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The Immersive Arts programme has announced the recipients of its second and final round of funding applications, marking a significant milestone for artists working with immersive technologies.
Over £2 million has been allocated to 142 artist-led projects across the UK in this latest round, bringing the total number of artists and creative teams supported through the programme to 225 between 2024 and 2027.
The programme, led by UWE Bristol with Pervasive Media Studio in Bristol and Watershed as Executive Producer, originally planned to distribute funding across three rounds. However, organisers made the strategic decision to consolidate into two larger rounds, doubling the number of grants available in the second round compared to the first. The adjustment also allows more time for the Immersive Arts team to work directly with funded artists, rather than spreading resources across an additional funding round just before the programme concludes in January 2027.
The first round of funding, announced in April 2025, allocated £1,180,000 to 83 artist-led projects across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The programme received 2,517 applications, far exceeding expectations and revealing significant appetite for opportunities in immersive arts.
In the second round, demand proved even greater, with over 2,700 applications.
£2,060,000 has been awarded across the following tiers:
- Explore (£5,000 over 6 months): 80 grants
- Experiment (£20,000 over 9 months): 48 grants
- Expand (£50,000 over 12 months): 14 grants
The 142 successful artists represent a truly UK-wide cohort, based as far north as the Outer Hebrides to Falmouth in the south, from the Llŷn Peninsula in the west to Margate in the east, as well as across Northern Ireland including counties Derry and Tyrone.
Funded artists are working across a breadth of artforms including sound, music, theatre, dance, game design, visual arts, sculpture, photography, animation and filmmaking, and will be working with technologies including virtual, augmented and mixed reality, 360° film, spatial sound, haptics and tactile interfaces, artificial intelligence, biofeedback and responsive environments.
The programme’s reach continues to reflect the diversity of the UK’s creative community. Over a quarter of awarded artists in this round are from the global majority, over 55% identify as a woman, transgender, non-binary, genderqueer, agender or other marginalised gender, and over 45% identify as disabled, D/deaf, neurodivergent or as having a long-term physical or mental health condition or chronic illness.
The programme offers more than financial support. Recipients gain access to training, mentoring, specialist facilities, and connection to a wider network through Immersive Arts producers. The initiative also includes research, events and resources designed to develop a sustainable community of practice that will extend beyond the programme’s 2027 conclusion.
