criteria Evaluation: Next, a panel of experts in the field of immersive arts from diverse backgrounds will carefully review your application against the funding criteria.

3. Interviews (for Expand strand only): If you’re shortlisted for the Expand strand, we’ll invite you to an interview in February 2025 to talk through your project in more detail.

1. 4. 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 February 2025. All applicants will receive notification, whether successful or not. 

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.

Yes, you can reapply in subsequent rounds with the same or revised projects and for any of the funding strands – Explore, Experiment or Expand – whichever is most appropriate for your practice at the time you apply.

Yes, you can apply to one of the funding strands – Explore, Experiment or Expand in each of the three rounds. Success in a previous round will not positively or negatively affect your eligibility for future rounds.

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.