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.

Innovation City Belfast Board members

New Innovation City Belfast partnership launches

Innovation City Belfast, formed by six of the city’s key institutions, aims to accelerate growth in Belfast’s most exciting knowledge economy clusters, while at the same time supporting Belfast to prepare for the impact of innovation. 

A family using virtual reality headsets and pointing at a map of Belfast on the ground in Belfast City Hall

Augment the City – Immersive tech innovators help to capture Belfast stories

Major new funding competition supporting local SMEs to innovate in immersive technologies to enhance visitor experiences in the Belfast region.

Manfreight lorries lined up outside warehouse

5G Logistics Hub use case

5G is supporting Manfreight to enhance its logistics operations.