S+T+ARTS in the City – FAQs Open Call
Read our FAQs to understand more about the project, the open call process and learn about the partners involved.
Throughout the open call, this page will be updated with the questions we receive from applicants to ensure all applicants receive the same information. No questions will be answered in individual emails to artists. You can contact us at aurelie@gluon.be if your question is not included in the present FAQs and we will update this page as quickly as possible.
We cover the following sections answering questions about different stages and aspects of the project:
+ Definitions and Keywords
Who are the relevant actors in the residency programme of S+T+ARTS in the City?
Consortium:
The S+T+ARTS in the City consortium is composed of 6 core partner organisations from 6 countries: GLUON (BE) (Coordinator), Ars Electronica (AT), Hac Te (ES), INOVA+ (PT), Kersnikova (SI), MEET Cultural Center (IT).
The consortium builds upon highly relevant backgrounds and profiles, the diversity, strength and experience of each partner and their extensive networks. The consortium strives to initiate, facilitate and develop a focused dialogue in a balanced top-down, bottom-up approach, to raise awareness about the potential of art to act as a source for innovation and sustainable development.
Innovation Catalysts:
Each residency will be facilitated by an innovation catalyst from the Regional S+T+ARTS Centre. This figure is the bridge-builder between all parties of the residencies. In S+T+ARTS in the City, the innovation catalysts, who among the consortium partners, will have experience in the moderation of intersectoral and multidisciplinary collaborations, will function as an intermediary between the artists, the host organisation and the Local Experts. They will accompany the artists throughout the whole implementation of the residencies, to:
- Provide a framework to structure the process, management (contract, administrative and financial), and facilitation
- Curate and guide the project, see opportunities and articulate them
- Provide mediation and translation between the fields, and find a common language
- Keep conversations going, as communication is key to a successful collaboration
- Guide the progress
- Build up trust and relationships with and between core actors
- Address conflicts that may emerge before or during the collaboration process
- Deal with concerns among artists, scientists, and employees, and provide introductory information
- Provide space for conversations, engagement, and exchange
- Communicate with authorities and the media locally and beyond
- Externally communicate the residencies and provide space for outreach about the project
- Evaluate results for communication or feedback to the management of the organisation
- Set up presentation moments, contextualise, and stage the outcome
Local Expert Groups:
Each Regional S+T+ARTS Centre has gathered a Local Expert Group (LEG) involving 4 to 7 individual experts covering a wide range of stakeholders connected to the regional challenge. Participants have been chosen from all walks of life representing different sectors and perspectives, including, but not imited to civil society (research institutions, cultural institutions, educational institutions,…), private (industry, tech start-ups, business, media, …) and public (municipality, public-private affiliate, legislative, …) representatives.
The Local Expert Group (LEG) program aims at supplying relevant expert know-how to the residency programs and anchoring them firmly within the relevant regional contexts as well as national and global sustainability frameworks. The LEG program is structured in 3 phases with the respective goals of 1) defining the residency challenge, 2) supporting in selecting the artist, and 3) supporting the artist during the residency period. During the residency at least five meetings (either online or in-person) with the Local Expert Group are to be foreseen.
Jury:
The jury will be composed of a minimum of 3 experts from the LEG and 2 independent individual experts per Regional S+T+ARTS Centre from different sectors (business, science, art, government, etc.) and will select the residency candidates.
+ Application Process
What is the platform used to submit the application?
The platform used is Jotform. The application is made through an online form, that you can save and edit before submission. After submission you can also extract your application.
Can an artist from France apply to the open call?
Yes, individual artists or collectives of individual artists from any country in the world are eligible, at the condition that they can travel to Europe for the S+T+ARTS In the City programme.
I am an artist, but I am not registered, can I apply?
In this Open Call, applicants should be registered with VAT number and undertake artistic activities as a professional / job occupation. If you don’t have a VAT number, please explain briefly why and what is your status in the 2-page proposal, as a side note.
We are a group of artists working together, but not legally registered as a collective, how should we apply?
In this case, one of the artists of your group must be the applicant, and you mention in the proposal that you work together with others, that you should also present.
Can an artist submit more than one project idea?
You can submit maximum one competitive proposal per Regional S+T+ARTS Centre. Since we have 5 Regional S+ARTS Centers each with their distinct challenge(s), an individual applicant can submit up to three proposals in total. Bear in mind that you are not allowed to re-submit the same proposal for multiple challenges. Moreover, you can receive the S+T+ARTS In The City grant only once. In the case that more than one proposal from you will be among the shortlisted projects, only the one with more points will be invited for the Jury day.
What is the maximum size of the attachments that I have to submit together with the online form?
The maximum size is 5MB per document (CV, portfolio and project proposal). We advise you to compress your PDFs before attaching them to the form. Access the submission form here.
I am not sure of what you expect in the challenge proposal, can you give me more details?
Please go through the Guide for Applicants to get all the information you need to apply to this open call. This is the ultimate reference document to guide you through the process.
To help artists get a better understanding of the open call we organised two live-streamed info sessions on July 7th 2023 at 10:00-11:30 CEST and July 13th, 2023 at 10:00-11:30 CEST. During these sessions, the consortium partners of S+T+ARTS in the City presented the open call, the 11 regional challenges, the expectations from artists, the foreseen outcomes (session 1) and the application process, requirements, budget questions and submission (session 2).
The sessions are recorded and available on the Youtube channel of startseu and the the open call page.
Are practising designers eligible to participate?
The call is open to independent artists and art collectives only, not design studios. Applications will be assessed on the artistic quality of the applicant amongst others. This involves individually realised autonomous art projects. Commercial work does not qualify for this criterium.
Is it possible to apply for a challenge as a team?
It is not eligible to apply together with your collaborator to the open call. The call is open to individual artists or collectives.
Is involving expertise in my proposal an eligible expenditure?
Yes, involving expertise is an eligible expenditure.
I am affiliated with a university. Would it be possible to apply as part of the university (e.g. invoicing and other contractual work is managed by the university)?
It is not possible to apply as part of a university.
Regarding the question in the form: “How will you make use of the resources/infrastructure provided? Please refer to the specific requirements mentioned in the challenge text”. With “challenge text”, does it refer to the text written in the S+T+ARTS call for proposals? Or does it refer to the text that we’ve written to answer to the challenge?
It refers to the text written in the call.
In the portfolio, can I present 5 projects?
No, the maximum is 3.
In the portfolio, each project should be 1 page, or can we have 2 pages per project?
There is no limit for the number of pages of your portfolio.
Do I need to be available during the selection process?
Top 3 candidates will be invited to pitch their project online (10 min pitch + 10 min Q&A) to the Jury. Please note the Jury Days of each Regional S+T+ARTS Center:
- GLUON: 21-22 September
- HAC TE: 21-22 September
- INOVA+: 21-27 September (date tbc)
- KERSNIKOVA: 21 September
- MEET: 26 September
+ Residency
What is the duration of residencies?
The residencies will take place between October 2023 and June 2024. The maximum duration of the residency is set at 9 months.
Am I expected to be physically present throughout the whole duration of the residency?
At the beginning of the program selected artists will be expected to travel to the hosting Regional S+T+ARTS Center for a in-person kick-off meeting. During the execution of the residency, at least five meetings (either online or physical) with the Local Expert Group are to be foreseen. The exact dates and duration of the Local Expert Group meetings will be arranged at the beginning of the residency by mutual agreement between the artist and the hosting Regional S+T+ARTS Center. Further compulsory residency-internal meetings, whose attendance and frequency depend on the hosting Regional S+T+ARTS Center, are described more in detail in the “residency characteristics” section of each challenge description.
What alternatives have you thought of, if there are restrictions due to sanitory conditions?
In the unfortunate event of a new pandemic affecting the possibility of travelling between regions in Europe, the residency will be remote and physical presence will be postponed to a new date by mutual agreements between the artist and the Regional S+T+ARTS Center.
What is the language of the residency?
The primary working language is English but each Regional S+T+ARTS Center might have individual requirements. Please consult the Challenges Booklet to find out more.
What is expected from me at the end of the residency?
At the end of the residency, the artist is expected to have completed a presentable outcome of the residency and to participate with it in all the presentation moments planned by consortium of the S+T+ARTS In the City project.
What deliverables are expected?
Applicants are expected to produce formal deliverables of their project, including at least one report and a prototype of their solution or artwork. The report must describe in sufficient detail, the work completed per phase of the work plan, the results achieved, description of implementation and tests performed.
+ Communication
How will the results of my work be made visible?
The projects developed in the 11 S+T+ARTS In the City residencies will be disseminated via the starts.eu website and social networks. In addition, each Regional S+T+ARTS Center will organise specific events such as public presentations, talks and round tables dedicated to the project. Some of the works produced will be displayed, among others, at the Ars Electronica Festival 2024 and at the SONAR+ Festival 2024.
What is the expected impact of outreach activities for the residency?
The Regional S+T+ARTS Centers will extensively use Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube to promote activities implemented as part of S+T+ARTS In the City, such as the open call, documentation of artist residencies and overall development of the project, meetings, events, news.
The Regional S+T+ARTS Centers ensure a wide reach, with large audiences and following gathered by the consortium partners’ channels combined:
- Instagram Followers: 76 798
- Facebook Followers: 99 700
- Twitter Followers: 57 139
- Youtube Followers: 16 363
- Linkedin Followers: 37 037
