A new £575,000 XR funding competition, launching in spring 2024, will support local SMEs to innovate in immersive technologies and develop new visitor experiences.
The Augment the City challenge competition, part of our Augment the City programme and funded by the Belfast Region City Deal, will enable local innovators to develop ideas, proof of concepts and prototypes using immersive technologies such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality to support organisations that are designing new visitor attractions for Belfast and elsewhere.
What are we offering?
Businesses will benefit from:
- funding to support innovation and R&D to develop ideas, proofs of concepts and prototypes in immersive technologies,
- access to a venue, with state-of-the-art advanced wireless digital connectivity, to develop, trial and showcase their innovative ideas and prototypes,
- user testing and feedback from visitors to help improve and enhance their product; and
- a better understanding of the future needs of those creating new visitor attractions in the city and elsewhere.
Funding available
The funding competition will be delivered across three phases:
- Phase 1: Ten companies will be offered up to £10,000 each to develop proof-of-concepts.
- Phase 2: Five companies will be offered up to £35,000 to further develop their proposals.
- Phase 3: Three companies will be offered £100,000 each to develop prototypes.
Further competition details will be announced in March 2024.
