The successful projects are part of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund’s Audience of the Future programme, which is delivered by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). Through this programme, government is supporting the best UK storytellers to create engaging immersive experiences.

Read more about beneficiaries from:

  • Future Demonstrators Programme

The Demonstrator programme is funding industry-led consortia in the creative industries to create new immersive experiences and test them with large audiences. There are four areas of focus, including Performance, Visitor Experience, Sports Entertainment and Media. Read more about the beneficiaries

  • Design Foundations Fund

Over 30 projects have been awarded a share of the £1m Audience of the Future: Design Foundations Fund. Each project will focus on human-centred design, to create new immersive experiences, products and services. Read more about the beneficiaries

  • Production Innovation for Immersive Content Fund

Twenty-one  projects have received a share of £12 million to create faster, more efficient immersive content. These include:

    • a project led by immersive VR studio, Maze Theory, to develop a new VR drama game based on BAFTA-award winning Peaky Blinders. The game will use artificial intelligence to enable characters to respond to players’ gestures, movement, voice, sound and body language;
    • a project led by the National Theatre, which will explore the technical and production means to improve theatre experiences for a more diverse audience, including personalised sign-language displays for British Sign Language users, translation captions for non-English speakers and audio descriptions for visually impaired people;
    • a research group led by Forever Holdings, which will make it possible for people to meet their heroes by improving filming techniques and boosting voice interaction.
  • Immersive Technology Investment Accelerator

The Audience of the Future (AotF) Immersive Technology Investment Investor Accelerator aims to provide the runway for later stage capital and equity investment beyond grant funding and enable early stage companies to get direct access to the commercial acumen and market access opportunities that equity investors provide. Beneficiaries to be announced.

What will be the impact of funding?

Those funded through the challenge will adopt, exploit and develop immersive technologies to create new products and services. They will capture the world’s attention and grow the UK’s leading market position in creative content.