ZABALA Innovation Consulting, as a part of a 10-partner consortium, manages the Open Call and its dissemination and evaluation and leads social innovation activities.

Residency Programmes Open Call

The successful participants in the programme will receive training and learning resources that will aid their knowledge and experience in both technical and non-technical aspects. The training will be delivered across different formats such as webinars and at face to face events. MEDIA FUTURES partners will also look to curate content where relevant to maximise the offering to participants.Topics include data-driven journalism, entrepreneurship, social innovation and citizens engagement, media studies, machine learning, data processing and sharing, human-centric AI, multimedia processing, legal and ethical aspects of data-driven innovation. 

Three programme tracks open for applications

  1. Artists for Media – a six-month Residency programme for artists with an innovative concept to explore data and technology, and its impact on individuals and society
  2. Startups for Citizens – a six-month Accelerator programme for startups to build a product or service that encourages novel, meaningful ways to engage with Media content
  3. Startup meets Artist – a six month mixed Residency and Accelerator support programme for teams of startups and artists to collaboratively develop new ideas around data technology and the arts

Four challenges addressed in the Open Call

Startups, SMEs and artists are invited to apply with solutions to one of four Challenges, three of which focus on responding to misinformation around the coronavirus pandemic:

  1. Viral Complexity – accounting for the complexity of coronavirus through data literacy
  2. Building Bridges – reintegrating society by bridging communities that have been fragmented by responses to coronavirus
  3. The New Media-tors – reimagining and rebuilding the role of mediators to tackle misinformation around coronavirus
  4. Open Challenge – for projects that address issues around misinformation

Social innovation part

This programme will include support in understanding social innovation and sustainability models, in line with the expertise of ZABALA. The accelerated businesses will gain a better understanding of their social value (besides the economic one).