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Creative Industries & Immersive grants

UK funding for games, immersive media, creative R&D and design-led innovation

Creative industries are the UK's fastest-growing export sector and a serious R&D funding opportunity. Innovate UK and AHRC back audience-facing innovation, interactive media, design technology and IP-rich creative tools. The trick is to frame the project around a genuine technical or creative R&D question, not just content production.

Funders funding creative industries & immersive

  • Innovate UK logo
  • AHRC
  • UK Research and Innovation logo
  • Horizon Europe logo

Programmes that fit creative industries & immersive companies

01

Innovate UK Audience of the Future

Immersive and audience-facing content, tools and experiences.

02

AHRC Creative Industries R&D

Design-led and humanities-informed innovation, often in partnership with tech teams.

03

Horizon Europe Creative Industries

European calls for cultural and creative sector innovation and cross-border collaboration.

What assessors actually score

  • A clear creative or technical R&D question, not just a production plan
  • Audience or user evidence and a credible commercialisation route
  • IP, rights and distribution strategy addressed upfront

Where we work in creative industries & immersive

Games & interactive media
Immersive entertainment
Film & TV technology
Music technology
Publishing & edtech
Design & fashion tech

Creative Industries & Immersive grants in our directory

Live programmes from the UK grant directory that suit creative industries & immersive projects. Deadlines move between rounds, so each listing links through to the current detail.

Browse all 70 matches

Other funders

[SBRI] SBRI Healthcare: NHS Cancer Programme - Innovation Open Call 4

Address two challenges: Improving productivity through managing demand or improving capacity on cancer care pathways - to support the NHS in meeting all Cancer Waiting Time standards by March 2029; and/or Driving the earlier detection and diagnosis of cancer (through novel screening, prompt presentation, case-finding, or diagnostic tools) - to help ensure three quarters of people diagnosed with cancer will be cancer-free, or living well with cancer after 5 years by 2035. What funding is available? To address different stages of innovation maturity, and distinct barriers to adoption, the compe…

Funding model 1: £3M for business to lead Funding model 2: £5M for ICBs to lead, businesses can collaborateRolling or to be confirmed
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European Innovation Council

EIC Accelerator

Funding and investment for high-risk, high-potential deep-tech SMEs and start-ups scaling breakthrough innovations.

Up to €2.5m grant plus equity investmentCloses 7 Oct 2026 (expected)
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Advanced Research + Invention Agency

ARIA opportunity spaces

Rolling and programme-based funding for high-risk, high-reward research with the potential for transformative impact.

Varies significantly by programmeRolling or to be confirmed
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EIT Urban Mobility

[EIT Urban Mobility] Strategic Innovation Open Call - Mobility data management

Data-driven solutions that enhance the performance, efficiency and responsiveness of urban mobility systems through e.g. the use of advanced analytics, AI, quantum technology or real time data – in alignment with EU level interoperability and data governance efforts (e.g. common data spaces, European data standards, open digital infrastructures). Solutions that enable cities and public authorities to make data-informed decisions – particularly for the design and implementation of Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs), inclusive/participatory planning and citizen engagement, resilience and…

Up to 2 million EURCloses 1 Dec 2026
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Horizon Europe

[Horizon - Artificial Intelligence and Robotics] Apply AI: AI-Driven Robotics for Industry: Enabling System Integration and Adopt…

This topic aims to support a large collaborative project that accelerates the deployment and industrial adoption of AI‑powered robotics by developing common frameworks, reusable integration tools and adoption strategies that work across multiple industrial sectors. It focuses on bridging the gap between robotics research and real‑world industrial systems, helping organisations integrate AI and robotic technologies at scale. What the Project Should Deliver Projects under this call are expected to produce outcomes such as: Modular, interoperable frameworks and standardized protocols to help int…

€18MCloses 15 Dec 2026
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Horizon Europe

[Horizon - Artificial Intelligence and Robotics] Apply AI: Challenge-Driven AI Innovation Booster in Apply AI prioritised sectors…

This topic funds challenge‑driven programmes that organise multi‑stage competitions or innovation boosters focused on generative and advanced AI technologies in key strategic sectors prioritised by the EU’s Apply AI Strategy. The initiative aims to drive significant technological progress and boost AI adoption and innovation by actively engaging AI developers, researchers and SMEs in solving hard, real‑world problems. Priority application domains include areas like advanced manufacturing, healthcare and autonomous driving, where AI can deliver measurable impact and competitiveness gains. Expe…

€14 million eachCloses 15 Dec 2026
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