The rewards for winners in the 2024 Innovate UK Immersive Tech Awards include various prizes, with the highlight being paid internships offered by industry partners. For the 2024 edition, these esteemed partners include Arup, Soluis, StoryLab Anglia Ruskin University, ARCADE, and Wales Millennium Centre. Find out more about what each partner is offering below.

These internships can be offered to finalists (individuals or selected members of a team) in any of the five student categories of the awards.

Arup industrial placement internship

At Arup we strive to make a positive difference in the world, and we’re looking for curious students to join us. Our industrial and summer internships provide a valuable insight into all areas of the built environment. Working on real projects and collaborating with our experienced teams, you’ll add value to clients from your first day, whilst exploring your skills and interests.

We are proud to regularly feature as one of the top UK employers of interns. It’s a testament to our commitment to providing a solid foundation to your development. We’re sure to have a role that interests you and makes the most of your talents.

Industrial placement details:

  • 3-month industrial placement with Arup
  • Possibility to extend
  • Flexible on start and end date
  • Fully supported by a project team
  • London office based industrial placement

What you can expect/key outcomes

  • Being part of innovative, sustainable solutions to solve our clients’ complex needs
  • Working across multiple geographies and sectors to push the sustainable agenda forward
  • Create unique communication strategies to engage with clients

Read more about the Arup internship

Soluis internship

Soluis is a group of artists and technologists creating accessible, immersive, and engaging experiences for the AEC industry.
Our goal is to create seamless and effortless understanding across some of the world’s largest and most ambitious real estate projects, by enabling immersive stakeholder engagement. With our clients we push the boundaries of immersion, by transporting their stakeholders to places and worlds that are often yet to be built.

With over 20 years of experience, Soluis strong ties with industry partners, institutions & governmental organisations. Our relationships with technology partners such as Epic Games, Meta, Magic Leap, Autodesk, Bentley Systems, Unity Technologies, gives unparalleled access to experts, training and tools that are not widely available.

Internship details:

  • A 3-month internship with Soluis
  • Matched to the team that suits your skillset
  • Hired on a 3-month temporary contract
  • Flexible in terms of start date

What you can expect/ key outcomes:

  • Work on ground-breaking projects for global clients in architecture, engineering and construction
  • Working with cutting-edge technologies and gaining access to world-leading partnership teams
  • Fully supported with coaching and training from the Soluis team
  • Work from anywhere with our flexible working policy

Read more about the Soluis internship

StoryLab ARU x ARCADE internship

StoryLab is an interdisciplinary research institute at Anglia Ruskin University (Cambridge) that explores how digital innovation and storytelling can effect meaningful social change, cultural participation and heritage sustainability. ARCADE (London) is an award-winning mixed reality studio on a mission to make the world a more playable place.

The candidate should display interest and strong skills in one or more of the following areas:

  • Storytelling and narratives
  • Games Design
  • XR (AR, VR)

The successful candidate will work with StoryLab (ARU) and ARCADE on an experimental XR project. Projects could include (but are not limited to): developing a prototype AR application as part of a pilot project based on endangered languages in the UK and Italy, building on the results of the British Academy funded project Reviving Kusunda; and expanding an existing VR application – Immersive Antarctica – onto new platforms, to use as the basis for further research studies.

The internship will take place starting in June 2024. The intern will begin by working with StoryLab for 2 weeks understanding the research context, gathering data, and designing a small, ambitious but manageable project. They will then work with ARCADE for the following 3 weeks, to learn about XR development in a commercial space, before returning to StoryLab for the final week to conclude the project.

Read more about the StoryLab ARU x ARCADE internship

Wales Millennium Centre x ARCADE internship

ARCADE (London) is an award-winning mixed reality studio on a mission to make the world a more playable place. Wales Millennium Centre (Cardiff) is Wales’s national performing arts centre. The centre stages musicals, opera, ballet, contemporary dance, comedy, cabaret as well as producing and presenting community performances, exhibitions, and flagship events such as our international arts festival Llais and the National Eisteddfod.

The applicant should have interests and strong skills in storytelling, narratives, and XR production (AR, VR, MR).

The successful applicant will work with Wales Millennium Centre, Writer, Director Tracy Spottiswoode and ARCADE on an experiential experience titled the Broad Haven Triangle. This sci-fi inspired fairytale will be a multi-sensory XR project that will transport you to the coast of 1970s Wales as a witness to the enigma of mysterious UFO sightings known as the British Roswell, one of the most important UFO incidents in UK history. Through this we hope to:

  • Develop a prototype XR experience that will blur the line between fact and fiction playing with perspective and scale.
  • Understand ways in which archive material from the broadcast library in Wales can be reimagined in creative to tell stories using XR.
  • Explore ways in which we might encompass the Welsh language through creative captioning and interaction.

Timeline

  • Early June 2024: The internship will launch with ARCADE in London. Working with the Creative team in Cardiff (remotely) on concept designs.
  • Late June 2024: 2-3 weeks working with the creative team and cast at Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff.
  • Early July 2024: 2-3 weeks with ARCADE to develop and prototype the technical work.
  • Late July 2024: Share development build.

Read more about the WMC x ARCADE internship