Digital fund winners get started

The first nine successful applicants to a £7m Digital Research and Development fund are set to use digital technologies to increase audience reach and explore new business models. Among them are a project by the Museum of Designs in Plastics, which aims to engage new arts audiences with a competitive computer game containing cultural artefacts; and Cheltenham Festivals’ ‘Qualia’ project which will be able to monitor audiences’ reactions to live events in real time by monitoring social media and SMS interactions. The fund is supported by Arts Council England, the Arts and Humanities Research Council and Nesta, and aims to revolutionise how arts organisations engage with their audiences by offering logistical and financial support to help them take their first steps into digital projects.