Creative firms in certain sectors with a focus on technology can apply for new funding from Innovate UK.
The £10 million ‘Next Wave: Breakthrough Wave 1’ funding competition aims to “support early stage innovation in the intersection of high growth potential createch and the industrial strategy frontier industries”. These industries are:
- video games
- advertising and marketing
- film and TV
- music, performing and visual arts
Projects must be led by a micro, small or medium sized business, focus on commercial digital platforms and services and have costs of between £100,000 and £500,000.
The grants are provided as match funding of up to 70%. Projects should start no later
than 1 January 2027 and end before 31 December 2027.
Businesses can apply here by 11am on 11 August 2026.
Createch is defined as “the application of advanced digital technologies to create new products, services, experiences, and business models within creative industries”.
According to the government’s creative industries sector plan, createch businesses are expected to generate £18 billion in gross value added (GVA) and 160,000 jobs over the next decade. There are an estimated 13,800 creative businesses leveraging technologies.