Bearded man wearing virtual reality headset

Belfast has become a magnet for the creative arts with an explosion of talent in music, theatre, film and television. Our bands, artists, and film-makers consistently push the creative boundaries and the city is building a serious reputation worldwide.

Our colleges and universities, students and researchers continue to explore the edge of new techniques and technologies both in the creative sector and in their application in everyday life. In a statement of its bleeding-edge ambition the city has established a national immersive lab that seeks to bring Virtual and Augmented Reality Tech into the home, the office and on to the factory floor.

The new Belfast Immersive Lab, in partnership with the Department of Economy and Digital Catapult will give any organisation the opportunity to get hands-on experience with the latest immersive technology.

The lab will be equipped with the latest augmented and virtual reality hardware and a VR team will encourage local businesses, innovators, and researchers to try-out, proto-type and exploit what is expected to be a key technology sector in the coming decade.

In support of this ambition we have pioneered a £20,000 Immersive Belfast Tourism challenge designed to encourage SMEs to proto-type exceptional immersive experiences that will attract more visitors to Belfast.

A small team of office workers at a desk, one laptop is open on emails

Measuring the economic impact of Belfast’s investments

We want to understand the needs and ambitions of your company and how digital investments can help you innovate and grow your business.

Smart Belfast investing in urban innovation

The region offers more than just skilled people, competitive costs and great infrastructure; it's a location that delivers altogether more for investors.

Man wearing virtual reality headset

Augment the City – £575,000 fund for innovation in immersive tech

Major new funding competition to support local SMEs to innovate in immersive technologies to enhance the visitor experience.