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ProtoX Arts Digital Accelerator Program

A 12-week mentoring program for artists, groups and organisations to develop new digital business ideas.

 
Register for our information session on Wednesday 25 January, 12.30-1.30pm AEDT.
 

 

About the opportunity

Australia Council for the Arts is collaborating with INCUBATE, the University of Sydney’s Flagship Startup Program, to deliver ProtoX Arts – a national 12-week Digital Accelerator Program for individual artists, groups and arts organisations. Through 1:1 mentoring, industry connections and weekly goal-setting, ProtoX Arts provides the subject matter expertise to empower members of the arts community to pursue their digitally centred ideas into businesses.

This program supports emerging creative founders and the broader ecosystem by teaching key foundational business frameworks and enabling connections into the startup community. Additionally, hands-on customer testing, prototyping, and iterating are encouraged to build founders and businesses that service the arts and creative sectors.

Taking part in this Accelerator Program will equip you with the knowledge, skills and confidence to pursue your startup idea.

This program is designed to support digitally centred business and product ideas such as plug-ins, media players, immersive VR/AR experiences, apps, platforms and programs, that originated out of, or support the creative industries.

Image credit: Amrita Hepi, Open Poses (detail), 2022. Installation view, Primavera 2022: YoungAustralian Artists, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney, 2022. Datasetfor pose recognition, custom software, webcam, monitors, decal, lamps, paintedwall, sound. Image courtesy the artist and Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, ©the artist. Photograph: Anna Kučera

Arts leadership

Key dates

Applications close: Tuesday 7 February 2023, 3pm AEDT.

Information session: Wendesday 25 January, 12.30pm AEDT. Click here to register.

Please note: 

To apply you must be registered in our application management system a minimum of two business days prior to the closing date.

Over the 12 weeks, participants will be required to participate in weekly, 2-hour online sessions (Wednesday 5pm-7pm) and are able to access 2 additional hours per week to work with mentors and Entrepreneurs-in-Residence.


For any questions or further information please email digital@creative.gov.au

This opportunity is open for arts-aligned/creative industries organisations and individuals.

Applications will be reviewed by staff and industry advisors. Your application will be based on merit, response to the selection criteria below, and in line with Australia Council’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.

  1. Timeliness and relevance of the training opportunity to your professional development
  2. The impact the proposed activity will have on your career
  3. Viability of the proposed project

You will be asked to provide your biography and most up to date CV.

Frequently asked questions

To apply, you will need to answer the following questions:

  • What problem are you solving and why is it worth solving?
  • Can you share a time in your career (either as a freelancer or an employee) where you experienced this (or a similar) problem and how you fixed this problem?
  • Why do you think now is the time to test this idea? Do you have a unique insight into the market?

A problem can be a time-consuming task, a breakdown in process or an expensive way of doing something simple. If you’ve ever thought “there has to be a simpler or better way” you’ve identified a problem.

This residency is designed to be delivered online. Over 12 weekly 2 hour sessions, (Wednesday 5pm-7pm) and with access to 2 additional hours per week to work with mentors and Entrepreneurs-in-Residence.

This program is for arts-aligned/creative industries individuals and organisations who have an idea for a digital product, have found a solution to a problem or see a gap in the market that they can fill. Product ideas may include as plug-ins, media players, immersive VR/AR experiences, apps, platforms and programs, that originated out of, or support the creative industries.

Not all participants in the program may end up taking their product to market after exploring the viability of the project through the program, however all participants will leave the program with new skills in product development, entrepreneurship and business, which they can take to their next project.

This program will be delivered online.

Please email digital@creative.gov.au if you would like more information.