The UK government announced funding program earlier this year has finally been made available to local game makers. A whopping £4 million (in grants of £25,000 per prototype) will be granted to developers applying for the fund. In addition to the monetary grant, the program, called the UK Games Talent and Finance CIC, will help small developers turn their creative ideas into working prototypes. In a report on gamesindustry.biz, CEO Dr. Jo Twist had this to say:

"We lobbied for this kind of support and we are pleased to see the Fund launch. It has enormous potential for the future of the UK games industry. Access to finance has been an on-going challenge for small and micro games businesses, and the financial support of the fund, as well as the mentoring opportunities that are provided, will open doors to a huge amount of unearthed games talent in the UK. Ukie is really proud to continue to support this project. It is one more step towards the UK becoming a world leader in games development."

The fledgling company will help the smallest of businesses to bring their games to a bigger audience, as well as give them the tools to compete with similar developers. They hope to foster up-and-coming talents and help them to achieve greater commercial domestic and international success. The program will have two tiers. The first tier is for developers with as of yet unrealized ideas. They can apply for a £25k grant. The second tier is for prototypes that are already in development. Those that apply for the second tier will be considered for a £50k grant. For more information you can check out the official info page.

Applications are not open as of yet, but you can express your interest in the program by sending an email to the CIC.