Call for Hosts: Starts4africa Residencies Program

STARTS4AFRICA will fund 8 STARTS Residencies hosted by African institutions, in Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, DR Congo and Tanzania.

STARTS4AFRICA invites all interested entities in hosting and offering support to a STARTS4AFRICA Residency to submit their Expression of Interest.

Topics

Applicants must showcase the capacity and ability to provide support and resources such as access to various materials, technology and physical facilities. Additionally, applicants must show interest in the following topics:

• Food and Water
• Digital Mapping and Speculative Landscapes
• Culture and Coding
• Wearable Technology and Smart Textile
• Immersive Storytelling
• Rethinking Sustainable Construction
• Speculative Urbanism

Objectives

• STARTS4AFRICA implements this approach and address the objectives by:
  • S+T+ARTS Residencies– funding 8 artistic residencies in African technology institutions and other pertinent local stakeholders, in the 5 targeted countries and in line with the STARTS residencies program;
  • S+T+ARTS Prize – implementing a first pilot edition of the STARTS Prize for African artists and institutions in 2024, to single out for recognition innovative projects at the nexus of science, technology and the arts that have what it takes to make a significant impact on economic and social innovation within the continent;
  • Mentoring – implementing a mentoring programme for STARTS residencies and its outcomes;
  • S+T+ARTS Academy – organising a STARTS4AFRICA Networking Academy for the promotion of digital and art-driven innovation skills, oriented towards an enlarged participation of local stakeholders and open to EU-AF collaboration; and,
  • S+T+ARTS Sylloge – promoting a dialogue and narrative building on an equal footing between artists and African and European DIHs for addressing relevant societal challenges, especially related to the green and digital transition and combat misinformation.

Benefits

• Possibility to experiment new methodologies and engage in innovative co-creation processes with an artist(s);
• Opportunity to network with esteemed experts from both Europe and Africa;
• Enhanced visibility and opportunities to participate in large-scale public events (such as, Ars Electronica Festival in Austria)
• Join the growing S+T+ARTS Network and take an active role in the strengthening of the innovation ecosystems in Africa.
• Contract fee: STARTS4AFRICA will enter into contracts with selected host institutions through a subcontracting process. Host institutions will be remunerated with an amount of 25.000€. The payments will be made in Euros (€). Additionally, the host institutions will bear any costs associated with the currency exchange.
• The contract will foresee the following payment scheme, reflecting three instalments:
  • [Month 1] First instalment following the signature of the contract by both parties: 30%;
  • [Month 4] Second instalment – following the submission and validation of a mid-term assessment (technical and financial): 40%; and,
  • [Month 7] Final instalment – following the conclusion meeting and submission and validation of a final report (technical and financial): 30%.

Phases

• Each residency consists of 4 different phases:
  • Reflection phase: this phase focuses on the exchange of knowledge and the outlining of shared goals for the collaboration.
  • Development phase: During this phase the artists connect with researchers and creative people in the labs of research institutions and the R&D departments of companies.
  • Evaluation phase: evaluation of the potential impact of the new and innovative ideas, scenarios, across governments and businesses.
  • Production phase: artist taking part in innovation processes within the company or research institution, helping the artist to produce an artistic prototype.

Minimum Expected Outputs

• STARTS4AFRICA Host institutions are expected to deliver the following outputs:
  • Mid-Term and Final Technical Report on the activities performed (support provided to artist, meetings/ visits, production/prototyping actions, promotion, events, masterclasses, etc.);
  • Mid-term and Final Financial Report on the costs incurred related to the activities performed;
  • Submission of a collection of high-quality photographs (minimum of 10) and 2 videos (maximum duration of 3 minutes each), the first video presenting the expectations of hosts towards the residency; and the second video presenting and documenting the STARTS Residency experience;
  • Report on business and exploitation strategies, including local stakeholders engaged and investment and fundraising potential; and
  • Collection of feedback related to impact assessment tools.

Eligibility Criteria

• STARTS4AFRICA is especially looking for entities based in one of the following countries: Ghana, Nigeria, DR Congo, Senegal and Tanzania.
• To be considered, applicants must:
  • Be based in one of the following countries: Ghana, Nigeria, DR Congo, Senegal and Tanzania;
  • be a public or private organisation with legal personality , e.g. not-for-profit organisations (private or public); public authorities (national, regional, local); international organisations; profit-making entities.
  • be a legal entity established on or before 2020;
  • be from the scientific or technological sector (such as research centres, universities, technological companies) with strong connections to the Cultural and Creative Sectors and Industries (CCSI);
  • or be from CCSI with an established network and access to scientific and technological entities/projects;
  • have the capacity (i.e. facilities, services, staff) to host and provide guidance to a STARTS4AFRICA residency.

For more information, visit Starts4africa Residencies.