Deadline: 21-Jul-23
The Korea Foundation and the British Council are inviting applications for a creative commission which will bring together art, science and digital technology and offer innovative, interdisciplinary, and collaborative responses to climate change.
This funding is offered as part of the British Council’s Creative Commissions for Climate Action, exploring climate change through art, science and digital technology.
Programme Brief
- British Council is inviting collaborative applications in response to this open call from individuals and organisations across Korea and the UK.
- British Council want these commissions to stimulate conversations and connections between the UK and Korea, bringing together people, cultures and communities to understand each other’s perspectives and collaborate on creative responses and solutions towards climate change. British Council want to spark imagination and innovation, and inspire new ways of working, through a digital first approach.
- British Council is looking for interdisciplinary and collaborative ways of working through this commission – bringing together artists, creatives, scientists and technologists. British Council are particularly interested in collaborations between individuals and organisations of differing backgrounds who may not have had the chance to work together often.
- British Council welcomes action-focused, interactive responses, which tackle difficult issues head on, push boundaries and are a catalyst for real change. This means thinking beyond a single artwork or/and digital moment, and instead focusing on mass participation and engagement ideally leading to longer term movements and campaigns. They are interested in ideas that have high impact, sustainability, the potential to be scaled up or those which can be shared globally using digital platforms and tools.
- Climate change is everyone’s responsibility and they all have a role to play. But they are also mindful that children and young people are the custodians of the future planet. They particularly welcome ideas which specifically engage young people (aged 19 – 34), whilst recognising the importance of sharing knowledge and experiences across different ages and generations. They are also interested in foregrounding the voices of individuals and communities already experiencing the consequences of climate change in different settings around the world. They want to see initiatives grounded in lived experience, which connect with and draw upon credible scientific research.
- As part of the commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, they actively invite groups and communities who are underrepresented in climate change discussions to respond to this brief. This includes taking an inclusive approach to the development of your idea and when considering the audiences you want to reach. They expect to engage with individuals and organisations of different genders, ethnicities, sexualities, abilities and ages either directly through the commission – or indirectly through your project audiences. They are also interested in ideas that explore, interrogate, educate and respond to the connection between the environment and diversity, including gender equality and racial justice.
- Finally, they are looking to support low carbon solutions and environmentally friendly practice in project planning and delivery, as well as your choice of partners and suppliers.
Funding Information
- British Council is looking to support one project and you can apply for up to ₩30,000,000 to realise your creative idea.
Eligibility Criteria
- British Council is inviting applications for creative responses to this open call. Applications must include at least one partner in Korea and another in the UK. Applicants must be living in their respective country at the time of applying and for the duration of this project as primary residence.
- Applications should be jointly submitted and signed by all named collaborators, with one lead Korean partner who will be contracted and responsible for leading communications and disseminating the grant to all collaborators. The lead Korean partner must be able to demonstrate financial solvency, adherence to safeguarding and ethical standards and no previous misconduct.
- Lead organisation based in Korea and individuals, organisations and/or informal collectives/networks based in the UK are all eligible to apply but should have demonstrable experience of managing similar projects and grants.
- Applicants must be able to demonstrate clear mutual benefit to Korea and the UK, which should be reflected through the project planning (including budget allocation), delivery and dissemination. Mutuality must be a central component to the international collaboration.
- They expect applications to embed principles of equality, diversity and inclusion through their core proposal and idea (including costs relating to captioning videos, using BSL interpretation or translating content).
- They are interested in new, original ideas in response to this brief. Existing projects and programmes will be ineligible. Exceptions apply for existing ideas which have reached a pilot or prototyping phase but have not been realised publicly. Also, a sequel or a further developed project of an initial one is eligible.
- Applicants will be expected to plan, design and realise their project from August 2023 with the main activity complete by the end of November 2023 Main activity can take place any time during the year, although they particularly welcome ideas related to the outcomes of COP27, aligned with priorities for COP28, the Paris Agreement, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
- Applicants can use any platforms to showcase their project idea, but must provide detail on how this will be realised and confirm that agreements in principle are in place with host organisations, festivals, online sites, media partners etc. The Korea Foundation and the British Council should be recognised in all marketing communications including on digital platforms related to the project.
- Applicants from a range of different sectors are welcome and encouraged. All outputs and responses should be innovative in their nature, demonstrating creativity in working across disciplines, including arts, science and digital technology.
- Applicants should support the ethos and values of this commission and where appropriate, have a demonstrable history of supporting environmentally friendly and low carbon ideas and initiatives. Applicants who are new to sustainable practice and want to include this in their businesses or work moving forward are encouraged to submit joint applications with those who have more experience in this area.
- Applicants should demonstrate that they have taken into consideration the local context in Korea and the UK, including climate change priorities. The concept or idea should address a specific need or issue in a creative and/or innovative way.
- Successful applicants will own the copyright of any work created but must grant the Korea Foundation and the British Council, as the commissioning partner, free and unequivocal use of any arising outputs, which may include promotion of works through the digital channels or exhibiting works in the future.
- Successful applicants may be invited to take part in additional showcase opportunities and international connections in the future.
- Successful applicants will be required to keep in regular communication with the Korea Foundation and the British Council, offering project updates, to submit finance report and to support the project monitoring and evaluation including reach, creative outputs, photos, and film footage.
- Prior to acceptance, and as part of the British Council’s delivery standards, the successful candidate will need to pass the British Council’s basic due diligence routine requirements, including ethical and credit screening.
Selection Criteria
- Applications will be reviewed by a diverse panel of representatives from the Korea Foundation, the British Council, along with guest panellists from Korea and the UK, all of whom represent a range of sectors.
- The assessment of successful applicants will be based on the following criteria:
- Big ideas – the Project should take an interdisciplinary approach combining arts, science and digital technology. The Project should address key climate themes in line with COP27 outcomes, COP28 priorities, the Paris Agreement and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. (25%)
- Collaboration – the partners involved and the nature of the collaboration, with a particular emphasis on the level of mutuality within the partnership. This includes demonstration of mutual benefits throughout project cycle including budget allocation and track record of successful international collaboration and project management. (25%)
- Impact – the potential impact this commission will have on the partners and audiences involved, the level of audience participation and engagement, as well as potential for additional showcasing, scaling up or further development beyond the scope of this commission. An understanding of local context and climate change priorities is an asset. (20%)
- Quality – the experience of the applicants in delivering high quality work in their respective field(s) and the integrity of any scientific contributions or analysis (15%)
- Budget – the extent to which costings are appropriately calculated, reflect good value for money, are relevant to the proposed approach and are distributed amongst partners. (15%)
For more information, visit British Council.