£50,000 Creative Intelligence Commission Grant

Organization: CoSTAR National Lab and Southbank Centre

Type: Grant

Location: United Kingdom

Deadline: December 17, 2026

Funding: Fully Funded

CoSTAR National Lab and the Southbank Centre, supported by UKRI, are co-commissioning one ambitious creative project that uses AI, immersive, real-time, virtual production or other emerging technology. The winning UK creative company gets a £50,000 grant, studio time at Pinewood Studios, cloud credits and a CoSTAR prototyping sprint, then shows the finished work to audiences at the Southbank Centre's Creative Intelligence 2027. **What you get:** - A £50,000 support grant - Two blocks of five days in the CoSTAR studio at Pinewood Studios - Three days of pre-show testing with CoSTAR - AI compute and cloud credits worth up to £25,000 - One CoSTAR prototyping team sprint of up to six weeks - Curatorial and producing support from the Southbank Centre, from inception to presentation - A chance to showcase the work at Creative Intelligence 2027 at the Southbank Centre - 20 hours of mentorship after the award ends - You keep full ownership of your intellectual property, and no equity is taken **What you'll do:** - Develop an original creative concept into a working prototype or proof of concept through spring and summer 2027 - Agree an access and development plan with CoSTAR and the Southbank Centre covering studio time, compute, prototyping and curatorial input - Attend kick off, induction, check ins and at least 80 percent of mentor sessions, mostly online - Pass a midpoint review in July 2027, then present and demonstrate the work at Creative Intelligence 2027 - Give back 8 hours of mentorship to future CoSTAR participants over the following two years **Key dates:** - Call opens Wednesday 28 October 2026, 14:00 GMT - Q&A webinar Monday 16 November 2026, 14:00 GMT - Applications close Thursday 17 December 2026, 14:00 GMT - Late February 2027: successful applicant contacted and contracting begins - Spring to August 2027: project development - July 2027: midpoint review - Autumn 2027: public showcase at Southbank Centre Creative Intelligence 2027 (the call also says November 2027) **More information:** - Applications go through Submittable and need a completed budget template and project plan - Applicant guidance, budget guidance, summary of terms and the application questions are on the call page - All applicants hear the outcome within 8 weeks of the call closing - Access Support Bursaries are available for applicants with a disability, health condition or access need - Questions: costar.pilots@rhul.ac.uk or costar.enterprise@rhul.ac.uk

CoSTAR National Lab and Southbank CentreGrant

£50,000 Creative Intelligence Commission Grant

Dec 17, 2026 14:00:00 GMT

Opportunity type

Grant

Funding

Fully Funded

Location

United Kingdom

Deadline

Dec 17, 2026 14:00:00 GMT

About this opportunity

What you get:

A £50,000 support grant
Two blocks of five days in the CoSTAR studio at Pinewood Studios
Three days of pre-show testing with CoSTAR
AI compute and cloud credits worth up to £25,000
One CoSTAR prototyping team sprint of up to six weeks
Curatorial and producing support from the Southbank Centre, from inception to presentation
A chance to showcase the work at Creative Intelligence 2027 at the Southbank Centre
20 hours of mentorship after the award ends
You keep full ownership of your intellectual property, and no equity is taken

What you'll do:

Develop an original creative concept into a working prototype or proof of concept through spring and summer 2027
Agree an access and development plan with CoSTAR and the Southbank Centre covering studio time, compute, prototyping and curatorial input
Attend kick off, induction, check ins and at least 80 percent of mentor sessions, mostly online
Pass a midpoint review in July 2027, then present and demonstrate the work at Creative Intelligence 2027
Give back 8 hours of mentorship to future CoSTAR participants over the following two years

Key dates:

Call opens Wednesday 28 October 2026, 14:00 GMT
Q&A webinar Monday 16 November 2026, 14:00 GMT
Applications close Thursday 17 December 2026, 14:00 GMT
Late February 2027: successful applicant contacted and contracting begins
Spring to August 2027: project development
July 2027: midpoint review
Autumn 2027: public showcase at Southbank Centre Creative Intelligence 2027 (the call also says November 2027)

More information:

Applications go through Submittable and need a completed budget template and project plan
Applicant guidance, budget guidance, summary of terms and the application questions are on the call page
All applicants hear the outcome within 8 weeks of the call closing
Access Support Bursaries are available for applicants with a disability, health condition or access need
Questions: costar.pilots@rhul.ac.uk or costar.enterprise@rhul.ac.uk

Who can apply

Lead applicant must be a legal entity registered and trading in the UK, incorporated at Companies House
Unincorporated startups cannot apply; universities and researchers may be partners but not the lead
Project team and funded activity must be based in the UK, and results exploited from the UK
Healthy financial track record; new companies without filed accounts are still eligible
Be from or support the screen and/or performance sectors, working in the creative industries
Must contribute part of the project cost yourself, in cash or in kind, as set by UK subsidy control rules
Must complete due diligence and contracting before the project starts

AI Verification

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Cross-checked 8 of 8 key facts

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Good to know

+A £50,000 grant plus up to £25,000 in compute and cloud credits, studio time at Pinewood and a prototyping sprint
+Your finished work is shown at the Southbank Centre, one of the UK's major arts venues
+Free to apply, with access support bursaries for applicants with access needs
+Backed by UKRI. You keep your intellectual property and no equity is taken

Worth checking yourself

!The grant does not cover the whole project. Your company must put in a minimum share of costs, in cash or in kind
!Only one award is made, and it is paid against claims in three stages, 45, 45 and 10 percent, not upfront
!Only UK-incorporated companies or legal entities can lead. Individuals must join a company's bid
!Applications close at 14:00 GMT on 17 December 2026, not midnight
!The call gives the showcase date as autumn 2027 in one place and November 2027 in another

Sources checked

COcostarnetwork.co.ukApplyCOcostarnetwork.co.ukApplyCOcostarnetwork.co.ukApplyCMcms.costarnetwork.co.ukOfficialCMcms.costarnetwork.co.ukOfficialCMcms.costarnetwork.co.ukOfficialCMcms.costarnetwork.co.ukOfficialCOcostar.submittable.comOfficial

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