Funding amounting to £120,000 has been awarded to six proposals from Belfast’s creative and digital businesses, artists and innovators to develop innovative visitor experiences to animate and enrich the city’s Maritime Mile and which over the year's has included a festival.

They will collaborate with heritage organisations and communities along the Maritime Mile to develop prototypes which use technologies such as augmented reality, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence, to encourage more visitors and local people to explore the historic area which connects attractions, sculptures and viewing points on both sides of the River Lagan.

The projects are being supported by the Belfast HUB-IN (Hub of Innovation) programme, developed by Belfast City Council’s City Innovation Office in partnership with the Maritime Belfast Trust and funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 initiative, to explore how digital innovation can help to sustain, enhance, and preserve the Maritime Mile’s rich and unique heritage.

Chair of Belfast City Council’s Strategic Policy and Resources Committee, Councillor Christina Black said: “HUB-IN is helping to nurture exciting new relationships between Belfast’s heritage and creative industries sectors, communities, and businesses along the Maritime Mile, and supporting people to develop valuable entrepreneurial and digital innovation skills.

“I’d like to congratulate the successful applicants for their creativity and commitment to this vision. I can’t wait to see these proposals come to life along the Maritime Mile in the months ahead.”

Jenna Crymble, Marketing and Digital Content Officer, Maritime Belfast Trust added: “We are always looking at innovative ways to animate the Maritime Mile to tell the story of our rich maritime heritage. We are delighted that HUB-IN is supporting and enabling new, exciting collaborations between creative industry partners and existing communities and we have been blown away by the interest and calibre of the applications. These projects will give local people and visitors even more reasons to visit the Maritime Mile in 2024 and be part of our journey in developing and delivering an iconic waterfront for Belfast.”

The successful applicants are being supported to develop a series of prototypes which can be consulted here.