Category Archives: Film, Sound and Vision

NESTA – Impact Investments

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NESTA the innovation funder has a number of open funding opportunities. One of these is the Impact Investment Awards. They aim to bring about positive outcomes for people, communities and society as a whole, as well as providing financial returns for investors.

Impact investment is needed to fund the creation of new innovations and to support their testing and development. It also allows the best ones to scale up and change the world. This is as true of innovation that seek to achieve social impact as it is of those motivated by creating financial value.

In particular, NESTA are seeking innovations that have a positive impact on:

  • the health and wellbeing of an ageing population;
  • the educational attainment and employability of children and young people; and
  • the social and environmental sustainability of communities.
This is a open call and has a rolling deadline. To find out more please visit the WEBLINK
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West Midlands Production Fund

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This fund is not really research, but may be of interest to some of the film and TV production academics as it supports the production of feature films of all genres including documentaries and animation; and TV drama series, serials and one offs with a slot length longer than 30 minutes.

It is specifically focused on productions in the West midlands

 

Funding Body: Creative England

Scheme: West Midlands Production Fund

Overview: Fund which invests in the production of feature films and high-end TV drama from companies based in the West Midlands as well as from producers looking to establish a base and film in the region.

Budget: They are planning to support between four and five productions over the next 18 months, with investments of up to £500,000 per project.

Deadlines: Open call apply any time

Further Information: http://www.creativeengland.co.uk/index.php/portfolio/film/#production_funding

ESRC: Empathy and Trust In Communicating Online (EMoTICON) Sandpit

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6-10 January 2014 (Cranage Hall, Cheshire)

The Economic and Social Research Council invites expressions of interest from eligible individuals for an intensive, five-day interactive commissioning workshop (sandpit) from 6-10 January 2014, being held at Cranage Hall in Cheshire.

ESRC, in partnership with AHRC, EPSRC, Dstl and CPNI, is commissioning new research to develop a greater understanding of how empathy and trust are developed, maintained, transformed and lost in social media interactions.

In order to develop innovative approaches and stimulate genuinely transdisciplinary collaborations, the ESRC is commissioning projects via a sandpit. The aim of the sandpit is to bring together researchers and other partners to create projects that will develop theoretically-informed and empirically-derived understandings of the workings of empathy and trust in online contexts and communities.

This call is intended to attract participants from across the full range of social sciences, arts and humanities, and engineering and physical sciences. The ESRC is particularly looking for people with particular personal attributes – creativity, openness, and the ability to work effectively as part of a team. A willingness to engage with policymakers, community organisations, government agencies, businesses and other key stakeholders is also essential.

Full-time and part-time scholars at UK-based research organisations (ROs) can apply. A mix of researchers at different career stages is also sought. The sandpit is aimed at early- and mid-career researchers as well as those in senior academic posts. We regret that, on this occasion, PhD students and scholars based overseas are not eligible to participate in the sandpit.

The sandpit is an intensive residential event and participants must attend all five days of the event. By submitting an application form, you are confirming that you are available for the full five days of the sandpit.

The closing date for expressions of interest is 11.00 on 11 November 2013. Applications from interested candidates should be submitted via the electronic application form.

Further Information

For further information, please contact:

EU Prize for Women Innovators 2014

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The European Commission has launched the second edition of the EU Prize for Women Innovators. The competition is open until 15th October 2013 and aims to raise public awareness about the need for more innovation and more women innovators. It will reward three women who have developed outstanding innovations and brought them to market, with prizes ranging from €25,000 to €100,000.

Any woman innovator complying with the following criteria can apply:

  • Resides in an EU Member State or in a country associated to the Research Framework Programme.
  • Is a founder or co-founder of an existing and active company.
  • Your company must have been registered before 1st January 2011.
  • The annual turnover of the company must have been a minimum €100,000 in 2011 or 2012.
  • Either you or the company you founded/co-founded have received or is receiving funding from the European Union or the European Atomic Energy Community Research Framework Programme, or from the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP).

If you would like to participate, please got to the contest website before the 15th October 2013.

NESTA – Digital makers fund

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Image of Digital Makers homepage

 

The digital makers fund is about getting 1000’s of young people involved in making digital activities. Something we seem pretty well placed to do as a university.

 NESTA expect successful initiatives will use young people’s existing interests, passions and pastimes as a gateway to digital making, inspiring young people to become creators, not just users of digital technologies. NESTA are looking for applications from organisations, or partnerships between organisations, that have the capacity to engage thousands of young people in digital making activities.

Further details:

http://www.nesta.org.uk/areas_of_work/public_services_lab/digital_education/assets/features/digital_makers_fund_second_open_call

  • Use different interests and content to reach new audiences – how can digital making tie in with music, fashion, sport, film or brands that will inspire young people to participate?
  • The ‘making’ element is important. NESTA want ideas that lead participants to the creation of a digital product that they can show to and share with others.
  • NESTA are interested in reaching different networks and communities for learning – youth clubs, libraries, after school clubs, interest groups and social networks speak to thousands of young people every day. How can they integrate digital making into their activities?

NESTA take a broad view of digital making that encompasses 3D printing and physical computing, as well as coding and programming, and want to work with partners who are noisy advocates for the importance of digital making; who will use all the channels available to them to shout about and promote their projects.

Deadline: 14 November 2013

Grants between £20,000 and £50,000

Creative Europe Programme 2014-2020

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Creative Europe: support programme for Europe’s cultural and creative sectors from 2014

Culture Programme

Following a recent seminar attended by the External Projects Team here is an outline of the new Creative Europe Programmme

Calls will be issued in late 2013, with deadlines in early 2014; there is a networking event in Brussels November 4th-6th 2013, with the opportunity to present project ideas and meet potential partners.

The new Creative Europe programme brings together 3 current programmes (Culture – MEDIA – MEDIA Mundus) 

Specific Culture Objectives are to

  • Strengthen the sectors’ capacity to operate transnationally;
  • Promote the transnational circulation of works and operators and reach new audiences in Europe and beyond
  • Strengthen the sectors’ financial capacity
  • Strengthen policy making

 ‘Creative Europe’ – Culture Strands will cover

  • Transnational cooperation projects
  • European networks
  • Literary translation
  • European “platforms” with a structuring effect

For the Creative and Cultural Sectors – the proposed budget of €1,462.7 million for 2014-2020 is a 9% increase on current levels, with a new financial facility for bank loans to the sector – funding is based on 50% match funding.

For a free monthly newsletter with updated information on the Creative Europe Programme –  register via www.culturefund.eu 

If you are interested in this programme – please contact the team externalprojects@staffs.ac.uk

TSB Funding for Digital Media

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The Technology Strategy Board is investing up to £15m in projects that stimulate innovation in the UK digital media sector by addressing convergence in digital technologies. This funding opportunity covers film and television, online video, animation and video games (including pre-production, production and post-production processes, particularly in visual effects technologies). 

Projects must be business-led but can involve collaboration with Universities. The competition will fund feasibility studies as well as collaborative R&D projects. Projects size is expected to vary according to need, ranging from £300K – £2million for R&D activity of up to 24 months and from £100k to £120k for feasibility studies lasting between six and 12 months. 

The competition opens on 23 September 2013. The deadline for registration is 6 November 2013, and the deadline for completed feasibility expressions of interest is noon on 13 November 2013. A briefing event for both strands will take place on 30 September 2013. This event will be filmed and turned into a webinar for applicants to refer to. 

 For further information click here https://www.innovateuk.org/competition-display-page/-/asset_publisher/RqEt2AKmEBhi/content/cross-platform-production-in-digital-media-collaborative-r-d?p_p_auth=LF3BHyMA or contact n.arblaster@staffs.ac.uk.

 

Fostering digital entrepreneurship in Europe

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The European Commission has launched a tender which aims to foster digital entrepreneurship with SMEs. They want to promote SMEs that are good at developing digital products. The tender fits a number of different skill and research areas in the University so it may be a project that is well suited to be worked on across faculties.

Funding Body: European Commission –Competitiveness and Innovation
Scheme: Fostering digital entrepreneurship in Europe: raising awareness and the visibility of digital icons and creation of a European e-mentors ecosystem
Overview: The commission wants to:
•    Raise media attention to European business and entrepreneurs that offer new digital products and services, invent innovative business models and thrive through the intelligent use of novel digital technologies
•    Set up a mentoring ecosystem to help spark, support and expand new business ideas and fuel Digital Entrepreneurship in Europe
Projects will last up to 24 months.
Budget: Maximum price €3m
Deadlines: 6 September 2013
Further Information: Below is the link to the tender, plus on this blog you can download a factsheet giving a broader overview of the tender below the link.
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/newsroom/cf/itemdetail.cfm?item_id=6795&lang=en&title=Fostering-digital-entrepreneurship-in-Europe%3A-raising-awareness-and-the-visibility-of-digital-icons-and-creation-of-a-European-e-mentors-ecosystem

Fostering digital entrepreneurship in Europe

EPSRC Funding for the Internet of Things

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This is a fund for researchers involved in internet-embedded applications. There is no specified budget per project, but it looks as though there could be around £350,000 per project. Proposals should focus on early stage directed research through to implementation, testing and iterative improvement of technologies or methods with potential beneficiaries. Projects must have a user partner who is actively engaged in the research.

Funding Body: EPSRC
Scheme: Research in the Wild – Internet of Things
Overview: This seeks to encourage user-driven research in the emerging area of Internet of Things- systems and methodologies that underpins internet-enabled applications, based on physical objects and the environment, seamlessly integrating into this information network.
Activities could either test new technologies and methods with potential beneficiaries in the user domain or look at new ways of using existing technologies and methods. Applications must demonstrate:
•that the research challenge has been co-created with an end-user from the public, private or third sector;
•that the research will be conducted ‘in the wild’, exposing it to potential beneficiaries;
•that the potential impact of the research will be realised by the end-users or related beneficiaries.
Budget: Up to £3.5 million is available to fund approximately 10 projects for a duration of 18 months
Deadlines: 24/10/13
Further Information: http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/funding/calls/2013/Pages/internetofthings.aspx

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EU Call for Tender – Study on ‘ICT & Art Connect’

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The European Commission, Directorate General Communications Networks, has published a call for tenders regarding a study on ‘ICT & art connect’, with a closing date of August 27th 2013.

The study will create a map of institutions and ongoing programmes/activities linking ICT and the arts in Europe and worldwide. It will analyse best practice to enhance interaction between artists and IT experts and to increase the impact of these interactions on innovation and creativity.

From this analysis, recommendations will be drawn for a DG Connect strategy to engage more broadly with the arts in Horizon 2020. The aim is to contribute to enhancing creativity and innovation in society, technology, science, education, and business; and to better embed science and technology in society.The following 4 objectives should be addressed:

1) Provide an overview of European and worldwide activities linking art and ICT in research, education, and innovation.

2) Take stock and analyse best practices in Europe and worldwide for linking art and ICT and thereby enhancing creativity and innovation.

3) A list of recommendations for a DG Connect strategy on how to best engage in H2020 with the arts will be presented and based on the analysis in first objective and second one.

4) The contractor will organise a final 2-day symposium on ‘ICT & art connect’. This event should bring together artists, technologists, scientists and representatives of relevant institutions and funding bodies identified in the study.

Further details:

http://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/en/news/study-ict-art-connect-smart-20130030