Funding opportunities and information events announced for 'Immersive Arts'

Immersive Arts, a UK-wide programme led by UWE Bristol to support artists to make and share extraordinary immersive work, has unveiled its first round of funding opportunities.

Grants ranging from £5,000 to £50,000 are available as part of the three-year project, with the aim of supporting over 200 artists to explore the possibilities of immersive technology for their creative practice.

Artists will have the opportunity to access training, mentoring, specialist facilities and vital funds, with a total of £3.6 million in grant funding available between 2024 and 2027 to get ideas off the ground.

With the first round of funding going live in October, a series of in-person and online events will begin on 25 September. The Information Webinars and Inspiration Days, both online and in-person in locations across the UK, will help artists decide which funds to apply for, give them the chance to meet the team, and to ask any questions about the project.

Principal Investigator and Director of Immersive Arts, Verity McIntosh, Associate Professor of Virtual and Extended Realities at UWE Bristol, said: “Artists have always been incredible innovators; they explore different mediums, different techniques, different ways of expressing ideas, and connect to one another and share ideas through different materials.

“We know that artists often ask brilliant questions of technology through their work, but one of the challenges for artists in recent years is that immersive technologies have been difficult to access and work with, due to expense or needing a particular expertise in programming or computer science.

“When people have been able to get training and expertise to allow them to explore some of these technologies, their work is often powerful, beautiful and poignant, and takes us away from these Silicon Valley narratives about what technology is for.

“We want to support this new community of artists who are wanting to engage with this technology, to create things that we would never have expected and to open up new conversations with audiences that recognise the role that technology plays in contemporary society.”

Funding available:

The first round of funding invites artists to apply to one of three distinct funding schemes, each designed to support different stages of creative development: 

• Explore (£5,000): Ideal for individuals, small groups, or organisations (10 employees or fewer) with limited or no experience in immersive arts. This grant will enable artists to explore immersive technologies, develop ideas, experience work, or meet potential collaborators.
• Experiment (£20,000): For individuals or micro-entities (10 employees or fewer) to support the creation of experimental immersive art works or prototypes that can be tested with small audiences.
• Extend (£50,000): For individuals, micro-entities, or small organisations (50 employees or fewer) looking to advance existing projects to their next stage for development, testing or presentation.

A series of events to offer more information will take place in September and October.

Inspiration Days

For artists with little or no experience working with immersive technology. These day-long workshops led by Crossover Labs, have been designed to help demystify immersive art and offer some inspiration for creative practice. The sessions are free and open to all but are particularly aimed at those considering applying for the Explore grant funding.

The Inspiration Days are taking place on: 

• Wednesday 25 September, Glasgow, register online
• Friday 27 September, Belfast, register online
• Wednesday 2 October, Cardiff, register online
• Tuesday 16 October, Sheffield, register online
• Friday 18 October, Bristol, register online

For those who’d prefer to find out more online, an additional event is being held on:

• Tuesday 22 October, register online

Funding Information Webinars 

These are short, online sessions for anyone who is interested in applying for any of the three levels of Immersive Arts funding. These free sessions will help artists decide which of the funds they might apply for, meet the team and ask any questions they might have.

• Wednesday 9 October 13:00 – 14:00 register here (BSL translation)
• Tuesday 15 October 17:00 – 18:00 register here (audio described)
• Wednesday 30 October 11:00 – 12:00 register here (ask about Access Drop-in session) * not recorded 

Immersive Arts is led by UWE Bristol, with the lead hub at Pervasive Media Studio in Bristol, and Watershed as Executive Producer.

Working in close partnership with University of Bristol and cultural organisations in Belfast and Derry (Nerve Centre), Cardiff (Wales Millennium Centre) and Glasgow (Cryptic), Immersive Arts will generate a rich programme of inclusive and accessible opportunities, breaking down the barriers for artists of all backgrounds to engage with immersive tools.

Funding for Immersive Arts is provided through a collaboration between the UKRI Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), Arts Council England (ACE), the Arts Council of Wales (ACW), Creative Scotland and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland (ACNI). Funding from Creative Scotland, ACW and ACNI is provided by The National Lottery.

For more information on the project and funding opportunities, artists can sign up to the Immersive Arts mailing list.