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Sabbatical for Artistic Research Grant Program (Malta)

Deadline: 6-Jun-23

The Arts Council Malta has launched the Sabbatical for Artistic Research Grant Program to invest in exploratory projects that allow creative professionals to investigate aspects related to their artistic practice, explore and test their work, engage with new methods and technologies, conduct research, collaborate with creatives and relevant professionals, and develop their ideas further.

The objective of the scheme is to support research in the cultural and creative sectors, as per the National Cultural Policy 2021. As stated in the NCP 2021, artists working professionally in the sector may find it financially challenging to engage exclusively in artistic research for a significant period of time without compromising their income and financial commitments. The Council firmly believes in the importance of artistic research and the need for artists to renew and reflect on their practice. The initiative will support freelance creative practitioners who wish to take a sabbatical period of one year by providing an income and following agreed-upon outcomes and objectives.

This grant fulfils the Council’s Education and Development action (Strategy2025) to invest in research and creativity by introducing a sabbatical grant for artists and practitioners. Furthermore, the grant fulfils several strategic priorities outlined by the Council in the Strategy2025 document, namely:

  • Nurturing creative potential and supporting development by encouraging creatives to engage in practice-based research and investigation;
  • Investing in artistic excellence by encouraging levels of creative risk, experimentation, and active engagement of artists, as well as identifying talent and encouraging its development;
  • Fostering artistic collaborations and partnerships for the development of the local artistic scene;
  • Expanding opportunities for career pathways in the arts;
  • Investing in twenty-first-century skills.
Focus Areas
  • Applicants may choose to focus on one or more of these areas within their projects:
    • Exploratory research adopting innovative or untested approaches in the conception, creation, and development of artistic work;
    • Research into digital technologies and AI and how these inform contemporary artistic practices;
    • Experimenting with innovative methods of community-led artistic engagement.
  • The sabbatical year needs to be planned as a full-time artistic research activity on a 40-hour weekly basis.
Funding Information
  • Session Budget: EUR 100,000
  • Maximum Eligible Amount Per Project: EUR 25,000
  • Duration: The duration of the timeframe to implement the project is of 12 months.
  • Eligible Timeframe: 1st January 2024 – 30th June 2025.
Activities

Activities falling within the cultural and creative sector:

  • Arts (literature, visual arts, music, performing arts, interdisciplinary);
  • Creative Business Services (design, architecture, cultural tourism, and cultural services);
  • Heritage (crafts, traditional festivals and celebrations, cultural sites, antiques);
  • Media (publishing and printed material, audiovisuals, including film and video production, film servicing, television, video games, radio, online media).
Eligibility Criteria
  • The scheme may focus on creative and/or practice-based artistic research, led by a creative practitioner. This scheme also encourages community-based research projects.
  • The grant is open to creative practitioners/individual artists who are full-time self-employed.
  • Applications submitted may form part of the initial phase of a wider project/body of work or can be self-contained.
Ineligible
  • The following are not eligible to apply for the Sabbatical for Artistic Research Grant:
    • Applicants whose profile is not verified due to it being an incomplete profile for not having the below mandatory documents:
      • a copy of your Maltese ID card (including the front and back side) or your Maltese residence permit or your Maltese citizenship certificate or your Maltese passport.
    • Applicants who do not qualify under the definition of applicant for this specific scheme.
    • Beneficiaries who have not honoured previous funding commitments.
    • Organisations/activities receiving local public funds through established government line-votes.

For more information, visit Arts Council Malta.