Mindset extended reality (XR): Digital therapeutics for mental health

To lead a project or work alone, your organisation must be a UK registered business of any size.

To collaborate with the lead, your organisation must be one of the following UK registered:

• business of any size
• academic institution
• charity
• not for profit
• public sector organisation
• research and technology organisation (RTO)

A business can only lead on one application in this competition but can be included as a collaborator in two further applications.

If a business is not leading any application, it can collaborate in any number of applications.

An academic institution, research and technology organisation, charity, not for profit or public sector organisation can collaborate on any number of applications.

Your project must:

• have total eligible costs between £200,000 and £300,000
• last between 12 to 18 months
• carry out all of its project work in the UK
• intend to exploit the results from or in the UK
• start by 1 July 2025
• end by 31 December 2026

Your project must undertake industrial research and development in the application of extended reality (XR), to provide mental healthcare therapeutic solutions.

The aim of this competition is to develop digital therapeutic extended reality (XR) solutions to provide mental healthcare services. These solutions will optimally be applied and trialled following an R&D cycle of between 12 to 18 months. Solutions must have the potential to be adopted at scale to form part of the UK’s formal mental healthcare ecosystem.

Your project must undertake industrial research and development in the application of extended reality (XR), to provide mental healthcare therapeutic solutions. Your proposal must include the design and features of your solution and how it will be applied.

Your project must focus on the following:

The application of extended reality

A digital therapeutic for mental health through the application of Extended Reality (XR) which includes creative technologies, virtual reality, networked or augmented reality, mixed reality, haptics, holograms, immersive software and immersive audio.

Solutions for moderate and severe mental health conditions

Solutions for those living with moderate (where the condition makes daily life difficult) and severe (where conditions make daily life extremely difficult) mental health illness. Specifically, XR therapeutic solutions that positively improve the impairment, disability and distress experienced by those living with mental health difficulties at any point in their life course. Solutions are strongly encouraged, in particular, where the mental health difficulties have an impact on education, employment and daily life.

Solutions that can be applied at all clinical levels

Solutions for use at any point in the care pathway, at all clinical levels, which have the ambition to seek regulatory approval, adoption and scale, as and where appropriate.

Innovate UK Business Connect will be holding two supporting online events:

Online Briefing – Tuesday 29 October, 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM: Discover an overview of the Mindset programme, competition scope, eligibility and the application process for UK organisations. Innovate UK will be on hand to answer any questions you may have on the competition.

Online Collaboration Building Workshop – Tuesday 12 November, 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM: Designed to facilitate new collaborations in line with this competition. Come along to network with experts across the immersive technology sector and mental health providers. Forge partnerships to strengthen your potential application for this competition.

Click here to register for a place at the briefing event and/or the collaboration building event.

If you would like help to find a collaboration partner, contact Innovate UK Business Connect’s Health team or our Immersive Technology team.