S+T+ARTS In the City launches a new S+T+ARTS residencies programme that aims at enhancing art-driven innovation at local level and human-centered technologies, such as artificial intelligence, robotics, new digital media, smart cities, high performance computing, data science, or biotechnologies, that will be able to put in the market products and services that have a positive ecological, societal, and ethical impact.
Donor Name: STARTS
Country: Global
Type of Grant: Program
Deadline: 08/25/2023
Size of the Grant: Up to EUR 40.000
Details:
Globalisation, demographic change, climate change, secure, sustainable and competitive energy, and social polarisation, in addition to the economic and financial crisis, are the major challenges confronting Europe today, challenges of a medium and long-term perspective. In today’s interconnected and globalised world, multilateral relations are no longer exclusively built on interstate dynamics. Faced with the concomitant forces of globalisation and localisation, many states are either too small or too big to adequately respond to the growing number of global challenges that are now emerging. This is one of the main driving forces for states to build regional integration schemes.
By combining arts and creativity with science and tech for good, S+T+ARTS in the City contributes to the emergence of ecologically conscious technology uses that answer the current challenges that regions are facing, in sectors such as green manufacturing, sustainable urban development, security, recyclable textiles, digital literacy, and more. The final aim is to develop thought-provoking artworks in the form of prototypes that seamlessly bridges between art and technology and propose solutions to a real-life issue that have both artistic and functional value.
S+T+ARTS In the City will support selected applicants through a programme that includes a 9-month residency starting in October 2023, as well as multiple exhibitions and events during the residency period and thereafter until November 2024.
The programme includes funding, guidance and support by the hosting Regional S+T+ARTS Center, access to experts provided by the Regional S+T+ARTS Center and training. The duration of each residency is 9 months and includes 5 phases:
- Phase 1 (M1, 1 month): Reflection
- Phase 2 (M2-M4, 2 months): Development
- Phase 3 (M5, 1 month): Evaluation
- Phase 4 (M6-M9, 3 months): Production
- A subsequent Phase 5 for outreach will take place after the end of the residencies. This will involve the presentation of a curated selection of the residency outcomes at SONAR+D in Barcelona, Ars Electronica Festival in Linz and/or the I Love Science Festival in Brussels, in 2024.
What do they offer?
- Up to EUR 40.000 budget for artists residencies to cover the artist fee and other related costs (including but not limited to artwork/prototype production, participation to exhibitions, travel and accommodation expenses, insurance);
- Access to the regional residency host organisation and local expert group;
- Access to the Europe-wide S+T+ARTS network;
- Access to new technologies and R&D departments;
- Considered participation in exhibitions showcasing the outcomes of the residencies at SONAR+D in Barcelona in June 2024, Ars Electronica Festival in September 2024 in Linz and/or I Love Science Festival in October 2024 in Brussels, as well as at regional locations of the Regional S+T+ARTS Centers upon selection;
- Visibility through high impact communication activities to promote the artistic output and its innovation spillovers (including dissemination events foreseen from June to November 2024).
Challenges
- Challenge nº1: Going Wild in the City
- Challenge nº2: Reclaiming the Agency
- Challenge nº3: Where The Food Comes From
- Challenge nº4: The Value of Care
- Challenge nº5: Machine Sapiens and the City
- Challenge nº6: Regenerative AI for Urban Mining
- Challenge nº7: The Future of Computing
- Challenge nº8: Driving Agricultural Sustainability – Empowering Smallholder Farmers with Digital Transformation
- Challenge nº9: Understanding and engineering photosynthesis for a moresustainable Europe
- Challenge nº10: Designing the Robots of the Future
- Challenge nº11: Immersive and Digital Narratives for Climate Change.
Impact
- Artistic potential: the proposal demonstrates a clear and credible approach to deliver (a) presentable outcome by the end of the residency term
- Regional innovation potential: novel/ innovative character of the proposal, potential for links with Regional Innovation policies
Implementation
- Resources: the proposal and expected outcome(s) is feasible to achieve within the given time and budget.
- Art-Tech congruency: synergy between technological challenges and artistic thematic and methodological approach
- Artistic quality: an evaluation based both on previous work and on the vision developed in the proposal including the proposed use of (digital) technology in tackling the selected regional challenge
- CV/Artistic portfolio: the artist background must match in terms of needs and goals of the proposal, proving the artists’ ability to go from the conceptual to the development stage within a project
Eligibility Criteria
- In this Open Call, applicants can apply as individual artists or collectives.
- An artist refers to:
- Person or entity registered under NACE Code ‘9003 Artistic Creation, or
- A self-employed individual (freelancer) that undertakes artistic activities as a professional/job occupation.
- The artist must have already produced enough artwork to assess their artistic experience. The artists will be asked to submit at least 2 (and maximum 3) projects as examples of previous work through the portfolio section in the application form. Previous experience with art-tech experimentation projects will be valued but is not a condition for participation. Note that individual artists or collectives of individual artists from any country in the world are eligible, at the condition that they can travel to Europe for the S+T+ARTS In the City programme.
Awarding Criteria
- The Jury will select the final beneficiaries considering the following ‘Awarding Criteria’:
- Artistic quality: an evaluation based on both previous work and on the vision developed in the proposal (including the proposed use of (digital) technology in tackling regional challenges).
- Regional challenge analysis: quality and expectation of the success of the collaboration proposed between artist, LEG, residency partner to work towards the goals of sustainable innovation
- Quality and strength of the proposal’s link with concepts of innovation and sustainability: willingness to experiment and prototype to achieve innovation spillovers Realistic planning and budget allocation.
- The Selection Committee will decide by consensus (or a majority vote of 2/3) the Provisional List of Recipients, and Reserve List. They will communicate the results to the applicants by email, by September 20th 2023.
- Finalists will be invited to present their projects to the Jury between September 21st – 26th 2023. Each Regional S+T+ARTS Center independently determines whether the jury day(s) will take place online or in-person and on which day.
Jury Day: A Jury Day will be organised in each of the 5 Regional S+T+ARTS Centers, to which finalists will be invited to present their proposals to the Selection Committee. After the event, the jury will select the winners and include them in the Provisional List of recipients.
For more information, visit S+T+ARTS in the City Residency Programme.
