RTÉ and Science Foundation Ireland are now seeking a range of proposals.
- Large scale, ambitious themed/event pieces consisting of two/three hours of output that explore the importance of conversations in our lives, and the potential part they play in informing the research, technology and innovations that shape our lives. The proposals will address the importance of starting conversations early when considering the big societal challenges, for example climate action, ageing populations, over population, women’s health, the changing education environment, the application of artificial intelligence or personalised medicine. They might address how important it is that conversations help combine the worlds of data and evidence [research outputs] with lived experiences, so decisions we make for our lives, and for our society, are informed by the evidence but also by our and our neighbours’ experiences. A national conversation on research will be in full flight in September 2021. An event series might inspire people to consider why conversation is important, to reflect on their feelings on the way data from research [from all avenues including science, arts, technology, social sciences, engineering] has informed decisions throughout 2020 and 2021, and motivate them to consider what questions they want answered by research. Proposals can be for 6x30 minute projects or 3x1 hour projects that can be live, pre-recorded or a hybrid of both. The successful proposal [s] will be broadcast in Autumn, 2021.
- Proposals are also sought for individual, stand-alone, one-hour documentaries or for multiple-part documentary strands. These proposals will deal with some of the specific challenges or opportunities facing society, highlighting where research is playing its part and aiming to identify some of the questions that may currently have no answers. Proposals might deal with how ideas come about, or how some of the greatest innovations we have in society were developed and shaped by society. The ambition is that this programming will help to stimulate Irish TV audiences to form their own thoughts and ideas on current technologies and inspire viewers to consider where the gaps in knowledge are. And what ingenious ideas they might like to see realised to help make their lives, or the lives of others, better.
Proposals should be 50 minutes long and will be broadcast between October 2021 and April 2022.
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