Periodic Reporting for period 1 - STARTS (STARTS Ec(h)o: fostering ECOlogically conscious and Human compatible digital technology)
Reporting period: 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31
In the digital age and the decades of societal and environmental emergency states that we live in, science, technology, and industry have hit the innovation ceiling. New approaches, alternative perspectives, and creative solutions to inspire progress and accelerate development are needed: Artistic thinking can provide the boost we need to tackle the great challenges of our times. Science, Technology and Arts limn a nexus at which insightful observers have identified high potential for innovation. STARTS Ec(h)o’s objectives are:
1) To foster artistic experimentation & piloting: through S+T+ARTS residencies, artists are enabled to develop new pilots on human-centred and sustainable technologies in the fields of AI, high-performance computing, simulation & visualisation, digital twins, medical tech or circular economy.
2) To foster recognition & awarding excellence: The S+T+ARTS Prize honours innovative projects at the intersection of science, technology and the arts to highlight and promote outstanding technology-driven artistic projects and the achievements of the teams behind them towards the green transition and social sustainability.
3) To foster synergies between digital and human creativity: an annual AI&Music program at the renowned Sónar festival creates an international platform for pushing limits of digital technology and exploring the compatibility of digital with human values and needs through artistic thinking.
4) To foster interdisciplinary collaboration and professional community development: the project brings STARTS practitioners and other European innovation communities together to work towards sustainability of the STARTS initiative at large by the communication and active outreach of the project learnings and results among various communities.
5) To foster public awareness: through communication and dissemination activities at highly visible events such as the Ars Electronica Festival and the Salzburg Festival, the general public is actively reached to foster the awareness on the Europe’s leading role in art+tech innovations.
1) To foster artistic experimentation & piloting: through S+T+ARTS residencies, artists are enabled to develop new pilots on human-centred and sustainable technologies in the fields of AI, high-performance computing, simulation & visualisation, digital twins, medical tech or circular economy.
2) To foster recognition & awarding excellence: The S+T+ARTS Prize honours innovative projects at the intersection of science, technology and the arts to highlight and promote outstanding technology-driven artistic projects and the achievements of the teams behind them towards the green transition and social sustainability.
3) To foster synergies between digital and human creativity: an annual AI&Music program at the renowned Sónar festival creates an international platform for pushing limits of digital technology and exploring the compatibility of digital with human values and needs through artistic thinking.
4) To foster interdisciplinary collaboration and professional community development: the project brings STARTS practitioners and other European innovation communities together to work towards sustainability of the STARTS initiative at large by the communication and active outreach of the project learnings and results among various communities.
5) To foster public awareness: through communication and dissemination activities at highly visible events such as the Ars Electronica Festival and the Salzburg Festival, the general public is actively reached to foster the awareness on the Europe’s leading role in art+tech innovations.
The first year of the STARTS Ec(h)o project established the framework for the consortium’s annual activities and laid the foundation for various activities to be implemented in the project’s framework. During this period, the STARTS Ec(h)o consortium:
1) Implemented the residency open call and selected 10 artists out of 192 applications to participate in the residency and incubation program.
2) Implemented the STARTS Prize 2024: the 5 jury members awarded 2 Grand Prizes, 10 Honorary Mentions, and highlighted 18 Nominations out of 1308 applications received through the STARTS Prize Open call.
3) Organized the first edition of the AI&Music program at the Sónar Festival with 12 events which 125 000 visitors including 25 000 representatives of creative industries attended.
4) Actively disseminated the project at the annual events organized by the partners in the framework of Ars Electronica Festival and Sónar (in total 18 activities), and also additionally at 22 events in 9 countries in Europe and outside, with over 265 000 audience reached in total.
5) Carried out communication activities to promote the program, its approach, and its outcomes with 370 000 reached in total via STARTS.eu and STARTS websites, over 90 000 reached via 21 newsletters sent, and over 205 000 reached via 181 posts on social media on STARTS.eu and partners’ channels, with the estimated views of 1.3M for the media coverage.
6) Defined the framework for assessing residency methodologies and initiated research in this area.
7) Continued expanding the STARTS network by organizing dedicated events, such as STARTS Day at Ars Electronica Festival, and developing strategies for the projects at the intersection of art, science, and technology.
1) Implemented the residency open call and selected 10 artists out of 192 applications to participate in the residency and incubation program.
2) Implemented the STARTS Prize 2024: the 5 jury members awarded 2 Grand Prizes, 10 Honorary Mentions, and highlighted 18 Nominations out of 1308 applications received through the STARTS Prize Open call.
3) Organized the first edition of the AI&Music program at the Sónar Festival with 12 events which 125 000 visitors including 25 000 representatives of creative industries attended.
4) Actively disseminated the project at the annual events organized by the partners in the framework of Ars Electronica Festival and Sónar (in total 18 activities), and also additionally at 22 events in 9 countries in Europe and outside, with over 265 000 audience reached in total.
5) Carried out communication activities to promote the program, its approach, and its outcomes with 370 000 reached in total via STARTS.eu and STARTS websites, over 90 000 reached via 21 newsletters sent, and over 205 000 reached via 181 posts on social media on STARTS.eu and partners’ channels, with the estimated views of 1.3M for the media coverage.
6) Defined the framework for assessing residency methodologies and initiated research in this area.
7) Continued expanding the STARTS network by organizing dedicated events, such as STARTS Day at Ars Electronica Festival, and developing strategies for the projects at the intersection of art, science, and technology.
The STARTS Ec(h)o residency and pilot program will generate significant results that contribute to advancing art-driven innovation across multiple sectors. By fostering interdisciplinary collaborations and supporting artistic experimentation in technological development, the project ensures both short-term impact and long-term scalability.
To strengthen the sustainability and further potential, a dedicated incubation program involving 30+ experts and mentors will help translate residency projects into viable innovations and highlight their impact, business model planning and alternative exploitation strategies will be tailored to each pilot to ensure economic sustainability. This skill development is vital for the long-term effects of artistic approaches on the European innovation ecosystem.
To fully realize the impact of the residency program and its results, several factors are crucial. Further research and development are needed to explore emerging intersections between arts, technology, and society, ensuring continuous innovation. Demonstration and validation efforts should be expanded, allowing pilot projects to be tested in real-world applications to assess their societal and economic benefits. Clear guidelines on intellectual property rights and regulatory frameworks must be established, ensuring proper ownership, open-access policies, and legal support for creative-technological outputs. Hereby, a culture change in research institutions to create more openness for including artistic methods in their approaches will be achieved, equipping institutions also with the practical knowledge of implementing such projects.
To strengthen the sustainability and further potential, a dedicated incubation program involving 30+ experts and mentors will help translate residency projects into viable innovations and highlight their impact, business model planning and alternative exploitation strategies will be tailored to each pilot to ensure economic sustainability. This skill development is vital for the long-term effects of artistic approaches on the European innovation ecosystem.
To fully realize the impact of the residency program and its results, several factors are crucial. Further research and development are needed to explore emerging intersections between arts, technology, and society, ensuring continuous innovation. Demonstration and validation efforts should be expanded, allowing pilot projects to be tested in real-world applications to assess their societal and economic benefits. Clear guidelines on intellectual property rights and regulatory frameworks must be established, ensuring proper ownership, open-access policies, and legal support for creative-technological outputs. Hereby, a culture change in research institutions to create more openness for including artistic methods in their approaches will be achieved, equipping institutions also with the practical knowledge of implementing such projects.