Play Well For Life and UWE receive £230,000 for AR school-avoidance study
A joint Innovate UK grant supports research into Dragons of Afterlands for young people experiencing emotionally based school avoidance.
Play Well For Life and a UWE Bristol researcher received a joint £230,000 Innovate UK grant to study an augmented-reality board game for young people experiencing emotionally based school avoidance. The university announced the project on 11 September 2025.
The study evaluates whether Dragons of Afterlands can help young people reconnect with group education and peers. The game pairs a physical board with a digital application and shared social and emotional challenges.
The research forms part of the Mindset programme and was scheduled to run until September 2026. The £230,000 figure covers the joint project; the company's individual allocation was not disclosed.