Stimuleringsfonds

In the third and fourth periods of the Experiment Grant Scheme in 2024, 30 projects were selected. This grant scheme (from today replaced with the Creative Industries Kick-start Grant Scheme) was open to small-scale, experiment-driven projects in the field of design, architecture or digital culture, and the crossovers between these disciplines. Coordinator Carlijn Limburg reflects on the selection.

22 January 2025

general impression

Interest in the Experiment Grant Scheme was once again high. Particularly striking was the increase in applications that focused on material and technology research, which are hands-on and less theoretical in nature. There is also a lot of interest in bio-based and regenerative materials, with designers experimenting with natural processes and raw materials. Several makers focus on sound and developing new instruments, making surprising connections between technology, composition and everyday processes.

Nieuwe wegen in persglas: een ambachtelijk experiment – Studio Auke Lansink

material research with special focus on glass

In the projects involving material research, glass takes centre stage remarkably often. For instance, Studio Auke Lansink is exploring new possibilities in hand-pressed glass, searching for innovative applications and possibilities for expression. Paul Coenen experiments with techniques to connect glass and metal, while building up a library of material experiments as a starting point for new designs. In Amorphous Alfabet, Celine de Waal Malefijt and Daniel Maarlevelt investigate how the unique properties of glass can be harnessed to release kinetic, generative typography from the screen.

bio-based and regenerative design

A second important theme is working with bio-based and regenerative materials and processes. In Materia Futura, Beatriz Sandini, Alessia Pasquini and Paulina Martina redefine bio-based materials by combining digital aesthetics with new technologies and traditional craftsmanship. Anne Geenen and David Schmidt at Site Practice are developing Natuurmuren from Wadden Sea mudflats sludge that should be flexibly deployable for pre-fabricated housing. In another example, Johanna Fuld explores duckweed as an alternative protein source for plant-based milk, with the aim of creating awareness about sustainable protein production.

sound and instrument development

Many projects are concerned with sound and developing new instruments. Ivo Bol is developing an instrument for dynamic composition and improvisation that allows interaction between generative elements and acoustic instrumentalists. A surprising approach comes from Eva van Strien who explores in The Taste of Sound how sound can act as a formative element in design processes, specifically in cheesemaking. Mitsi Chaida Michelakou is in turn exploring how sound-design technology can transcend gender-related classifications in the Voicing Complexities project.

procedure

Applications to this grant scheme were ranked and assessed in order of submission. With the positive assessment of a total of 30 applications (17 in the third period and 13 in the fourth period), the entire subsidy budget of the Experiment Grant Scheme has been spent.

follow-up

These were the last two time periods in the Experiment Grant Scheme. From 2025, small-scale projects, experiments and preliminary studies up to € 10,000 can be submitted to the new Creative Industries Kick-start Grant Scheme.

Header image: Expanding the Small Canvas – From Form