From September 2021, £50,000 will be made available for small and medium sized businesses in the creative sector in Wales, thanks to a new partnership between Clwstwr and Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales.
The Challenge Fund will be awarded to support the research and development of innovative ways to experience and interact with Amgueddfa Cymru’s collections on a local and global scale.
This is an opportunity to work with Amgueddfa Cymru to enable users and visitors to digitally and physically explore, and interpret the stories of Wales from wherever you may be.
Amgueddfa Cymru exists to inspire people and change lives, making culture accessible to all. It invites everybody to play an active part in creating the story of Wales. This means anyone can experience Amgueddfa Cymru in the way that they choose - be that in person or digitally, in our museums or in their communities.
Nia Williams, Director of Learning and Public Programmes at Amgueddfa Cymru said: "We are thrilled to be working with Clwstwr. The Challenge Fund will bring Amgueddfa Cymru together with the creative industries in Wales, providing an opportunity for us to interact with some of the most cutting-edge technology and innovation."
Clwstwr encourages creatives to let their ideas for new products, services and experiences in the screen sector thrive by doing research and development (R&D).
Adam Partridge, Producer and partnerships lead at Clwstwr, said: "We welcome this new partnership with Amgueddfa Cymru and the chance to connect even more creatives with the heritage sector. Through the Challenge Fund, and Clwstwr’s wraparound R&D support, we anticipate lots of great ideas to push the boundaries of how museums are experienced now and in the future."
Expressions of interest for the Challenge Fund will be accepted from 20 September 2021 after which applicants will be invited to develop their ideas at a practical Challenge Workshop before completing a formal application.
By November 2021, two successful teams will be awarded up to £25,000 each to research, develop and deliver their innovative projects for delivery in March 2022. Ideas should be modular, scalable and feature a strong element of co-curation. The successful teams will be provided access to the unparalleled cultural resources of Amgueddfa Cymru to aid their process.