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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 67 matches

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 11 Mar 2027 (expected)
View programme

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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Horizon Europe

[Horizon - Civil Security for Society] Climate security and civil preparedness – new ways to develop pre- and post-crisis climate…

Open to legal entities (including research organisations, public bodies and international organisations with HQ in an EU Member State or Associated Country) eligible under Horizon Europe rules; consortia must include at least 3 national authorities in charge of disaster risk management as beneficiaries, each from a different EU Member State or Associated Country.

€4.5MCloses 5 Nov 2026
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Horizon Europe

[Horizon - Civil Security for Society] Crime prevention approaches, online and off-line, tackling the nexus between addictions an…

Open to consortia of legal entities from EU Member States and Associated Countries; the consortium must include at least 2 Police Authorities and at least 2 Civil Society Organisations (or NGOs) from at least 3 different EU Member States or Associated Countries.

€3MCloses 5 Nov 2026
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Horizon Europe

[Horizon - Civil Security for Society] Development of ecosystem and next-generation capabilities for a secured European Critical…

Open to legal entities (including first responders' organisations, research bodies and companies) established in EU Member States or Associated Countries eligible under Horizon Europe; entities directly or indirectly controlled by China are excluded. Consortiums must include at least 3 first responders' organisations as beneficiaries.

€3MCloses 5 Nov 2026
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Horizon Europe

[Horizon - Civil Security for Society] Development of innovative tools, processes, equipment and technologies through responses t…

Open to entities established in EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries (with some non-associated countries also eligible under special provisions); entities controlled by China are excluded. Proposals must include at least 2 practitioner organisations (first responders) and 2 medical emergency authorities as beneficiaries, from at least 3 different EU Member States or Associated Countries. Relevant international organisations headquartered in a Member State or Associated Country are also exceptionally eligible.

€4MCloses 5 Nov 2026
View programme

Pair your grant with R&D tax credits

R&D tax relief can recover part of the match funding a grant asks you to cover. Our R&D tax credit specialists plan both together. Use the R&D tax relief calculator to see what your spend could return, or read accountant vs R&D tax specialist.

Fund your creative industries & immersive R&D

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