Experiment – 35 projects selected

13 August 2024

general impression

The unabated popularity of the Experiment Grant Scheme was once again confirmed in the first half of 2024. Due to the available budget, it was announced in advance that the time periods would close once 35 complete applications had been taken into consideration. As a result, the first period of the grant scheme was open for three days this year. The second period was open for only one day before the subsidy ceiling was reached.

The applications were of varying quality. The advisers saw an increase in large ideas and complicated concepts that were not explained well, making applications difficult to interpret at times. There were also many applications where the research question was not well-defined, while others were overly focused on a tangible end result. It remains a challenge to strike a balance between an open formulation and clear framing of an experiment-driven research project.

Thematically, there was a great deal of variety in both time periods. Some topics on which the proposed experiments more often focus are: sustainability and circularity, healthcare and well-being, landscape and climate adaptation, forms of participation, and peer-support systems. A previously common topic like artificial intelligence was conspicuously absent in these two periods.

material research

Some experiments in these periods are conducting material research with a focus on sustainability and circularity. For example, Studio Sway’s project Give concrete a break! explores the possibilities of utilising waste streams in developing new material, using the Sporosarcina Pasteurii bacteria. The project Soft futures – reimagining comfort with recycled materials is a material-research project by studio CLOUD into the use of recycled and recyclable materials to produce soft upholstered furniture. And Anna Jos Wetzel with Wax meets flax is going in search of a sustainable alternative to water-repellent textiles made from fossil-based raw materials. Wetzel is exploring the possibilities for making an aesthetically pleasing, waterproof fabric with a bio-based coating made from linen, linseed oil and beeswax.

design or research methodology

In these periods, we also saw experiments exploring design or research methodologies. For instance, Andrea Salerno’s project How they met themselves is an investigation into the concept of ‘double’ in relation to weaving. Salerno is exploring ways to merge two existing copies of the same publication to create an experimental publication. The project Einstein in a tube by research practice Dear Hunter concerns an investigation into participation as a design strategy. The aim is to develop a method where residents are part of the discussion and final design.

healthcare, well-being and inclusion

Finally, a number of experiments are aimed at improving and strengthening healthcare, well-being and inclusion. With the Tastbaar beeld project, Lotte Meeuwissen investigates ways to give tactile perception an innovative role in storytelling and enrich stories in picture books for visually impaired children. In Architecture of heartache, Daria Khozhai, in collaboration with a trauma psychologist and an art historian, explores how scale models of our built environment can help in processing individual and collective trauma. And Kemp Works, with Virtual atelier, is looking to use a spatial-computing device to enable someone with a physical disability to create and present independent art in a physical space. Working closely with artist and curator Koen van Santvoort, who is going through an intensive rehabilitation process, partial experiments will test and analyse existing software.

View the full selection of the Experiment Grant Scheme in 2024 here.

numbers

In the first period of 2024, 35 applications were taken into consideration. Of these, 17 applications were awarded a grant, bringing the percentage of applications receiving grants to 49%. The available budget for this period was € 166,551, of which € 125,000 came from the 2024 budget and an additional € 41,551 was due to underspending of the 2023 Experiment Grant Scheme.

In the second period of 2024, 18 applications were awarded grants, with 50% of applications receiving grants. The budget for this period was € 173,701, of which € 125,000 came from the 2024 budget and an additional € 48,7011 was due to underspending of the 2023 Experiment Grant Scheme.

follow-up

At 10 a.m. on 5 September 2024, the third period of this year opens. The budget available for this period is € 150,000. The period closes when 35 complete applications have been taken into consideration. We expect this to use up the available budget. The applications are processed in the order they are submitted.

The fourth and final period of this year opens on 31 October 2024. The budget for this last round is € 125,000.

Photo at the top: Kemp Works