Canada Council for the Arts / Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council New Media Initiative

Artists, scientists and engineers are creating novel and mutually beneficial ways of thinking and working collaboratively across their disciplines that are making innovative contributions to the arts, sciences and industry. Collaborations among the disciplines are also contributing to the professional development of artists, scientists and engineers – promoting the transfer of knowledge among sectors and disciplines, and helping to create new cross-disciplinary working methodologies between artistic and scientific domains.

New media art that develops and applies new digital technologies increasingly includes science and engineering-based methodologies, while scientific research is increasingly making use of arts-based practices.

Collaboration among artists and scientists and/or engineers in the field of information and communications technology often involve the design, production and application of software and hardware for IP networks and broadband optical networks; (tele)robotics; cognitive systems; artificial life agents; data visualization; bioinformatics; wearable computing; and advanced materials and devices such as active fabrics, sensors and microprocessors.

Objectives

The Canada Council for the Arts (Canada Council) and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) New Media Initiative is intended to promote collaboration linking artists, scientists and/or engineers to combine creativity with the development and application of new technologies and knowledge. The objectives of the New Media Initiative are to:

• promote art/science creation research that leads to the development of high quality artwork and sound science
• promote integrated research methodologies, processes and outcomes that are of benefit to Canada and Canadian society
• encourage and support eligible artists and scientists/engineers to collaborate in areas of mutual interest, and
• foster mutual understanding among the disciplines and sectors and facilitate innovation, knowledge transfer and cross-disciplinary influence among new media artists, scientists and engineers.

Project collaborations that include an industrial partner are encouraged.

Description

The New Media Initiative emerged from existing programs of both councils: the Canada Council’s Media Arts Section Grants to New Media and Audio Artists: Research and Production Grants and NSERC’s Research Partnerships Program (RPP).

The New Media Initiative:

• is based on partnerships between artists and scientists/engineers
• provides core support for research and implementation of integrated activities that reflect the New Media Initiative objectives, and
• is centered on themes/areas of mutual importance to the research partners.

The Canada Council funds the artistic component of successful projects and NSERC funds the scientific and/or engineering research component.

This program is accessible to Aboriginal artists and artists of diverse cultural and regional communities of Canada.

Eligibility

Applicant Eligibility

Applicants must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada. They need not be living in Canada when they apply.

Canada Council applicants must meet the criteria for mid-career or established artists as detailed in the Grants to New Media and Audio Artists program guidelines, available on the Canada Council’s web site at www.canadacouncil.ca/mediaarts.

Science/engineering applicants must meet NSERC’s eligibility requirements as outlined in the Program Guide for Professors available on NSERC’s web site at www.nserc.gc.ca.

Project Eligibility

Projects involving independent new media art creation and related science and engineering research are eligible for support.

The following are not eligible for support under the New Media Initiative:

• projects that support work created for the cultural industries of commercial new media, radio or television broadcasting
• projects whose purpose is to record or document existing artworks or to use existing technology in routine applications
• projects that focus on the routine application of existing technology or that provide professional or consulting services, and
• proposals that are principally associated with the acquisition and maintenance of scientific equipment.

Grants cover only expenses incurred after the application deadline.

Value and Duration of Grant

New Media Initiative grants are awarded for one to three years.

The Canada Council funds up to $60,000 per year for up to three years, and NSERC has no specified limit. However, the average NSERC funding is $130,000 per year.

The grants are subject to:

• the Canada Council’s and NSERC’s fiscal ability to provide the support
• the grant recipients’ satisfactory compliance with the program’s reporting requirements, and
• a positive interim evaluation of the grant-supported project.

Applicants should familiarize themselves with the regulations on eligible and ineligible expenses. More information is provided in the Required Information (Budget) section, below.

How to Apply

Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the Program Officer at their respective council well before the application deadline to obtain the required application forms and for assistance in preparing their application. Contact information is given at the end of this document.

Required Information

Both councils are committed to an increasingly integrated application procedure. Applicants are required to complete the Canada Council’s form entitled Canada Council for the Arts/Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada New Media Initiative and sections of NSERC’s form Research Partnership Program (RPP) forms as follows: 

• Form 101: pages 1, 2, 4 and relevant appendices; Form 100 and relevant appendices; and Form 183A (if applicable).

In addition, applicants must submit the following. The information must be provided in the order outlined below, printed on 8 ½ x 11 inch paper with a minimum 12-point font.

1) Cover Letter

The application must include a cover letter, signed by both applicants, that directs the application to the New Media Initiative and requests that both councils review the application.

2) Joint Project Summary

The joint project summary should include the context of and background information on the project. The summary should also include an overview of the scope of the project, what is expected to be accomplished, and the significance of the anticipated results.

The summary should be written in plain language and should not exceed a half page in length. It will be made available to the public if the project is funded.

3) Joint Detailed Project Description

The joint detailed project description must clearly respond to the New Media Initiative objectives and address all of the assessment criteria (the criteria are detailed in the Assessment of Applications section, below). This description should be written in plain language, not exceed 10 pages in length, and clearly detail:

• the concept driving the project and the intended research or production outcomes
• why the proposed collaboration is a good fit for this integrated program; this should argue how your proposed project is innovative in bringing together arts and science practitioners in a way that could not be supported unless they were working collaboratively
• the collaborative methodology and its rationale
• the artistic vision and approach to creation, with references to the community of practice
• a literature review and/or historical contemporary understanding of the context for the research
• the underlying technical/scientific issues or complexities, along with an explanation of how they will be resolved
• the names and titles of the members of the project team, their roles in the collaboration and how the project will be managed
• the integrated work plan for the research and/or production activities
• the nature of the industrial participation, if any, and its contribution to the project (including a letter of support and an NSERC Form 183A for each industry partner)
• how participation in this project will enrich the professional experience of the individual artist, the scientist/engineer and other participants
• plans to manage intellectual property and copyright issues related to the proposed project
• how the collaborators will evaluate their collaboration and research outcomes
• how the project results will be disseminated, and
• the project’s impact on the broader artistic and scientific communities, and the social, cultural, economic or environmental benefits to Canada.

4) Joint Project Schedule

Applicants are required to submit an integrated joint project/research activity schedule outlining milestones, timelines and deliverables. NSERC Form 101 - page 4, “Research Activity Schedule,” or its equivalent must be used to prepare this joint project schedule.

5) Budget

Applicants are required to submit an integrated budget. For each year of the project, expenditures must be listed in separate columns for funding by each council. On a separate piece of paper, applicants must describe how the items in the budget will be used in the project.

Regulations on eligible expenses are in the Canada Council for the Arts/Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada New Media Initiative program guidelines and NSERC’s Program Guide for Professors. Applicants should note that some expenses may be eligible for funding by one council but not by the other.

6) General Support Material

Originals should be not submitted. The Canada Council is not responsible for the loss or damage, whatever the cause, of support material.

Supporting materials may include the following:

• flowcharts, diagrams, sketches or plans, and
• rights agreements, option agreements or letters of permission for the use of scripts, images, music, etc. for which the applicants do not hold the copyright.

Applicants to the Canada Council who are currently enrolled in graduate studies must provide a letter from their academic supervisor stating that the project is not a requirement of their academic program.

7) Audiovisual Support Material

Applicants must submit audiovisual support material concerning the artistic aspects of the project. They are also strongly recommended to do so in the case of the scientific/engineering component of the application.

Part E of the Canada Council for the Arts/Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada New Media Initiative application form must be completed and submitted.

8) Referees

For the NSERC funding component only, the names of several potential reviewers must be submitted, using NSERC Form 101, Appendix C.

Submission Procedure

Applicants must submit one copy of the support material and six hard copies of the application, under a single cover, to:

New Media Initiative Program
Canada Council for the Arts
350 Albert Street, P.O. Box 1047
Ottawa ON K1P 5V8

Confirmation of Receipt

The Canada Council will send, by mail, an immediate acknowledgement that the application has been received.

Application Deadline

Completed applications and all support material must be postmarked no later than 15 April 2008. If this date falls on a weekend or statutory holiday, the deadline moves to the next business day.

Incomplete applications, applications postmarked after the deadline, and those sent by fax or
email will not be accepted.

Calendar Information

The New Media Initiative is an annual competition with the following calendar:

• application deadline –15 April
• NSERC external peer review – June to August
• internal peer review – September
• announcement or results – October.

Assessment of Applications

Assessment Process

New Media Initiative projects are assessed by peers with expertise in the arts, sciences and/or engineering.

The assessment process has two steps:

1. The Canada Council’s Media Arts Section will review applications for eligibility. NSERC will review applications for eligibility and appoint external reviewers to assess the scientific aspects.
2. A peer assessment committee of practicing new media artists and recognized science and/or engineering researchers will assess the applications and make funding recommendations.

Assessment Criteria

Eligible applications will be assessed against the New Media Initiative’s objectives and the following criteria:

Research in Arts and Sciences

• the focus and clarity of the objectives
• the originality of the approach in relation to the state of the art
• the appropriateness and quality of the collaboration and previous collaborative experience
• the completeness of the literature review and/or the historical and contemporary context for the research
• the appropriateness and feasibility of the research methodology and the probability of achieving the objectives in the proposed time frame
• the availability of the equipment and infrastructure required
• the breadth and complementarity of expertise provided by the artist, the scientist/engineer and other participants
• the appropriateness of the plans for managing an interdisciplinary project and team
• the potential to enhance the profile of cross-disciplinary research and new media practice with Canadian and international audiences

Artistic Merit

• the quality, innovation and artistic expression
• the artistic merit of the applicant’s previous work, as shown in the audiovisual support material
• the individual artist’s expertise in the proposed research area and his or her ability to carry it out
• how the artistic research relates to current practices, with reference to the current and historical context
• the extent to which the project expands or renews the principal areas of exploration in media arts

Scientific Merit

• the significance of the technical/scientific issues and challenges
• the individual researchers’ expertise and track record in the technical areas of the project
• the potential for developing new knowledge, technologies innovative applications of existing technologies
• the extent to which new knowledge or technology is expected to impact the field of research
• the research record of the applicant or, in the case of a new researcher, his or her potential for contributing to the project

Ability to Carry Out the Project

• the quality of the work plan outlining the activities to be undertaken for the duration of the project
• the appropriateness of the explanation and justification for each budget item identified in the proposed expenditures section
• the relevance of the resources requested to the success of the proposed project or research activity

Notification of Results

Applicants to the New Media Initiative program will be notified of the results, in writing, in October. Results are not released over the telephone.

Reporting and Instalment Payments

During the second year of the project, the applicant team (i.e. the scientist/engineer principal investigator and the key artist) must jointly submit a progress report. Each supporting organization involved in the project (if applicable) will be asked to evaluate these reports.

Payment of the next instalment of the grant will be contingent upon satisfactory progress on the research project and collaboration with the supporting organization (if applicable). At the appropriate time, all grant holders will be advised of the requirements and timing of such reports.

Within 90 days following completion of the grant-supported project, the applicant team must jointly submit a final report on the project’s achievements, with respect to its objectives. Each supporting organization involved in the project (if applicable) will be asked to evaluate this report. Grant holders will be informed of the requirements for such reports at the appropriate time.

Acknowledgement of Canada Council Support

Grant recipients must acknowledge the assistance of the Canada Council for the Arts, Media Arts Section, in the credits and on all promotional material related to their project.

Confidentiality of Information

The Privacy Act protects the personal information of individuals and provides them with a right of access to such information about themselves. Personal information will be maintained in Personal Information Bank CAC PPU 115. All other information may be accessible under the Access to Information Act.

For this program, the Canada Council for the Arts requests applicants to indicate (voluntarily) their year of birth and gender on the application form. The Canada Council requires statistics in these areas for program planning, evaluation and studies.

On a confidential basis, the Canada Council for the Arts may share information related to applications and awards with officials in other arts and cultural industry funding agencies, to assist with program planning and application evaluation.

Recent Examples of Successful Projects

• Nell Tenhaaf, an artist well known for her work in science and technology and particularly in artificial life and genetic science, will work with Dr. Melanie Baljko to create artificial agents that will be presented in public interactive situations. The interactive scenarios can be said to be dynamic art works where the behaviour of the work will depend on the behaviours and choices of the interacting human. The interactive scenarios will be mounted publicly to test audiences in several prototype stages, with a special focus on non-art audiences, before they become fully realized artworks for exhibition.
• Sean Alastair Ferguson, an artist working in sound and music computing, will work with Stephen McAdams to develop novel compositional and technological methods to deal with auditory space in music composition. The overall project includes the development of an auditory virtual environment (AVE), a system design on a 24-channel loudspeaker system and a virtual microphone control. Also investigated in the project will be the best way to control the parameters of the AVE via the gestures of the musicians. At the end of the project Sean Ferguson will demonstrate the new developed methods in a composition for a small music ensemble. The composition will be performed in Montreal at the 2008 MusiMarch Festival.

Further Information

For further information, please contact the Program Officer responsible for the New Media Initiative at either Council.

At the Canada Council for the Arts:
Marie-France Thérien
Media Arts Section Officer
Canada Council for the Arts
350 Albert Street, P.O. Box 1047
Ottawa ON K1P 5V8

Telephone: 1-800-263-5588 (toll-free) or 613-566-4414, ext. 5253

TTY (TDD) machine, for hearing-impaired callers: 613-565-5194

Fax: 613-566-4409

At NSERC:
Marie Thibault
Research Partnerships Program Officer
Information, Communications and
Manufacturing Sectors
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
350 Albert Street
Ottawa ON K1A 1H5

Telephone: 613-943-7831

Email: marie.thibault@nserc.ca

Fax: 613-992-5337

Website: www.nserc.ca

March 2007

APPLICATION CHECKLIST

Each application should include the following information, in this order:

• Canada Council for the Arts/Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada New Media Initiative program application form (parts A, B, C, D, E and F)
  CCA/NSERC New Media Initiative (PDF Acrobat guidelines and form)
• NSERC Form 101, pages 1, 2, 4 and relevant appendices
• Cover letter
• Joint project summary
• Joint detailed project description
• Joint project schedule
• Budget with justification; use of NSERC Form 101, page 5,  is recommended
• NSERC form 100 and relevant appendices
• Referees for scientists/engineers (NSERC Form 101, Appendix C)
• NSERC form 183A (if applicable)

APPLICATION GUIDELINES AND FORM

CCA/NSERC New Media Initiative (pdf, 327 KB)