CreaTech Frontiers
Foundations funding call opens 2nd June
Kickstart your next big idea with CreaTech Frontiers!
We’re excited to launch the very first funding call from CreaTech Frontiers — and we’re putting freelancers, microbusinesses, and small enterprises at the heart of it.
If you’re working on a bold idea, cutting-edge content, or an exciting new product or service using creative technologies, we want to hear from you. We’re offering grants to help bring your innovation to life — and that’s not all.
You’ll also get hands-on Research & Development (R&D) support from top experts at Birmingham City University, Coventry University, the University of Birmingham, the University of Warwick, and the Royal Shakespeare Company.
This is your chance to turn ideas into impact — with funding, expert support, and a community of innovators behind you.
2nd June - 4th August 2025
APPLICATION SUBMISSION PERIOD
No later than 1st October 2025
Successful applicants informed
No later than 1st November 2025
Contracts to grant recipients
No later than 1st December 2025
R&D activity starts
No later than 30th April 2026
R&D activity ends
Two Strands
EXPLORE
Introduction to collaborative R&D and development of initial ideas for innovative content, products or services.
Up to £5k grants + 5-10 days of academic support and access to our CreaTech labs. You will be introduced to R&D, and you will test innovative ideas around responsible and human-centred applications of creative technologies.
EXPERIMENT
Development of existing concepts, projects or prototypes for innovative content, products or services through collaborative R&D
Up to £10k grants + 10-20 days of academic support and access to our CreaTech labs. You will develop your concepts, projects or prototypes around responsible and human-centred applications of creative technologies.
Who can apply?
- You must be a freelancer, microbusiness or SME
- You must be based and work in the West Midlands region (including Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Herefordshire, Sandwell, Shropshire, Solihull, Staffordshire, Stoke on Trent, Telford and Wrekin, Walsall, Warwickshire, Wolverhampton and Worcestershire).
- You must be 18 or over
- Your application must be aligned to one of CreaTech Frontiers R&D themes
What are we looking for?
We want to help you develop new ideas (up to £5k grant) or existing innovative concepts and prototypes (up to £10k grants) in these creative technologies R&D areas:
- Beyond games (for example world building; game engine development; gamification and AI)
- Enabling technologies for creative outputs (for example AI, ML, data, haptics, robotics, cloud computing, future networks)
- Immersive (for example XR, immersive audio)
- Live performance (for example music and AI; augmented performance; digital storytelling)
- Screen (for example virtual production; sustainability in media productions)
- Visual arts (for example digital museums and heritage; digital content creation)
- Createch research (for example environmental, social and economic sustainability of createch; EDI issues; cultural, social and economic challenges)
- Other (something amazing we haven’t thought of)
Further call this year
CreaTech Frontiers’ second funding call co-designed with industry will be announced in autumn 2025, welcoming new applications for larger grants to develop concepts, products, services and content and including R&D collaborations with CreaTech Frontiers industry partners.
Future calls
Expect two further similar calls per year across 2026/2027/2028/2029, depending on the outcomes of the first ones. Two further calls delivered in collaboration with our partner Digital Catapult are planned for 4x £50k grants focusing on creative applications of generative AI and 4x £50k grants focusing on creative services to high-growth industry sectors of the West Midlands.
