International Association of Culture and Creative Industry Research
3rd Round CALL FOR PROPOSALS
International Association of Culture and Creative Industry Research (hereinafter referred to as IACCIR), founded by the Shanghai Jiao Tong University-University of Southern California Institute of Cultural and Creative Industry, aims to provide funding and resources for promising research in the creative industries, offer practical opportunities for industry-education integration to professionals in the cultural and creative sectors, and serve as an academic think tank for universities and relevant institutions. It also seeks to promote international collaboration between academics and industry practitioners. To this end, IACCIR consistently organizes international conferences, establishes research funds for cultural and creative industries, publishes academic journals, and issues reports and policy recommendations for the industry.
IACCIR aspires to bring together ideas and perspectives from scholars and professionals across different eras and fields, aiming to enhance the quality of education in the cultural and creative industries and, in turn, foster the development of the sector. Since 2021, IACCIR has launched two rounds of global project funding, supporting a total of 23 research projects. These projects have been undertaken by scholars from renowned institutions such as the University of Southern California, Yale University, National University of Singapore, Utrecht University, University of Helsinki, Hang Seng University of Hong Kong, Curtin University, University of Zurich, Syracuse University, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, University of Washington, University of Liverpool, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Imperial College London, University of Groningen, University of Amsterdam, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Zhejiang University, Xi’an Jiaotong University, and East China Normal University. As of June 2024, more than 60 high-quality journal and conference papers have been published, and over ten academic workshops and exhibitions have been held. The Association’s activities have been covered by leading domestic and international media outlets, including People’s Daily, Guangming Daily, and Yahoo News.
Building on the second round of projects that focused on the broad impact of generative artificial intelligence (AI) on the cultural and creative industries, this new round of project submissions will further explore how to construct a sustainable, resilient ecosystem for cultural and creative industries within the context of generative AI. In ecology, resilience refers to an ecosystem’s ability to absorb and respond to internal and external changes while restoring stability after disturbances, aiming to maintain a dynamic balance between change and stability. The development and integration of generative AI have caused significant disruption to the ecosystem of cultural and creative industries, reshaping the ecological relationships across all stages, including production, distribution, and consumption. Clarifying the ecological roles, functional boundaries, and relational mechanisms of various stakeholders in this transformative period, while achieving overall balance under the goal of sustainable development, has become a pressing issue for academia, industry, and research.
In this context, the upcoming research project submissions will be divided into two parts: academic theoretical research and industrial policy planning, with the goal of further promoting the collaborative development of theory and practice in the cultural and creative industries and enhancing the societal impact of the IACCIR’s research projects.
I. Theoretical Research
Topics include, but are not limited to:
1.Digital Museum and Innovation of Virtual Environment
2.Digital Methods in Arts and Humanities Research
3.Computational Aesthetics in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
4.Creative Models for Product and Service Development
5.Changes in Communication Models and User Engagement Mechanisms
6.Innovations in Organizational and Management Models for the Cultural and Creative Industries
7.Governance and Policy Advancements in the AI Era
8.Cultural Ethics and Cultural Transformation in the Digital Era
9.Protection and Communication of Cultural Heritage within Technological Ecosystems
10.Chinese Traditional Culture and Its Global Communication
11.Mechanisms for Content Production and Business Model Innovation in Game Industries
12.Mechanisms and Boundaries of AI-Generated Content
13.Innovation in Content, Organization, and Management within Digital Entertainment
14.Emotional Computing and Interaction Mechanisms in Intelligent Perception
15.Discipline Construction for Cultural and Creative Industries
16.Other Topics Related to Cultural and Creative Industry Research
II. Industry Analysis
1.Artistic Creation Models and Business Models in Virtual Environments
2.Overseas Expansion Models and Risks for China’s Cultural Industries
3.Platformization of Cultural Production and Brand Management Strategies
4.Operational Models for Cultural and Creative Industry Spaces, such as achieving mutual benefits with enterprises in industrial parks
5.Commercial Models for Emerging Cultural and Creative Products, including micro-dramas and the overseas expansion of online literature and games, exploring potential paths for optimizing monetization and revenue models
6.Innovative Expression and Design of Traditional Chinese Culture in the New Era
7.Policy on Cultural Product Creation to enhance the quality of films, games, podcasts, long-form videos, etc., leveraging institutional mechanisms—for instance, enriching and improving award categories and event content in film festivals to guide and regulate industry development amid intense competition
8.Macroeconomic Indicators for the Industry, proposing an indicator system that reflects the real conditions and development trends of emerging cultural industries
9.Other Analytical Reports on the Cultural and Creative Industries.
10.Applications of Artificial Intelligence to the management of Cultural and Creative Industries.
The association will fund two key projects with grants of $20,000 each; four to five general projects, each receiving $10,000 to $15,000; and six to eight early-career projects with funding between $5,000 and $10,000. This funding emphasizes international academic collaboration, encouraging joint applications by faculty from Shanghai Jiao Tong University (among others) and overseas universities. Collaborative partnerships between researchers should be complementary, as promising alliances will enhance the appeal of project proposals.
Project proposals will be reviewed and evaluated by the board or a designated committee, following international academic standards, such as blind review. Given limited funding, not all proposals can be supported. In the review process, priority will be given to proposals demonstrating potential to make significant contributions to academic fields related to the cultural industries, with a focus on interdisciplinary perspectives. Additionally, proposals that exhibit foresight, professional guidance, and practical feasibility will have a competitive edge. Reviewers will also consider the project’s potential to secure industry support, national research grants, or other sources of funding.
Submission Guidelines
Proposals should include:
·Condensed curriculum vitae of each member of the research team (2-page maximum).
·Research summary and narrative (3 pages), plus any other relevant materials. The summary-narrative should describe the research topic and more specific questions, their importance and originality; research’s potential contribution to culture and creative industry scholarship and practice. In addition to outlining theoretical foundations, the proposals should also clarify methodological techniques or activities, e.g., interviews and observations in the field, questionnaire surveys, virtual ethnography, and etc. Briefly describe also expected findings and how they can sustain further studies beyond the grant.
·Opportunities for external funding (1-page maximum).
The proposal must also include a budget for the research project (based on a six-month research cycle). A budget template can be found via the link at the end of this notice. Travel expenses should specify destinations outside of Shanghai and anticipated conference locations.
All materials must be submitted in English.
Please submit the project proposal to the Association’s official email (icci-IACCIR@sjtu.edu.cn).
The deadline for submitting project proposals is December 31, 2024. IACCIR or its designated committee will begin evaluations in early 2025, and the list of funded projects will be announced at the 2025 International Conference on Global Cultural and Creative Industries. The Association plans to officially begin funding in July 2025. Recipients will be required to sign an agreement with the Association and the USC-SJTU Institute of Cultural and Creative Industry at Shanghai Jiao Tong University; collaboration agreements must also be signed if working with other researchers.