Twenty teams of innovators and creators have today been revealed as part of the CreativeXR programme. Organised and funded by Digital Catapult and Arts Council England, these 20 teams will have a chance to become leaders in immersive innovation and content creation.
The CreativeXR programme received over 1000 registrations of interest, with over 250 applications for its Open Call, showing that there is significant interest in expanding immersive content among the UK’s creative and technical communities.
The programme supports creative content for immersive technologies such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR). The CreativeXR programme offers teams the ability to get riskier, content-drive ideas off the ground, allowing for the development of new skills, tools and business opportunities.
The 20 successful applicants have been offered up to £20,000 (GBP) in funding to develop a prototype, and the teams will also be able to take advantage of workshops with experts and industry leaders and access to the Digital Catapult Immersive Labs in London, Brighton, North East Tees Valley and Belfast.
“With its long tradition of excellence in both the creative and technology industries, the UK has the potential to lead the way and become the best place in the world to produce immersive content. CreativeXR is bringing these two groups – and their skillsets – together to create exciting, engaging new content, and contribute to the growth of the immersive sector,” says Aurelien Simon, Head of Immersive at Digital Catapult. “We want to make it easier for content commissioners to take more risks and explore new forms of storytelling with immersive content. That’s why we’re giving the 20 teams selected the space and funding they need to experiment with their projects, as well as the chance to present their creations to content commissioners at the end of the programme.”
Francis Runacres, Executive Director of Enterprise and Innovation at Arts Council England, said: “We need to ensure creative talent has the opportunity to experiment with cutting-edge immersive technology to deliver new experiences that inspire audiences. CreativeXR is designed to deliver a boost to arts and culture organisations, small businesses, and creative innovators capable of producing world-leading immersive content. This support structure gives creatives room to take risks that lead to the most exciting outcomes, standing to benefit businesses and consumers alike.”
More details on CreativeXR, including the full list of projects, can be found on the official CreativeXR website. Further news and updates on CreativeXR will be right here on VRFocus.