Belfast City Hall has revealed the three winners of an 18-month immersive technology challenge where local technology companies have been developing prototypes designed to transform how visitors engage with the city’s heritage and culture.

Speaking about the impact of the innovation challenge, High Sheriff of Belfast, Councillor Fiona McAteer, said: “We’re a nation of storytellers. Building on this strength, Augment the City is encouraging innovators to explore how our tourism experiences can revolutionise how we share this aspect of our lives with others. I’m particularly excited about the potential of immersive tech to help lesser heard communities shape the content of new attractions. It’s our goal that Belfast Stories, our landmark visitor experience, public space and creative hub which is expected to open by 2030 on Royal Avenue, will incorporate these types of innovations to make it a global destination.”

Belfast Innovation Programme Awards

According to a news report by Agile Nation News, the £300,000 that the Augment the City Challenge awarded to the three winning companies came from a total £575,000 Challenge Fund that also provided skills development and business support to participants across Belfast’s innovation and creative industries.

The winning prototypes showcase different approaches to capturing and sharing personal stories through emerging technologies:

Hamilton Robson partnered with 1Up Studios and the Nerve Centre to create the Belfast Stories Generator. The AI-powered system uses holographic interfaces to conduct natural conversations, feeding into a story discovery tool that creates a scalable, searchable archive of authentic Belfast narratives.
Liquid City developed Life Stories, a mobile application offering free access to an AI-driven interviewer. The app poses adaptive questions that help users craft personal narratives in their own voice, with options to keep stories private, share with family and friends, or contribute to a public archive accessible to all.
Ekaterina Solomatina’s Memory Fractal prototype uses 5G connectivity and mixed reality to build narrative sculptures celebrating Belfast’s artistic heritage. The experience allows visitors to engage with both their physical surroundings and virtual elements, including 3D-scanned story-sculptures created with community input.

All three innovations aim to support Belfast Stories, the landmark visitor attraction, public space and creative hub planned for Royal Avenue with an anticipated 2030 opening.

Dr Adrian Johnston MBE, Chair of the Belfast Region City Deal’s Digital Advisory Board and Innovation Commissioner for Belfast, said: “Augment the City has been funded through the Digital Pillar of Belfast Region City Deal, with additional contributions from Belfast City Council. First and foremost, it’s about supporting collaborative innovation across sectors for local economic and social impact. And it’s about encouraging our SMEs and entrepreneurs to adopt digital technologies to support them on their own journey of success. From what we’ve seen from all the companies involved in Augment the City, there are some truly exciting concepts here that have the potential to go global.”

The programme brought together tourism partners across the region to explore how immersive technology and wireless connectivity can inspire both residents and visitors to contribute their own Belfast stories.

During the City Hall celebration event, organisers also announced a new Belfast Region City Deal Challenge programme, with more details on that programme to follow.