Sectors
Creative Industries & Media Tech
Creative Industries & Media Tech, or Createch, is a priority for R&D Grant Funding across the UK and Europe.
Companies in the sector can expect to be eligible for public funding to research and develop innovative solutions in immersive technologies and virtual production, AI-driven content and creative tools, and game technology and interactive entertainment.
Grant funding for Creative Industries & Media Tech
We have been supporting Createch innovators since 2009, winning grant funding for founders and studios solving the sector’s biggest challenges.
Grant funding offers businesses and researchers a unique opportunity to scale their impact while retaining ownership. The benefits include:
- 100% grant funding, de-risking innovation and collaboration between businesses and universities.
- Grant funding designed to fund the development and testing of minimum viable products, prototypes and use case demonstrations.
- Grant funding demonstrates traction which naturally leads to revenue generating opportunities and equity investment.
Funding in the UK
In the UK, government backing for Createch is substantial, with the Creative Industries Sector Vision targeting £50 billion of sector growth and one million extra jobs by 2030. Dedicated schemes include Innovate UK’s Creative Catalyst, the Createch-specific Next Wave: Breakthrough competition, the £35.32m DCMS Create Growth Programme, the £30m UK Games Fund, and the £75.6m CoSTAR National Lab for virtual production research.
Funding in the EU
Across Europe, Createch companies can draw on Horizon Europe, to which the UK has been fully associated since January 2024, including EIC Accelerator grants of up to €2.5m and the Cluster 2 “Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society” calls. UK and EU SMEs can also access EUREKA Eurostars, while EU-based businesses can draw on the €2.44bn Creative Europe MEDIA strand, not currently open to UK applicants.
Success Stories
Creative Industries & Media Tech themes for grant funding
Venturenomix works with Createch clients across the following priority themes:
- Immersive Technologies (AR/VR/XR) and Virtual Production
- AI and Generative Tools for Content Creation
- Game Technology and Interactive Entertainment
- Media Distribution, Streaming and Broadcast Technology
- Digital Advertising and MarTech
- Audio and Music Technology
- Content Protection and Digital Rights Technology
Creative Industries & Media Tech funding programmes and funders
A wide range of UK and EU funding programmes are available for those working in creative and media.
Key funding opportunities include:
| Programme | Funder | Grant value | Stage | Who can apply |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK funding | ||||
| Creative Catalyst (Collaborative R&D) | Innovate UK | Share of up to £2m per round | Product and tool development | UK micro and small businesses |
| Next Wave: Breakthrough (Createch) | Innovate UK | £50k–£350k (from a £10m pot) | Development | UK businesses in games, advertising, film and TV, music and the arts |
| Create Growth Programme | DCMS, with Innovate UK | £35.32m (programme budget) | Investment readiness | High-growth creative businesses in 12 English regions |
| UK Games Fund | UK Games Fund, funded by DCMS | £30m (programme budget) | Early-stage games development | UK games developers and studios |
| CoSTAR National Lab | UKRI and industry partners | £75.6m + £63m industry (programme budget) | Virtual production R&D | Via regional labs and calls |
| European funding | ||||
| EIC Pathfinder | European Innovation Council | Up to €4m | Early-stage research (TRL 1–4) | Consortia, incl. UK |
| EIC Transition | European Innovation Council | Up to €2.5m + €50k booster grants | Validation (TRL 3–6) | Single applicants or consortia, incl. UK |
| EIC Accelerator | European Innovation Council | €500k–€2.5m grant + up to €10m equity | Scale-up, market-ready (TRL 6–8) | SMEs (UK: grant only) |
| Pillar II Cluster 2: Culture, Creativity & Inclusive Society collaborative calls | Horizon Europe | Varies by call | Collaborative R&D | Consortia, incl. UK |
| Eurostars | EUREKA | Varies by country | Collaborative R&D | SMEs in an international consortium |
| Innowwide market feasibility | EUREKA | €60k | Market feasibility | Single applicant with international subcontractors |
| Other funding options are also available. Grant values are indicative and vary by call. | ||||
Winning Grant Funding for Creative Industries & Media Tech
“By aligning ambitious roadmaps with the right public funding streams, we give creators the financial runway to take risks, push technological boundaries, and redefine how people interact with the world.”
Sophie Glaser-Deruelle
Creative Industries Sector Expert
Ready for the next steps?
Funding is available at every stage of the company lifecycle, from early prototype through to scale-up.
If you are developing an innovative solution in creative industries and media technology, book a free consultation with our team to find out what you could be eligible for.
Want to stay in the loop?
Our quarterly newsletter keeps you up to date:
- Latest funding policies across the UK and EU.
- Deep dives on funders, grant calls and technologies.
- 5 open grants every quarter.
- Our ‘quick grant’ of the quarter, and much more…
Each email is short and practical, written by our grant specialists. Unsubscribe at any time.
