New £200K fund launched to support UK-wide XR development in TV, film, and games

Belfast XR Festival has launched a new creative development fund of £200,000 to “address a critical gap in the UK’s immersive media ecosystem.”

In a press statement, Amplify:XR Labs said the project has been “intentionally designed to support producers from backgrounds and regions that have been historically under-represented in immersive media, with paid development time, covered travel and accommodation and dedicated accessibility support built into the programme.”

The programme – hailed as “the first of its kind” and supported by the BFI Creative Challenge Fund, awarding National Lottery funding in partnership with Arts Council Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Screen, Immersive Arts UK, and Digital Catapult – will provide strategic early-stage support for new and emerging producers of TV, film, and games creating narrative-led XR and immersive projects.

The programme will support 10 UK-based teams led by new or emerging producers, supported by a director/writer, and creative technologists. Applicants do not have to be XR experts providing “they can demonstrate emerging status within their existing screen or creative practice,” and projects “must be intended for development in a narrative immersive format using XR technologies, with the ambition to progress towards production, market readiness and distribution.”

Successful applicants will receive financial, creative, and professional support, including a working stipend (£1772.80 per person, £5318 per team), a three-day in-person residency in Belfast, and a bespoke masterclasses and workshops led by XR industry leaders.

There’ll also be one-to-one project mentoring from “world-leading XR producers and industry professionals,” five days of rapid prototyping and creative technology support per project, and an invitation to an exclusive UK finance gap market and distribution event. All travel and accommodation costs will be covered, and an additional accessibility stipend is available for applicants requiring “childcare or additional access needs.”

“I am absolutely delighted to launch Amplify:XR Labs,” said Belfast XR festival firector, Deepa Mann-Kler. This programme represents a strategic shift for Belfast XR Festival, moving beyond showcasing work to actively strengthening the UK’s immersive ecosystem at its most critical point: early-stage producer development.”

For more information or to apply – applications close at 5pm on February 6, 2026 – head to belfastxrfestival.com. Selected projects will be announced the following week.

This funding announcement follows news Meta has shuttered three VR studios after a 10% cut to its Reality Labs metaverse arm, closing Twisted Pixel Games, Sanzaru Games, and Armature Studio.