Interested in ideas, experiences and technologies to do with immersion, but just starting out or changing your career? 

Apply to take part in a ten-month, flexible programme with a £15,000 bursary for New Talent to develop ideas and leadership roles in the field, as part of The South West Creative Technology Network. 

We're looking for eight New Talent Fellows to join eight Industry Fellows and eight Academic Fellows to make up a team of twenty four from across the South West, working on independent and group investigations into immersion.

During the programme, we'll be thinking about: What already exists? What's new and what's good in immersion? Where are the gaps in the market? What are the challenges? What opportunities are out there? What are the possibilities?

All Fellows receive a £15,000 bursary to be involved for 10 months (Oct 2018 to Jul 2019), which goes towards your time and research costs. 

Your involvement will be on a part-time and flexible basis, with most time commitment required in the first three months of the programme (Oct - Dec 2018). 

You will be supported to spend time on developing your own ideas and sharing new knowledge with the network, and you'll get other benefits and opportunities including studio space, mentoring and upskilling workshops.

We hope the programme will be a springboard giving you the confidence, resources and support network to develop your personal and professional future in the realm of immersion and creative technology, enabling you to be a leader in your field.

Who are we looking for?

New Talent Fellowships are open to people in the early stages of their careers (aged over 18) who are curious about the future of immersion and technology, and whose work has already explored aspects of immersion. You might be finishing education, training, a career break or making a change. Maybe in the last year or so, you've begun to explore creative technology or elements of immersion in your work. 

We want to hear from people who bring an original perspective on the theme and are open to trying new ways of working. All ages, backgrounds and disciplines are welcome.

It is important that you have a connection to the South West region. 

What do we mean by immersion?

Immersive experiences, platforms and technologies are a growing part of our lives, blending our physical and virtual worlds: Augmented Reality on Pokémon GO; Virtual Reality on our phones and games consoles; Beyoncé's holographically enhanced Grammys performance...

Through the making of innovative games like Beat Saber, immersive experiences like Triage and installations like Door Into The Dark, creatives, tech developers and companies are pushing the boundaries of what's possible.

Our interests are wide-ranging, including VR, AR, Mixed Reality, fulldome, projection mapping, ambient technologies, sound, performance and other creative approaches. We are also interested in immersive experiences outside of the creative industries, for example in health, training, distributed manufacture, heritage and education.

How to apply?

Please read the attached brief carefully, you can download it by clicking on the arrow in the black block at the top of this page.

There are also some FAQs here, which we will be updating as we go.

Get in touch with Charlie Tapp, Producer at Kaleider (charlie@kaleider.com) if you have any questions or want to talk to us over the phone or on Skype.

We aim to be as inclusive as possible and work to accommodate all access requirements. We will openly discuss and tailor how we do things to support you as best we can.

We welcome applications from BAME, LGBTQI, Deaf and disabled practitioners, because they are under-represented in the sector.

Applications are made using the online form, which you can access by clicking on the apply button in the black block at the top of this page. Please contact Charlie Tapp on the email above if online forms or written applications don't suit you and you would like to apply in a different way.

The deadline is 11pm on 2 September 2018. Shortlisted candidates will attend a group workshop and individual interview on Monday 17 September 2018 in Plymouth. 

The South West Creative Technology Network (SWCTN) is a £6.5 million project to expand the use of creative technologies across the region. Funded by Research England, the network will offer three one-year funded programmes around the themes of immersion, automation and data. This new network is led by the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol), in partnership with Watershed in Bristol, Kaleider in Exeter, Bath Spa University, the University of Plymouth and Falmouth University.