THE University of Stirling’s Professor, Claire Squires, will lead a team of researchers helping six arts and cultural organisations in Scotland to understand and test the business potential offered by new digital technologies.
The research will support the organisations to work with digital experts to understand and test the potential offered by new technologies to connect with wider audiences and explore new ways of working.
Professor Squires says: “Our role as a research team will be to work alongside the organisations and study how digital technologies can improve the vibrancy, accessibility, sustainability and productivity of Scotland’s cultural life.
“The six projects we will be working with are looking at doing things in entirely different ways: the National Piping Centre will create webinars to teach piping online to a much bigger audience around the world and the Tiree Museum will make exhibits available to people everywhere, using mobile phone technology. New data and research insights will be shared with, and benefit, other organisations in the arts and culture sector.
“We’re really excited to be working with these organisations as they explore how digital technologies can expand their audiences and develop new business models for their work. The arts have always been central to Scottish life, and this scheme will bring them right into the 21st century.”
Professor Edmund Burke, Deputy Principal of the University, says: “The award is testament to the high-quality expertise on cultural industries in Stirling’s Schools of Arts & Humanities, Management and Education. Our work with the Universities of St Andrews and Strathclyde will complement an impressive range of research and knowledge exchange activities in the cultural industries that is currently undertaken both at Stirling and with our partners.”
The research is funded by the Scottish Digital Research and Development Fund for Arts and Culture run by NESTA, Creative Scotland and the Arts and Humanities Research Council.
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Further information from Patricia Hess at pr@stir.ac.uk or 01786 466 687
Notes to editors
1. Stirling’s Professor Claire Squires, director of the Stirling Centre for International Publishing and Communication, leads the interdisciplinary team that includes Doris Eikhof, Mark Grindle, Tara Fenwick and Patrick Carmichael from the University, who will be working with the Universities of Strathclyde and St Andrews.
2. Following the launch of the £0.5 million Scottish Digital Research and Development Fund for Arts and Culture, over 50 projects applied for funding and awards were made totalling £262,000. The successful organisations are:
- The National Piping Centre working with Yellow Brick House (£24,700)
- An Iodhlann on the Isle of Tiree working with Community Information Technology (£21,300)
- Lyceum Theatre Company and the Cultural Quarter working with tictoc (£62,234)
- Dundee Contemporary Arts working with Lucky Frame and Denki (£24,050)
- National Galleries of Scotland working with Kotikan (£42,715)
- Glasgow Film Theatre and Edinburgh Filmhouse working with Distrify (£90,000)
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Contact: Patricia Hess
Phone: 01786 466 687
Email: pr@stir.ac.uk
Website: http://www.stir.ac.uk
