Open call for Situated Research Projects

Medialab Matadero is a space for innovation and research that welcomes projects that are too exceptional to fit into the strict lines of academic research, often incapable of bringing together and intertwining diverse disciplines or intermediate positions between thought and practice. Medialab Matadero’s mission is to solve as much as possible this institutional gap, welcoming and promoting ideas and projects that, despite their brilliance and transformative capacity, do not find their place in the more disciplinary public programs.

Objective

• This invitation to participate, in accordance with the principles of transparency, equality, and competition, and in line with the programming lines of Matadero Madrid, aims to select three research projects to be developed over a maximum period of one year. These projects will engage in dialogue with the activities of Medialab Matadero’s annual program and its associated communities.

Funding Information

• The maximum contract price shall be Fourteen Thousand Nine Hundred and Fifty Euros (€14,950.00), plus VAT and subject to the withholding of income tax if applicable, as a consideration for the development of the research project adapted to the Medialab Matadero program.

Duration

• The research project shall be developed over a period of 12 months from the formalization of the contract, or in the case of contracts that do not require formalization, from the notification of the award. The start of the execution of the services is scheduled for the first fortnight of October 2024, although the dates are subject to possible changes duly justified for scheduling reasons.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicants
  • This invitation to participate is aimed at projects that, either individually or collectively, investigate disciplines such as design, art, architecture, urban planning, economics, film, photography, journalism, digital media, environmental sciences, philosophy, engineering, social studies, political science, programming, material science, activism, or any other field.
  • The research projects must contribute to creating an open space for personal and professional exchange, typically using both Spanish and English as communication languages.
  • Project leaders must be of legal age, capable of acting, and in possession of the necessary administrative authorizations to stay in Spain during the research project, and must not be subject to any of the prohibitions on contracting established in Article 71 of the Public Sector Contracts Law.
  • The project may be presented and written in either Spanish or English.
• Research Project 
  • During its development, the project must be able to engage in dialogue with the rest of Medialab Matadero’s activities, and be capable of transformation and enrichment through this dialogue in contact with partners (individuals and other organizations), other researchers, users, and the public.
  • The submitted projects should engage with Medialab Matadero’s lines of work, which include:
    • Exploring forms of digital experimentation and innovation in the cultural field.
    • Being a project at the intersection of art, design, science, and technology, contributing creatively to address major contemporary challenges related to the city and global challenges within the framework of the Agenda 2030’s Sustainable Development Goals.
    • Developing a cultural project of critical reflection that contributes to a better digital future, tracking the digital revolution at all scales and its impact on society.

Assessment Criteria 

• The track record and experience of the candidates and the quality of the submitted projects will be examined by the Selection Committee based on the following criteria:
  • The candidates’ track record in relation to Medialab Matadero’s objectives and methods of executing its lines of work.
  • The relevance and depth of the research, its ability to operate beyond disciplinary barriers, its idiosyncrasy, and its connection with Medialab Matadero’s objectives and various lines of work.
  • Ability to benefit from the unique features of a space such as Medialab Matadero while contributing to the program’s development and objectives.
  • Clarity of the proposal and feasibility in terms of its realisation and execution.
  • Demonstrated competence in multidisciplinary research projects, team dynamics and tools.
  • Knowledge of the network of citizen initiatives and organisations in the city of Madrid, as well as actions that propose the integration of social groups and coordination with other projects.
  • Dynamics and innovative methods in the development of the project will be positively valued, along with the integration of new technologies and developing technologies forming part of the project’s conceptualisation.

For more information, visit Matadero Medialab.