Digital R&D Fund for the Arts

The Digital R&D Fund for the Arts will support research and development projects that use digital technology to enhance audience reach and/or explore new business models for organisations with arts projects.

Apply to the Digital R&D Fund for the Arts

The Fund, a partnership between Nesta, the Arts Council England and the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), is unique in encouraging collaboration between the arts, digital technolgy providers and the research community in order to undertake experiments from which the wider arts sector can learn.   

The Fund

£7million will be made available for projects over the period 2012-2014/5 for projects up to a value of £125,000 (with the majority of projects being considerably below this threshold).

The Fund's essential features have been successfully tested during the pilot Digital R&D Fund in 2011/12 and the learning from the pilot will continue, allowing some flexibility to the shape of the main Fund.  Eight projects were successful in receiving funding; learning from those projects can be found on the Arts Council's website.

Looking for innovative solutions

The Fund has been designed to accommodate a portfolio of innovation projects under the Fund's thematic areas (user generated content and social media; digital distribution and exhibition; mobile, location and games; data and archives; resources and education and learning). Successful projects will encompass a range of organisations large and small, geographical spread and artform.

The programme is a key development strand for the Arts Council's work around creative media, and sits alongside other work such as the Arts Council/BBC Building digital capacity for the arts programme and The Space.

Research that analyses and contributes to the development of Britain's creative economy is a major current priority for the AHRC.

The fund addresses Nesta's strategic priority to help the UK's creative sector to thrive by exploiting the opportunities of disruptive digital technologies.

Apply to the Digital R&D Fund for the Arts