Immersive Arts has secured more than £8.5 million in new funding to support UK artists working with immersive technologies through to 2030, extending the nationwide programme for a further three years.
More than £4.7 million of the second-phase funding will go directly to artists, providing grants, training and professional development for creatives at different stages of their careers and experience with immersive technology.
The investment follows significant demand for the programme since it launched in 2024 with initial funding of £6 million. Immersive Arts has since awarded more than £3.24 million in grants to 225 creative teams, while more than 2,300 artists across the UK have taken part in opportunities to explore and develop work using technology to actively involve audiences.
The next phase will continue that support while placing greater emphasis on artists looking to commercialise their work and develop sustainable creative businesses. This will include tailored business and investment advice and opportunities to connect with collaborators, funders and investors.
“We have already seen such a profound impact of the Immersive Arts programme, attracting applications from artists from an incredibly diverse range of creative disciplines, backgrounds and lived experiences,”
said Professor Verity McIntosh, Principal Investigator and Director of Immersive Arts.
“The sector is growing fast, with a super-connected and wildly collaborative community forming across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.”
The funding was announced by McIntosh at The Big Thing, Immersive Arts’ annual gathering, held in Llandudno, Wales, from 9th–11th September.
Immersive Arts is funded through a collaboration between the Arts and Humanities Research Council (UKRI), Arts Council England, Arts Council of Wales, Creative Scotland and Arts Council of Northern Ireland, with National Lottery funding supporting the contributions from Creative Scotland, Arts Council of Wales and Arts Council of Northern Ireland.
All five original funders and ten founding consortium partners will continue into the programme’s second phase.
From experimentation to sustainable practice
The programme was established to give artists space to experiment with immersive technologies without requiring them to arrive with extensive technical experience. Its next phase aims to maintain that entry point while providing more substantial development opportunities for artists already working with immersive media at scale.
“We’re starting to see the impact of supporting creative works at their earliest stages, as they connect with audiences and attract partners from around the world to the UK to learn from this model of artist-led innovation,”
said Ruth McCullough, Executive Producer of Immersive Arts at Watershed.
“The funding will enable us to build on momentum, offering enhanced development opportunities to artists who have been working in the immersive space for a long time or at scale, while continuing to welcome those at the beginning of their immersive arts exploration.”
McCullough added that the funding would allow the programme to work across all four UK nations to “support and advocate for this artform and the unique ecosystem that surrounds it.”
Alongside grants and artist development, Immersive Arts is investigating some of the practical barriers surrounding the production and presentation of immersive work, including exhibition and distribution infrastructure, audience testing, accessible and inclusive design and access to production facilities.
At The Big Thing, the programme unveiled an interactive map charting immersive production facilities around the UK alongside new research, Joining the Dots: connecting the UK’s immersive production facilities with the arts and culture sector.
“Our research aims to make the UK’s growing network of immersive production facilities more visible to those working in the arts and culture sector, and to get a conversation started about what we need to thrive,”
McIntosh said.
“With this additional funding, we’ll be able to continue developing research, sharing knowledge and creating more opportunities for artists to engage with immersive technologies.”
Professor Christopher Smith, AHRC Executive Chair and UKRI Creative Industries Sector Champion, said the second phase would explore the wider potential of the technologies for the cultural sector.
“Immersive technologies have enormous potential for the UK’s creative and cultural economy, and who better to explore this potential than the creatives and artists who will ultimately use it?
“Phase two of Immersive Arts will build on what the programme has achieved to-date to showcase how these technologies could transform the way audiences experience arts and performance.”
The new funding takes Immersive Arts into 2030, giving the programme a longer runway to move projects from early experimentation towards production, audiences and, increasingly, sustainable creative businesses.
Further details, including forthcoming funding opportunities, will be shared in the New Year. For more information, sign up to the Immersive Arts newsletter or visit immersivearts.uk
