A list of cultural / digital development programmes
Over the years there have been all sorts of publicly funded programmes aimed at getting cultural organisations to do more/better digital stuff.
Details of many of these programmes are fading away, with domain names lapsing and pages being culled as part of website redesigns. So, for posterity, here’s a list of some of them.
If you know of anything that’d be worth adding then please let me know, either via the contact form, or via Twitter.
I’m interested hearing about programmes that involved some degree of intervention – such as commissioning, mentoring, residencies… you’ll get a feel for the sort of thing I’m talking about from the list below.
In the UK
1999 NOF-digitise (New Opportunities Fund)
nationwide digitisation programme, provided funding to make learning materials available, free of charge, on the Internet.
There’s a JISC email list too.
2000-2007 Culture Online (DCMS)
a pilot initiative set up by the DCMS to commission online content
2006 Melt digital content programme, Sheffield
2008-2011 Digital Content Development Programme, ACE West Midlands
a three year programme of investment which aims to catalyse the creation and creative use of digital content platforms for arts organisations across the West Midlands region.
The key emphases of the programme are on an audience- centred approach and on the creation of sustainable content platforms that will continue to be programmed after the end of DCD support.
2008-2010 Media Sandbox (iShed/Pervasive Media Studio/Watershed)
2009 Amb:IT:ion Scotland (Culture Sparks and Rudman Consulting, funded by The Scottish Arts Council)
a new £800,000 programme to support digital development and change in arts organisations throughout Scotland. This flexible and innovative new programme aims to help achieve sustainable organisational change and improve capacity for audience engagement, through implementing integrated IT and digital development.
2009 F2 Digital Creative Development Programme (ICE Coventry)
a 6 month project for established creative professionals who want to investigate the opportunities offered by digital media, form new collaborative partnerships and develop new ideas.
2010-onwards Let’s Get Real (Culture24)
Our collaborative action research programme supports arts and heritage people and organisations to become more relevant, resilient and responsive to digital cultural changes.
2010 Theatre Sandbox (iShed/Pervasive Media Studio/Watershed)
an annual development scheme which supports practitioners from across the UK to develop new work using digital technologies.
2011 Building Digital Capacity for the Arts (Arts Council England and BBC Academy)
a series of practical seminars and workshops, a BBC online guide to commissioning audio visual content, 12 facilitated masterclasses and an online resource of filmed and streamed content
2011 Happenstance (Caper, supported by the Digital R&D Fund for Arts and Culture)
Happenstance puts creative technologists in deep immersion residencies in arts organisations. The Happenstance residencies are designed to change arts organisations’ relationship with digital technology. The residencies are at Site Gallery in Sheffield, Lighthouse, and Spike Island in Bristol.
2012 IC Tomorrow challenge (Technology Strategy Board)
The contest is offering up to ten businesses a maximum of £24K and the opportunity to work with a selection of museums and art galleries to develop prototypes of applications or services.
2012 Sync, Scotland
Sync is a set of activities designed to support cultural organisations in Scotland develop a more progressive relationship with technology and technologists. It has three central elements: the annual Culture Hack Scotland event, a Geeks-in-Residence programme and the Sync Tank magazine. It is part of Creative Scotland’s Cultural Economy programme for 2012-14
2012-15 Digital RnD Fund for the Arts (Nesta, Arts Council England, AHRC)
supported ideas that use digital technology to build new business models and enhance audience reach for organisations with arts projects.
2013-2015 Digital R&D Fund for the Arts in Waless (PDF) (Arts Council of Wales, AHRC, and Nesta)
to enable the use of digital technologies in the arts sector to engage audiences in new ways and to create opportunities for new business models […] provided up to £400,000 in total to arts and cultural organisations
2015 Digital Innovation Fund for the Arts in Wales
Through a combination of funded projects and curated events and information, we look at how digital technology can spark new ideas or shape pathways that can help move arts and culture forward and keep it smart and sustainable. We’re also exploring how we can embed a culture of digital research and development across all levels of arts organisations’ work.
2015-2018 Canvas (Arts Council England)
Its purpose was to provide an online showcase destination for arts video content whilst also supporting arts organisations to develop their capacity to produce high quality video content that was relevant to online audiences.
2016 Digital Arts and Culture Accelerator (Nesta, Arts Council England)
This is a pilot programme to explore whether a tech accelerator model can transfer into the arts and cultural sector, to support innovative new ideas from organisations that do not ordinarily take on commercial or social investment.
2018 Immersive Experiences (AHRC Creative Economy and EPSRC)
supports the development of early-stage research partnerships that will explore the creation of new immersive experiences addressing three key themes: Memory, Place and Performance.
Ongoing Audience of the Future (UKRI)
Those funded through the challenge will adopt, exploit and develop immersive technologies to create new products and services. They will capture the world’s attention and grow the UK’s leading market position in creative content.
Includes:
- Immersive technology investment accelerator
- Demonstrator programme
- Design Foundations
- Production innovation for immersive content
- National Centre of Excellence for Immersive Storytelling
Ongoing Digital Lab (Arts Marketing Association)
The Digital Lab transforms digital practice through intensive mentoring, workshops, and peer support – all taking place online. Fellows are matched with an international specialist who mentors their work-based experiments, supporting an agile approach to their online presence.
Ongoing The Space
We provide commissioning support for arts and cultural organisations, and the artists they work with, plus training events and online resources.
Ongoing Creative XR (Digital Catapult and Arts Council England).
Focused on the creative industries, particularly the arts and culture sector; the programme gives the best creative teams the opportunity to develop concepts and prototypes of immersive content (virtual, augmented and mixed reality).
In the USA
open call for ideas to explore digitally-driven approaches that galleries, museums, performing arts centers, theaters, and arts organizations of all genres might use to inspire audiences.
Ongoing Bloomberg Connects
supporting the development of state-of-the-art technology, from mobile applications to immersive galleries and other dynamic tools, designed to transform the visitor experience, encouraging interaction and exploration of cultural institutions on and offsite.
With thanks to Martin Black, Devon Smith, and Charles Beckett for suggestions.