Support for digital development

A new £500,000 research fund for digital technology projects has been launched to help arts and cultural organisations connect with wider audiences and explore new ways of working. Jointly funded by Arts Council England, the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA), the initiative will enable successful applicants to work alongside those with digital expertise to explore the potential offered by new technologies through innovative research and development projects. Is the aim is that new data and research insights generated through rigorous assessment of the projects will be shared with other organisations in the arts and culture sector. Following consultation with the sector, six categories of funding applications are being invited, with the themes of user-generated content and social media; distribution; mobile, location and games; data; resources; and education and learning. Visual and performing arts organisations, arts and cultural archives, literary organisations, museums and galleries, libraries, commercial arts and cultural organisations and creative industry businesses are all eligible to apply.