Announcing the Recipients of Extended Reality for Community Healthcare Grants
We are delighted to announce details of the five SMEs awarded funding through our Extended Reality (XR) Solutions for Community Healthcare Small Grants Programme.
The programme flows from recently published research undertaken by Holovis and the XR Health Alliance on behalf of CHI-Zone. It will connect innovative developers with worldclass academic expertise, clinical input from the NHS, and immersive technology professionals in the University’s Virtual Engineering Centre (VEC). We are supporting SMEs developing XR technologies with the potential to deliver real world impact. Interventions range from interactive EdTech for time-pressed health and care professionals to MedTech affording patients access to alternative rehabilitation and mental healthcare provision.
Working closely with Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, our partnership ensures that every funded project benefits from:
Access to clinicians and researchers with real-world insight into NHS needs.
Technical and regulatory guidance from multidisciplinary experts.
Opportunities to validate XR prototypes in clinical settings.
Mentoring and evaluation support to strengthen evidence for adoption.
This integrated academic-NHS model gives participating SMEs a uniquely credible pathway to translate research into practice while aligning with national priorities.
As Professor Dan Joyce, Director of Research and Innovation Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, explains:
“The programme has created an excellent opportunity for us to work intensively with local businesses that have strong ideas but limited access to clinical expertise and the NHS. The support is tailored, looking at what can be achieved to move each grant recipient closer to adoption - whether that’s regulatory readiness, evidence generation or market access support that’s required.
“This sprint-based approach reflects what industry repeatedly asks the NHS for: speed, focus and agility.”
Meet the Grant Recipients
Created by Life Analytics, Facial Dynamics is the first remote monitoring service for facial movement. Facial palsy affects hundreds of thousands in the UK, with psychosocial impacts that limit work and social life and increase reliance on further care. Facial retraining therapy works but adherence is difficult. Using augmented reality and facial tracking, Facial Dynamics guides routines and gives clinicians video and objective movement data to support remote rehabilitation.
Scenegraph Studios is an immersive technology and AI company based in the Liverpool City Region. It designs and builds real-time 3D software, XR experiences and AI-driven avatars that help people learn, train and build confidence. Their work spans healthcare, education, public sector and industry - combining Unreal Engine, AI and human-centred design to create tools that are practical, ethical and built for real-world impact.
Tend VR offers a world-first Virtual Reality Mindfulness Based Intervention (VR-MBI), an adaptation of Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT). This immersive intervention provides flexible support in home or community settings with minimal use of clinician time. By bypassing long waiting lists and reducing facilitator burden, VR-MBI alleviates pressure on oversubscribed healthcare systems, enabling patients to access evidence-based treatment for depression and anxiety earlier than traditional talking therapies.
vTime is a Liverpool-based immersive technology company creating next-generation interactive experiences across entertainment, education, and training. Founded in 2015, the team launched the world’s first cross-reality social network, connecting users in over 190 countries. Today, vTime develops core technology and systems for immersive digital experiences and simulations, enabling rich interaction, adaptive scenarios, and new ways to learn, explore, and engage in digital environments.
Ark Immersive specialises in immersive learning and entertainment. They are building Nexus – a virtual reality platform - to deliver a cost effective, engaging training for healthcare professionals. VR clinical training helps enhance skills and self-efficacy in a safe environment, using immersive content, filmed in real clinical environments.
Over the coming months, each company will take part in an intensive programme of activity, working closely with NHS partners, academics and technical specialists to make measurable progress toward healthcare adoption.
Keep an eye on our LinkedIn for a series of spotlight posts, introducing each grant recipient and their exciting work.