International Association of Culture and Creative Industry Research
2nd Round CALL FOR PROPOSALS
Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s Institute of Culture and Creative Industry (SJTU ICCI) has established the International Association of Cultural and Creative Industry Research (the Association). The Association aims to promote promising research into culture and creative industries; learning-teaching opportunities for culture and creative professionals; academically-grounded think tank services for institutions and enterprises; international collaboration among academic and industry partners. In doing so, the Association hopes to integrate ideas and perspectives of scholars and practitioners across different generations and fields, to develop education and training for culture and creative industries, and support the industries growth. To achieve such aims, the Association funds research projects, hosts conferences for researchers and practitioners, as well publish academic articles, industry reports, and policy recommendations.
The coming round of funding will focus on generative AI’s impact on cultural and creative industries. Since the release of ChatGPT, interest in generative AI has surged. Generative AI (exemplified by ChatGPT, MidJourney and others) today can create content in seconds, whether text, graphics presentation, audio, video, or other modes. The narratives have been about AI’s impact on various sectors, especially in terms of substitution for various creative and professional work. If, for example, AI can create scripts for short videos plus the videos themselves, all in seconds and minutes, then the fundamental production capabilities and processes, with the commitment knowledge and skills, will certainly be disrupted. Beyond production, the same disruptive forces will impact creativity, innovation and associated intellectual property also. Promises of efficiency abound as well as alarm about employment prospects for cultural-creative professionals. Beyond employment, scholars have raised more concerns about how such technologies remain black boxes, and fear they entrench social biases and economic inequity. Amidst such excitement and fears, ongoing developments in generative AI, and more broadly smart technologies, behoove cultural and creative industries scholars and professionals to critically revisit fundamental questions and problems surrounding the discipline and field.
In terms of topics for the coming round of Association funded projects, they include (but not limited to):
· AI generated content design and production;
· AI impact work and organization in cultural and creative industries;
· AI impact and implications for intellectual property;
· Economic and business models for smart technologies in cultural and creative industries;
· Policies for cultural and creative industries guiding or governing AI;
· Metaverse impact and implications for communication model;
· Metaverse and smart tourism;
· Smart technologies and cultural heritage protection;
· Other related topics.
Such topics and questions may apply to various aspects of the cultural and creative industries, from various content formats (film, series, short videos, podcasts, etc.) to various sectors (video games, e-commerce, tourism, etc.). In addition to research, the Association expects funded projects to generate ideas for courses focusing on AI. Proposed courses’ foci may or may not be tightly related to research topics.
Funding amounts range from US$25,000 (2 key projects) to US$15,000 (4 to 5 standard projects) to US$10,000 (5 to 7 junior researcher projects) for 36-month, 24-month, and 24-month research respectively. Funding will encourage (but not require) collaboration between SJTU faculty and faculty from other universities. Collaboration should be organic between researchers, rather than imposed. Evidence of promise for a successful collaboration may be awarded with more funding.
Proposals will be reviewed and evaluated by the Board of Directors or its designated committees. Review standards will adhere to international academic norms, e.g., blind peer expert reviews. Given finite funds, not every proposal will receive funding. When reviewing proposals, the committee considers if the research has potential to contribute significantly to the scholarship surrounding cultural industries, especially from multi-disciplinary perspectives. In addition, the stronger proposals will generate good insights to guide professional and executive practice. Reviewers also consider the potential for winning additional funding from industry, national research foundations, and other sources.
Submission Guidelines
Proposals should include:
· Condensed curriculum vitae of each member of the research team (2-page maximum).
· Research summary and narrative (3 pages), plus any other relevant materials. The summary-narrative should describe the research topic and more specific questions, their importance and originality; research’s potential contribution to culture and creative industry scholarship and practice. In addition to outlining theoretical foundations, the proposals should also clarify methodological techniques or activities, e.g., interviews and observations in the field, questionnaire surveys, virtual ethnography, and etc. Briefly describe also expected findings and how they can sustain further studies beyond the grant.
· Opportunities for external funding (1-page maximum).
· Optional: Proposed syllabus (1 page) for a 6-8 week course on digital technologies and cultural and creative industries, detailing topics and selected sources.
Proposals must also list the expected expenses surrounding the research, organized in 6-month periods. Travel must identify destinations other than Shanghai, and expected conference destinations. Please download the sample budget sheet from the following attachment and email your application materials, including the budget sheet, to icci-IACCIR@sjtu.edu.cn.
Deadline for proposal submission is September 4, 2023. Proposals will be evaluated starting September 2023, results made known in December during the 2023 International Conference on Global Cooperation and Development of Cultural and Creative Industries. The Association hopes to start disbursing funds by December 2023. Grant recipients will be required to sign agreements with the Association and ICCI, and if collaborating with other researchers, also to sign a collaboration agreement. Funded researchers are responsible for compliance with their home universities’ policies regarding such collaboration.