Art-driven digital innovation: Towards human compatible and ecologically conscious technology (CSA)

ExpectedOutcome :

This call encourages a mind change regarding the role of the arts in R&I in the spirit of a European innovation policy based on culture and values. It is building on results of the S+T+ARTS program that has demonstrated concrete benefits of art-technology collaboration for digital innovation and uptake of digital in society and economy.

1. Facilitate artistic experimentation with (digital) technologies to accelerate development and novel use cases of digital technologies. The emphasise will be on ecologically conscious and human compatible technologies and use cases of technologies.

To this end, the consortium will fund (via FSTP in form of grants) S+T+ARTS residencies of artists to be hosted by EC funded projects, technology institutions, or SMEs/industrial actors (both digital providers and end-users of digital). In the spirit of the topic, hosts of residencies must provide access to technology free of cost. The consortium will mentor residencies and help in follow-up/exploitation of the outcomes (commercial or other). Non-exclusive examples of intended outcomes include:

• Art-driven development and use of human compatible Artificial Intelligence (AI) in spirit of the EC communication on ‘Trustworthy AI’
• Art-driven applications of high-performance computing (visualisation, simulation etc).
• Art as a catalyst for uptake of the digital in society and economy in the spirit of digital innovation hubs.
• Art-driven use of technology to facilitate the Green Transition and contribute to UN Sustainable Development goals in the spirit of the ‘New European Bauhaus’ (urban development, green manufacturing, circular economy, water management, etc.)
• Art-driven use of digital media to fight disinformation, for example to promote factual narratives and change behaviour in context of Green Transition and climate change.
  • b. Continuation of the annual S+T+ARTS prize: Achieve visibility of successful art and technology collaborations via an annual prize (FSTP in form of prizes) in two categories - to be defined by proposers, organize annual calls (launch, evaluation) and disseminate the prizes and its winners in an award ceremony and a travelling exhibition
  • c. Organise an annual AI and music S+T+ARTS Festival. The festival will highlight synergies of digital – in particular AI - with human creativity in art and music. Artistic use of digital can push limits of digital technology and is considered a measure of compatibility of digital with human values and needs. Scope :

While Europe is strongly pushing innovation based on technological and scientific progress, it has always put social and ecological priorities on the same level as economic growth. This has led to a new alliance of the arts with S&T as part of a European innovation policy rooted in values and culture. Artists become key drivers of ‘art-driven innovation’ towards ecologically conscious and human compatible technologies. In this spirit, DG CONNECT launched S+T+ARTS - innovation at the nexus of Science, Technology and the ARTS – and the European Commission president proposed the ‘New European Bauhaus’, where synergies between art and novel technologies are identified as enablers of the Green Transition. The present call will thus encourage actors in R&I to adopt artistic experimentation as a complementary method for technology development and use across all EC programs.

The Commission considers a duration of 36 months as appropriate.

General conditions

1. Admissibility conditions: described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes

Proposal page limits and layout: described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System

2. Eligible countries: described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes

A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects. See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide .

3. Other eligibility conditions: described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes

4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion: described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes

5. Evaluation and award:

• Award criteria, scoring and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes

• Submission and evaluation processes are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual

• Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement: described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes

6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants: described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes

Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021 authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme – the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2021-2027) – and in actions under the Research and Training Programme of the European Atomic Energy Community (2021-2025). [[This decision is available on the Funding and Tenders Portal, in the reference documents section for Horizon Europe, under ‘Simplified costs decisions’ or through this link: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/guidance/ls-decision_he_en.pdf]].

Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP) is foreseen.

STARTS residencies: The consortium will provide grants to artists (maximum EUR 40 000 per grant, in total between 400.000 and 600.000 EUR for FSTP in the form of grants).

STARTS prize: For three consecutive years, the consortium will hand out annually two prizes of EUR 20 000 each (in total 120.000 EUR for FSTP in the form of prizes).

Specific conditions

7. Specific conditions: described in the [specific topic of the Work Programme]

Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH): This topic encourages a radically new approach to inclusion of humanities in R&I by focussing on contributions of the artistic community to development and use of digital technologies that immerse digital more gracefully in economy and society and tackle the Green Transition in the spirit of the New European Bauhaus.

Documents

Call documents:

Standard application form — call-specific application form is available in the Submission System

Standard application form (HE CSA)

Standard evaluation form — will be used with the necessary adaptations

Standard evaluation form (HE CSA)

MGA

Lump Sum MGA v1.0

Additional documents:

HE Main Work Programme 2023–2024 – 1. General Introduction

HE Main Work Programme 2023–2024 – 7. Digital, Industry and Space

HE Main Work Programme 2023–2024 – 13. General Annexes

HE Programme Guide

HE Framework Programme and Rules for Participation Regulation 2021/695

HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764

EU Financial Regulation

Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment

EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement

Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual

Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions

Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement

Link to the Excel detailed budget table

Set of slides for applicants on the specificities of lump sum funding

Information on financial support to third parties (HE)