T6 Ecosystems, a long-term partner in the S+T+ARTS initiative and one of the consortium members of S+T+ARTS EC(H)O participated in the kick-off meeting of the project, which took place in Linz, Austria on 31/1-1/2/24. The meeting was an opportunity for all the 8 consortium partners from 7 European countries to meet in person for the first time and to discuss the implementation of the project, as well as making a first tentative calendar for the exciting events that will take place in the lifetime of the project.
S+T+ARTS EC(H)O is the most recent iteration of the S+T+ARTS initiative. The 3-year project (Jan. 2024 – Dec. 2026), coordinated by Ars Electronica, will bring together different elements of the S+T+ARTS projects, while strengthening the aims of the S+T+ARTS initiative as a whole. The mission of the S+T+ARTS initiative is to support research and innovation at the nexus of science, technology, and arts in order to target the social, economic, and ecological challenges that Europe is facing. Through the S+T+ARTS initiative and the supported projects, the European Commission focuses on people and projects that have the potential of contributing meaningfully to this effort.
The main objective of S+T+ARTS EC(H)O is to expand on the triple transformation (green, social, digital) of Europe and by building on the consortium’s extensive expertise, to support the development of artistic-led approaches that target innovation areas in a purpose-driven way by means of technology.
Three critical components of S+T+ARTS EC(H)O are:
- S+T+ARTS Prize, recognizing outstanding technology-driven artistic projects and awarding two Grand Prizes to the most innovative projects at the intersection of science, technology and the arts.
- S+T+ARTS residencies, for artists working on the development of new pilots on human-centred and sustainable technologies in the fields of AI, high-performance computing, simulation & visualisation, digital twins, medical tech, or circular economy.
- Annual AIxMusic programme at Sónar, an international platform for exploring digital technology and human values through artistic thinking.
T6’s activities are spread over the duration of the project. Building on T6’s expertise on the impact assessment of S+T+ARTS Prize 2021-2023 and of other similar initiatives, we have been tasked with the collection of the residency methodologies, their assessment and the reporting of their impact, in addition to providing recommendations on how to evolve such residencies. Furthermore, reflecting our experience in policy and dissemination work, T6 will be organising 3 dissemination events in order to present the S+T+ARTS projects and to maximise their impact. These events, either discursive, presentation based, or in an exhibition format, will target diverse audiences (S+T+ARTS community, policy makers at regional, national and EU level, and the public) and will ensure that the project’s outcomes are sufficiently anchored in the European innovation community.
We are excited to continue our participation in the S+T+ARTS initiative and we are looking forward to making S+T+ARTS EC(H)O a success!
