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Arts, creativity and culture impact funding

Apply for knowledge exchange funding to spark innovative collaborations with arts, cultural and heritage partners.

Applications for this scheme will close at 1pm on 6 June 2025.

The purpose of this funding is to support UCL academics with knowledge exchange, impact and innovation projects with arts, creative, cultural and heritage organisations.

We’re particularly keen to fund collaborations which bring together academic expertise from different faculties with external partners to create new methodologies, models and ways of working. Ideally, these will have the potential to be applied - and make an impact - nationally and internationally.

This funding is designed to accelerate the impact of UCL’s research outside academia. It cannot be used to fund:

  • primary research activity
  • public engagement activities (such as an event or exhibition) where there is no two-way knowledge exchange with an external organisation. 

Before you apply, we’d encourage you to speak to Rebecca Robinson (rebecca.j.robinson@ucl.ac.uk) to book a slot at a drop-in session to gain advice on shaping your application and its eligibility.

Art Futures seed funding (£10,000)

Art Futures connects artists, creative organisations and researchers from across UCL to explore seismic shifts in technology, funding models, and audience behaviours in the arts sector.

This seed funding enables researchers to collaborate with industry by enabling an initial project that will grow and have long-term impact. Outcomes might include new initiatives, partnerships, programmes, products, services, tools, frameworks or support resources in fields of art, law and technology.

The funding is for UCL academic staff at any stage of their careers working with an arts, technology or legal sector partner on one of the below Art Futures programme themes:

  • Art and creative technology innovation
  • Art, creativity and culture in the context of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
  • Law and intellectual property (IP) in arts, creative and cultural contexts
  • Art markets, trading and related art sale processes (e.g. auctions, gallery sales and blockchain)

The minimum amount you can apply for is £3,000. The maximum amount you can apply for is £10,000.

Application for this funding should be made through Innovation & Enterprise’s regular Knowledge exchange and innovation funding scheme

Please add ‘[Art Futures]’ to the start of your project title when you apply, to indicate that your application is for Art Futures seed funding.

General knowledge exchange funding (£5,000 to £20,000)

If your project does not fit the Art Futures seed funding or secondments models, you may be able to apply for funding from the existing Knowledge exchange and innovation funding scheme.