London-based investment fund Seedcamp has teamed up with the Government-led Digital Catapult (digital.catapult.org.uk) to run a programme aimed at developing augmented-reality (AR) and virtual-reality (VR) technologies.

The Augmentor accelerator, which was officially launched last month, is inviting applications from companies working on immersive technologies that blur the line between the physical world and the digital or simulated world, with successful applicants set to benefit from “access to industry experts and collaboration opportunities with Digital Catapult’s wider network”.

Based at Seedcamp’s Immersive Lab at University College London, the programme will give companies the chance to “refine and develop their innovations in an area that Digital Catapult CEO Jeremy Silver said is “fast becoming a central part of the UK’s digital economy”.

He added: “The UK has a real opportunity to develop a world-leading industry around immersive technologies, but we need to support the next wave of businesses that will lead the way in this field. Our Augmentor programme is designed to do just that.

“The potential for immersive technologies — particularly their application across industries such as digital manufacturing, digital health-care and the wider creative industries — is huge, and we plan to play a vital role in helping the UK realise this potential.”

Dave Haynes, from Seedcamp’s investment team, said: “We’re still on the frontier of what immersive tech can do and what founders need. Augmentor is the first programme in London looking to bridge that gap for companies working with VR and AR.”