Launchpad: Immersive & Creative, Coventry & Warwickshire – R1 MFA (UK)

The funding will support projects across the three Launchpad competition strands that target the innovation cluster centred on Coventry and Warwickshire.

The aim of this competition is to support outstanding innovation projects led by businesses. Your business must be active or growing work activities in the immersive and creative industries cluster centred on Coventry and Warwickshire in the West Midlands.

The projects will contribute to the ambitions of the cluster to develop, fuse and transfer existing research excellence, industrial innovation capability and sectoral strengths. Building market-orientated opportunities in immersive and creative industries.

Specific Themes

• Your project can focus on developing and applying technologies including one or more of the following:
  • digital media
  • mixed media
  • augmented reality
  • virtual reality
  • virtual production
  • game engine and 3D environments
  • simulations and data visualisations
  • performance and motion capture
  • gesture and facial recognition
• Your project can be aimed at application in one or more of the following market sectors and industries:
  • creative industries
  • video game development
  • screen sector
  • healthcare
  • education
  • future mobility
  • manufacturing
  • retail
  • tourism, leisure and sport

Project Size

• Your project’s grant funding request must be between £25,000 and £100,000.

Projects they will not fund

• They are not funding projects that:
  • do not contribute to innovation activity in the immersive and creative industries cluster centred on Coventry and Warwickshire
  • are within scope of the Cluster management strand of this Launchpad competition
  • request grant funding of less than £25,000 or more than £100,000
• They cannot fund projects that:
  • involve primary production in fishery and aquaculture
  • involve primary production in agriculture
  • have activities relating to the purchase of road freight transport
  • are not allowed under De minimis regulation restrictions
  • are not eligible to receive Minimal Financial Assistance
  • are dependent on export performance, for example giving an award to a baker on the condition that they export a certain quantity of bread to another country
  • are dependent on domestic inputs usage, for example if they give an award to a baker on the condition that they use 50% UK flour in their product

Who can apply?

• Your project
  • Your project must:
    • last between 6 and 12 months
    • intend to exploit the results from or in the UK
    • start at the earliest on 1 April 2024
    • end by 30 April 2025
  • Projects must always start on the first of the month and this must be stated within your application. Your project start date will be reflected in your grant offer letter if you are successful.
• Lead organisation
  • To lead a project your organisation must:
    • be a UK registered micro, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME)
    • be active or growing your work activities in the immersive and creative industries cluster centred on Coventry and Warwickshire in the West Midlands
    • have a demonstrable ambition for business growth
• Subcontractors
  • Subcontractors are allowed in this competition. Their contribution must add to the innovation led growth of the cluster.
  • Subcontractors can be from anywhere in the UK and you must select them through your usual procurement process.
  • They expect all subcontractor costs to be justified and appropriate to the total eligible project costs.
• Number of applications
  • A business can lead on only one MFA strand application for this competition.

For more information, visit Innovate UK.