To apply for assistance under this program, you must:

• Be an artist or artists’ collective creating works independently;
• Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. In the case of a collective, at least one member must meet this requirement.

PRIM invites emerging, mid-career and established artists to submit a project. In an effort to support diversity and inclusion, PRIM encourages proposals from artists who identify as members of a minority.

Assistance granted

• 90% discount on non-member rates for room, studio and filming equipment rental
• 4 x 2h of consultation
• Project guidance and technical support

Projects accepted

There is no limit as to the number of projects that can be accepted into the Research and Exploration Assistance program.

• Technical and technological experimentation
• Development of new ideas
• Experimentation with collaborators
• Exploration of other artistic practices

Inelegible projects

• Projects that are part of a school curriculum
• Creation, production or distribution projects

Eligible expenses PRIM’s support under this program takes the form of a discount on the non-member rate for rental of the following equipment:

• Shooting equipment (cinema and virtual reality)
• Sound recording studio
• Sound exploration lab
• Dolby Atmos studio
• Digital exploration room
• Offline editing suites
• Screening rooms
• Digitization and transfer

Ineligible expenses The following expenses are not eligible:  

How to apply

To apply, you must complete the online application form and provide the following documents:

• CV of the artist or the members of the artists’ collective applying
• Audio/video supporting documentation (15 min max in total) in the form of links to Vimeo or other
• Any other documentation that the artist feels is pertinent (photos, illustrations, script…)

SPRING: 3rd Wednesday in April at 11:59pm
FALL: 3rd Wednesday in October at 11:59pm

Evaluation process

Applications are first evaluated by the person in charge of the program at PRIM according to the program’s eligibility requirements.
Eligible applications are then evaluated by a jury of peers, made up of people recognized for their expertise in media arts.
The jury evaluates on merit based on the program’s evaluation criteria. At the end of the evaluation, the jury members decide whether to award Research and Exploration Assistance. Projects that do not receive jury backing for this program will then be evaluated according to the criteria of the Creation Assistance program, which will determine whether the assistance is awarded. Decisions are final and without appeal.

Evaluation criteria

The projects are evaluated according to the following criteria:

1. Project’s interest and relevance (80%)

• • Quality of research processes
  • Project’s innovative nature
  • Project’s interest for the advancement of various artistic practices
  • Effect of the project on the evolution of the candidate’s work

2. Project’s feasibility (20%)

1. • Quality and relevance of the artist’s previous work
   • Realism of work plan and budget
   • Ability of the artist to carry out the research project
   • Impact of PRIM’s support

Ethics

Jury members must follow the Jury Member Professional Ethics Code and the Conflict of Interest rules.

Response time

PRIM will notify you of the jury’s decision no later than two months after the program’s deadline.

Artists’ obligations

In order to benefit from the Research and Exploration program, recipients must become PRIM members, carry out their research project within one year of the date of receipt of their acceptance letter, and comply with the terms and conditions.