Have an idea for a new creative product, service or experience that could create new opportunities for your business? Explore it with the University of Greenwich
Innovate UK’s new Next Wave: Breakthrough Wave 1 competition is designed to support businesses developing innovative ideas at the intersection of creativity and technology. The programme is providing up to £10 million in funding for collaborative R&D projects and offers an excellent opportunity for businesses to work with university partners to explore, test and develop new concepts.
For businesses in sound, music, audio technology, immersive media and the wider creative industries, this presents an opportunity to access research expertise, facilities and funding to investigate new ideas that may otherwise be difficult to pursue.
At the University of Greenwich, the SHIFT Lab and SOUND/IMAGE Research Centre are looking to collaborate with businesses that want to explore opportunities such as:
- Developing a new product or service
- Creating innovative audience or customer experiences
- Testing a new technology or platform
- Exploring new markets or business models
- Developing intellectual property and commercial opportunities
- Investigating the potential of AI, immersive technologies, spatial audio or other emerging technologies
The funding is specifically intended to support research and development activity, enabling businesses and university researchers to work together to investigate the technical and commercial feasibility of new ideas, develop prototypes, test concepts and reduce innovation risk before further investment.
The type of projects being supported
The competition is focused on what Innovate UK describes as Createch innovation – projects that combine creativity and technology to develop new products, services, experiences or business opportunities. This could include innovations in music, sound, performance, immersive
experiences, digital platforms, creative software, audience engagement, AI-enabled tools or other areas where creative expertise and technology come together to generate business value.
Interested in exploring an idea?
To help businesses understand the opportunity and discuss potential project ideas, we will be hosting a free online information session in the coming weeks.
The session will cover:
- Overview of the funding opportunity
- Eligibility and application requirements
- How businesses can collaborate with the University of Greenwich
- The expertise and facilities available through the SHIFT Lab and SOUND/IMAGE Research Centre
- Discussion of potential project ideas and partnerships
If you would like to attend, or if you have an idea you would like to explore with us, please complete our short Expression of Interest Form:
Deadline for expression of interest: 31st July 2026
There is no commitment to apply at this stage. The form will help us identify potential projects and ensure the information session is tailored to the interests of participating businesses.
We would be particularly interested in hearing from businesses working across sound, music technology, audio innovation, immersive media, live performance, digital experiences and related creative sectors.
Professor Andrew Knight-Hill
Director, SOUND/IMAGE Research Centre
University of Greenwich
on behalf of the SHIFT Lab and SOUND/IMAGE Research Centre
Further details about the funding opportunity:
View the Innovate UK competition