Funding drive to boost innovation in Coventry & Warwickshire’s immersive and creative tech sectors

Coventry and Warwickshire has partnered with Innovate UK to facilitate funding and support for local businesses in the immersive and creative technology sectors. With available grants from £25,000 to £1 million, this initiative seeks to drive business growth, create jobs, and enhance the region’s technological development.

The new funding comes as part of Innovate UK’s Launchpad programme, a collaborative effort between Innovate UK, Warwickshire County Council, Coventry City Council, and the West Midlands Combined Authority. This programme has already allocated over £3 million to Coventry and Warwickshire, offering resources and networking opportunities that help businesses innovate, expand, and scale up.

The latest round of funding, amounting to £4.35 million, specifically targets immersive and creative industries, encouraging research and innovation projects that contribute to economic growth. Eligible projects may include advancements in digital and mixed media, augmented and virtual reality, game engine and virtual production technologies, and various forms of motion capture, such as gesture and facial recognition.

Innovative projects may qualify for two categories of funding within the Immersive and Creative Technologies Launchpad programme. For small to medium projects, businesses can apply for MFA grant funding between £25,000 and £100,000. Larger collaborative research and development initiatives involving multiple partners may receive between £150,000 and £1 million.

This funding covers projects that harness new technologies across a range of sectors, including creative industries, healthcare, education, manufacturing, retail, tourism, and future mobility. Applications opened on Monday, November 4, and must be submitted by 11 am on Wednesday, December 11. Interested businesses can access more information and apply online at https://iuk.ktn-uk.org/programme/launchpads/.

Councillor Martin Watson, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for Economy, noted the importance of innovation in Coventry and Warwickshire’s economy. He said, “Coventry and Warwickshire is renowned for our innovation which drives forward our economy and creates jobs. This latest Launchpad competition demonstrates our strength at fostering innovation to enable talented entrepreneurs to expand their businesses and take on more highly-skilled staff to meet our county’s sustainable and inclusive ambitions.”

Cllr Jim O’Boyle of Coventry City Council added that adopting new technologies will be essential for future job creation. “We all know that innovation and the effective adoption of new technologies will be fundamental to growing our economy and creating the jobs of the future. It is something Coventry and Warwickshire has repeatedly excelled at, and this news will be a great boost to businesses,” he said.

Coventry and Warwickshire’s position as an innovation hub has been strengthened by previous Launchpad rounds, which funded projects such as mixed reality environments for manufacturing, a 3D data visualisation toolset, and educational immersive gaming. The new round aims to build on these successes, helping local businesses develop new products or services that support growth.

Image of and from Members of the newly established Cluster Management Group for the Launchpad programme, CWX