We are thrilled to announce that BOM (Birmingham Open Media) has been awarded £50,000 through Innovate UK’s Inclusive Innovation Award.
Read more: BOM Awarded for Inclusive Innovation
We are one of fifty pioneering organisations across the UK that will receive funding to continue designing and developing tech innovations centred on equality, diversity and inclusion.
The Inclusive Innovation Award taps into our core values that recognise the necessity for all parts of society to engage with innovation as a process that they can benefit from and contribute to.
Inclusive innovation roots itself in rejecting the idea that a product or service should be designed around the ‘average customer’. By ensuring that accessibility and inclusion are key factors of any design journey, we avoid the continued exclusion of those ignored from the development mainstream.
BOM CEO, Karen Newman said “This award is a testament to our track record producing impactful innovations anchored in equality, diversity and inclusion.
“Since our launch in 2014, we have garnered a reputation for excellence in immersive inclusivity and with amazing support from funders like Innovate UK, we can continue our mission to inspire, empower and impact communities through transformational digital experiences.
“As we approach our tenth year, BOM is on the cusp of a hugely transformational and exciting new chapter, and we are grateful to Innovate UK and all of our supporters for continuing to champion our vision.”
The approach to mitigate the risk of deepening existing inequalities and widening societal gaps is evident in our projects, including Hidden Kingdoms, BOM’s first immersive product to be created in-house. Due to launch alongside an outreach programme this year, Hidden Kingdoms is an immersive audio app that supports people with anxiety to make real-world journeys from A to B.
Developed in collaboration with artists and meditation experts, the app promotes mindfulness and positive well-being for users who struggle with travel anxiety, creating personalised sound content mapped to individuals’ needs and experiences as they travel.
Read the announcement from Innovate UK here.
