About the competition
Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), will invest up to £10 million in successful applicants in this competition. The aim of this competition is to support early stage innovation in the intersection of high growth potential createch and the Industrial Strategy Frontier sectors.
This funding is to develop their innovations beyond proof of concept, de-risking future investment and supporting long term sector growth.
Your project must:
- be from the frontier sectors as set out in the Creative Industries Sector Plan
- demonstrate a clearly innovative and ambitious idea, addressing an industry challenge and unlocking significant growth
- be a significant improvement on what is currently on offer in your existing business, with a demonstrable impact to your growth plan
- create a new revenue stream, for example, new products, services or IP
- be market ready within 12 months of project completion
- demonstrate value for money
We warmly recommend joining the briefing event to gain an in-depth understanding of the scope and eligibility criteria for the competition, and ask our team any questions you might have.
The competition opened on 23 June 2026, and will close on 11 August 2026. The full competition details are available here.
Your project must focus on commercial digital platforms and services in one of the following frontier industries:
- video games
- advertising and marketing
- film and TV
- music, performing and visual arts
Cross sector applications, and design businesses with createch innovation relating to the above sectors, are also eligible.
Accessibility and Inclusion
We are committed to ensuring our events are accessible for all.
If you experience any barriers to registering, for any reason, please contact us by email: enquiries@iukbc.org.uk or phone: +44 03333 403250 and we will support your registration.
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