CIIF: My views.

The Creative Industries Innovation Fund (CIIF) is a grant-based fund operated by the Arts Council in Northern Ireland and supported by the Department for Culture, Arts and Leisure. There will be four calls – but the dates below are approximations.

1. Digital Only
   – closing dates 25th Auguest & 29th September 2011,
   – administrated between 1st Nov 2011 – 31st March 2012
2. All Creative Sector
   – planned closing date December 2011,
   – administrated between 1st April 2012 – 31st March 2013
3. All Creative Sector
   – planned closing date December 2012,
   – administrated between 1st April 2013 – 31st March 2014
4. All Creative Sector
   – planned closing date December 2013,
   – administrated between 1st April 2014 – 31st March 2015

CIIF provides local businesses with project seed funding. The grant is 100% funded for amounts less than £10,000 and for amounts larger than that (in calls 2, 3 and 4), it will be based on a match funding basis. The concept is to allow creative people to create – to allow folk who are currently busy with service based work to create original and unique intellectual property.

What are you looking for?
I don’t speak for the Arts Council.

I’m looking for smart ideas, creativity shaped into a way to make money. I want to see ideas which will make £4 for every £1 of grant money invested. I’m especially looking for collaborations: I want to see a 3D artist with a heap of assets apply for the cash to turn some of those assets into a game. I want to see a writer or musician use this to turn their creations into digital experiences. The amounts of money are small but this is deliberate as it’s to seed the start of something – something that may turn into a proper business at some point.

But it’s not up to me – every decision will be put to a panel of judges whose integrity would be beyond question. They’ll argue for or against projects without prejudice.

What I’m looking for are:

• Founder-Builders with spirit who need a break
• Ideas that can change the world.
• Partners for CIIF projects (the yin to the yang)
• Projects that build upon our local assets – tourism, culture, arts – even the Titanic
• Projects that highlight talent in the individual (as opposed to the collective)
• Projects that are executed 100% within the borders of Northern Ireland (i.e. where the money is spent)

but most importantly

• Projects that can be delivered within the budgets and timescales. No excuses.

What I’m not looking for:

• Applications for web sites (web apps are another thing entirely). You should be doing that anyway.
• Any sort of hardware. You don’t need a new laptop or camera.
• Ways to undercut your local competition. It’s not about doing it cheaper.
• Any projects where the primary beneficiaries will be the applicants
• Any projects where the grant money goes outside of Northern Ireland.
• Any sort of ‘maintenance’ just to keep the doors open. If it doesn’t make money, it’s a hobby.