Describe the main features of the policy/measure:
The Ministry of Culture and Information regularly issues an annual call related to cultural heritage and contemporary art. The call is announced for the category of digitization of cultural heritage and contemporary arts, and the areas covered by it are also specifically defined:
1. Creation of infrastructure to support continuous and interoperable digitization of cultural heritage and contemporary arts.
2. Strengthening participants’ capacity in the process of digitization of cultural heritage and contemporary arts—education;
3. Purchase of equipment (necessary equipment for the implementation of projects covered by the Call, which will be used long-term in all segments of the process of digitization of cultural heritage and contemporary arts), as well as programs, software solutions, and information systems that are widely used in cultural heritage and contemporary arts, in order to process and manage digital material and ensure its availability;
4. Development of applications, platforms, and other multimedia solutions related to cultural heritage and contemporary arts;
5. Presentation and promotion of digitized material as well as popularization of the process of digitization of cultural heritage and contemporary arts.
The Call’s purpose is to finance or co-finance projects related to the digitization and promotion of national cultural values, such as the presentation of digital materials, digital art, the purchase of equipment necessary for the ongoing process of digitization, and the use of information technologies to promote national cultural values.
The call is open for institutions, art, and other associations registered as engaging in cultural activities, legal entities operating in the field of information and communication technologies, natural persons, and other cultural entities financed according to Article 74 of the Law on Culture (Official Gazette of the RS, issues 72/2009, 13/2016, 30/2016 - corr., 6/2020, 47/2021, and 78/2021). Cultural institutions established by the Republic of Serbia are not eligible to participate in the call.
Website of the policy/measure, if available:
What are the results achieved so far through the implementation of the policy/measure?:
A total of 140 projects were submitted to the call of the Ministry of Culture and Information for financing or co-financing projects related to the digitization of cultural heritage and contemporary art in the Republic of Serbia for the period 2018-2020, and 44 were approved, resulting in a 31.4% pass rate.
Financial resources allocated to the policy/measure in USD:
During the period 2018-2020, for the call line contemporary art a total of approximately 264,251 USD (27,350,000 RSD) was allocated, as follows: in 2018, approximately 106,195 USD (12,000,000 RSD); in 2019 approximately 86,957 USD (9,000,000 RSD), and in 2020 approximately 56,195 USD (6,350,000 RSD).
Partner(s) engaged in the implementation of the measure:
Has the implementation of the policy/measure been evaluated?:
YES
If yes, what are the main conclusions/recommendations?:
Following the public call for financing or co-financing projects related to cultural heritage and contemporary art digitization, the Ministry of Culture and Information’s commission for project selection make the decision on the allocation of funds, corroborated by descriptions and professional assessments of both approved and unapproved projects. The call is evaluated at the level of Ministry and its success is assessed for both call lines. There is great interest in both call lines each year. Regarding the digitization of contemporary art, the most common projects approved for funding were those related to the digitization of fine arts, books, collections, archives, and theaters.