FAQs

Do you have a question about the Digital R&D Fund for Arts and Culture, Scotland? Please read our Frequently Asked Questions to see if they can help answer it. We will continue to update these FAQs with all answers to queries throughout the duration of the call for proposals.

If I am an individual artist can I apply to the Fund?

If I am a technology company can I apply to the Fund?

If I am a commercial arts and cultural organisation can I apply to the Fund?

What does the Call mean by 'arts and cultural archives?'

Can I apply for funding for projects that are already underway?

If I am an arts and cultural organisation and I have all the in-house technical expertise I need for my project do I need to partner with a technology company?

Can I apply if I am an arts or cultural institution that is part of a university?

Can I apply if I am an arts or cultural institution that is part of a local authority?

Do I need to identify a research partner to work with on the project?

Can a practice-based researcher as part of a university faculty apply to the Fund as an 'arts and cultural organisation'?

Can technology researchers working in universities partner with arts and cultural organisations as technology companies?

Is it possible for an organisation to submit more than one application?

If I am an arts or cultural organisation submitting an application to the Fund can I also be a technology partner or a collaborating arts and cultural organisation in another separate application(s)?

Can I still apply if I am an arts or cultural organisation registered outside of Scotland?

If I am an arts or cultural organisation based in Scotland can I partner with technology organisations outside of Scotland?

If I am an arts or cultural organisation based in Scotland can I collaborate with arts and cultural organisations outside of Scotland?

A project can be up to £100,000 but can smaller projects apply?

Do I need to have any matched or third party funding to submit an application for the Fund?

Can I apply to the Fund if the budget for my project is more than £100,000 but I have secured funding from other sources for the rest?

Can I apply if my project is budgeted at more than £100,000 but I have not yet secured the remaining funding?

When do the projects have to start by?

When do the projects have to finish by?

How many projects will get funding?

Will there be any feedback on individual projects before the project deadline so that we can re-submit our application?

What is the Digital Advisory Day all about?

I'm not sure if this is right for us, what other digital support is available for our arts/cultural organisation in Scotland?

Can arts/cultural organisations or technology providers be named in more than one application?

If my application was not successful in the first round can I reapply?

If I was successful in receiving funding during the first call can my organisation reapply in the second call?

When do the projects have to finish by?

In the application you ask for a project budget breakdown. Are cultural organisations own staff costs acceptable?

 

 

Q: If I am an individual artist can I apply to the Fund?

A: No. Applications to the Fund cannot be made by sole traders and/or individuals working on their own. Please refer to our Definitions page for more information.

Q: If I am a technology company can I apply to the Fund?

A: The application form has to be submitted by an arts and cultural organisation. A technology company is therefore eligible to submit an application if it is also an arts and cultural organisation. The normal route through which technology companies can participate in the Fund is through partnering with an arts and cultural organisation that is eligible to apply.

Q: If I am a commercial arts and cultural organisation can I apply to the Fund?

A: No. The Fund is only open to arts and cultural organisations based in Scotland which are either predominantly publically funded and/or are a registered charity.

Q: What does the Call mean by 'arts and cultural archives?'

A: By 'arts and cultural archives' we mean any archives held by arts or cultural organisations, or archives related to the work of arts and cultural organisations.

Q: Can I apply for funding for projects that are already underway?

A: Yes. The funded activity may form part of a project that has already started, however the funding will only support R&D activities that commence on or after the 26 February 2013.

Q: If I am an arts and cultural organisation and I have all the in-house technical expertise I need for my project do I need to partner with a technology company?

A: No. But if you are using your own in-house resource, you will need to be working in collaboration with another arts and cultural organisation.

Q: Can I apply if I am an arts or cultural institution that is part of a university?

A: Yes. Arts and cultural organisations that function as separate organisations but are part of a university can apply as long as they meet the other eligibility criteria.

Q: Can I apply if I am an arts or cultural institution that is part of a local authority?

A: Yes. Arts and cultural organisations that function as separate organisations but are part of a local authority can apply as long as they meet the other eligibility criteria. Local authorities that do not meet this requirement are not allowed to apply.

Q: Do I need to identify a research partner to work with on the project?

A: No. Creative Scotland, AHRC and Nesta has already identified an academic research consortia to work with the successful arts and cultural organisations and technology partners.

Q: Can a practice-based researcher as part of a university faculty apply to the Fund as an 'arts and cultural organisation'?

A:  No. The Fund is intended for arts and cultural organisations working in partnership with technology companies.

Q: Can technology researchers working in universities partner with arts and cultural organisations as technology companies?

A: Yes, if the technology researchers are acting as technology providers and can provide the technology services that the arts and cultural organisation applying for the Fund needs to test their proposition.

Q: Is it possible for an organisation to submit more than one application?

A: Yes. However it is unlikely we would fund more than one idea from the same organisation.

Q: If I am an arts or cultural organisation submitting an application to the Fund can I also be a technology partner or a collaborating arts and cultural organisation in another separate application(s)?

A: Yes.

Q: Can I still apply if I am an arts or cultural organisation registered outside of Scotland?

A: No. Nesta runs a separate programme in England and is exploring whether similar Fund(s) can be run in the Devolved National Administrations.

Q: If I am an arts or cultural organisation based in Scotland can I partner with technology organisations outside of Scotland?

A: Yes. The arts or cultural organisation making the application must be registered in Scotland. But you are able to partner with technology providers from outside of Scotland.

Q: If I am an arts or cultural organisation based in Scotland can I collaborate with arts and cultural organisations outside of Scotland?

A: The arts or cultural organisation making the application can collaborate with arts and cultural organisations based outside Scotland, but activities involving the latter cannot be funded through this Fund.

Q: A project can be up to £100,000 but can smaller projects apply?

A: Yes. The Fund has two award levels to encourage a range of projects of different scale. 1) projects under £25,000 and 2) projects over £25,000.

Q: Do I need to have any matched or third party funding to submit an application for the Fund?

A: No.

Q: Can I apply to the Fund if the budget for my project is more than £100,000 but I have secured funding from other sources for the rest?

A: Yes. The application will need to provide details of any additional project funding.

Q: Can I apply if my project is budgeted at more than £100,000 but I have not yet secured the remaining funding?

A: No. Only applications which have demonstrably secured all the funding for the project (including any that is conditional on securing money from the Digital R&D Fund) are eligible.

Q: When do the projects have to start by?

A: The earliest the R&D activities supported by the Fund can begin is 27 February 2013.

Q: When do the projects have to finish by?

A: All of the R&D activities supported by the Fund must be completed by 1 November 2013. That said, we will be looking to select a spread of projects, some with finish dates well before this date.

Q: How many projects will get funding?

A: As we are expecting successful projects to include collaborations between multiple arts and cultural organisations, we will aim to disperse our £500,000 grant pot, we have no fixed number of successful projects in mind.

Q: Will there be any feedback on individual projects before the project deadline so that we can re-submit our application?

A: No. Each submitted application will be assessed against the criteria and some applicants may be shortlisted for interview. We are sorry but we are unable to provide feedback following submission to the Fund.

Q: What is the Digital Advisory Day all about?

A: This day will give arts/cultural organisations and technology providers the opportunity to hear more about the Fund; encourage new collaborations; and run ideas past digital experts to gain constructive feedback before submitting an application to the Fund. We will make all presentations/videos available online following the event for those who are unable to make this session. 

Q: I'm not sure if this is right for us, what other digital support is available for our arts/cultural organisation in Scotland?

A: Please note that this programme is one of a range of digital initiatives that Creative Scotland is supporting. Please see below for information about SYNC and AmbITion Scotland.

SYNC is a two-year programme for the cultural sector in Scotland - all about prototyping and innovation in the space where culture, technology and design meet. It will be hosting Culture Hack Scotland - a playful yet productive experiment to see what developers and designers and cultural professionals can make together in just 24 hours. It will be running a Geeks-in-Residence programme - pairing up creative technologists with forward-looking organisations to make new, valuable and stretching projects. And SYNC will also be publishing an online magazine called SYNC Tank - showcasing the freshest thinking around how digital is enabling, inspiring and changing our cultural practice and experiences.

AmbITion Scotland is a a digital development programme for all of the cultural sector in Scotland - helping organisations and individuals grow in capability, capacity, creativity and confidence to make the most of the opportunities of digital technologies. AmbITion Scotland supports the digital development of cultural businesses' artistic, operational and business model practices through a combination of online and offline resources, networks, knowledge and learning events; and opportunities for support and investment. AmbITion Scotland is funded by Creative Scotland as a core piece of the Cultural Economy Programme.

Q: Can arts/cultural organisations or technology providers be named in more than one application?

A: Our recommendation is that arts/cultural organisations only lead one proposal, however cultural organisations and technology providers can be named in a number of applications.

Q: If my application was not successful in the first round can I reapply?

A: Yes - if you are reapplying with the same idea please ensure you have reworked your proposal to demonstrate how you meet the Fund's selection criteria.

Q: If I was successful in receiving funding during the first call can my organisation reapply in the second call?

A: It is highly unlikely that we will fund the same lead organisation twice as we hope a number of organisations across Scotland will benefit from this fund.

Q: When do the projects have to finish by?

A: First call awarded projects should be completed by 1 November 2013.

Q: In the application you ask for a project budget breakdown. Are cultural organisations own staff costs acceptable?

A: We will assess the applications on value for money. It is reasonable to expect that the staff liaison time of the cultural provider(s) will be covered by the cultural organisation(s) as a commitment to the project. Any additional costs required to get the project up and running should be costed ( technical aspects of transferring the data/the assets, building the prototype, travel, external expert costs etc).