Dare to Grow FAQ

This section contains answers to the most frequently asked questions, however if you require further assistance please contact us

FAQ for potential interns

How do I qualify as a Dare to Grow intern?

You will have participated on Dare to be Digital at some time in the past two years and be available for full time work for up to six months from September 2008. We wouldn’t normally expect to accept an intern who is already working in the games industry in a development role, unless it is a short term temporary contract. We are particularly keen to receive linked applications from “teams” of two potential interns, one each from an arts and programming background. You can still apply if you haven’t yet paired up with anyone and we will assist you to do so later in the application process. Applications are on a competitive basis and no guarantee of any internship can be offered. You will be selected to be considered for a project according to the following criteria:

  • Appropriate skills and experience
  • Match of career ambitions to project
  • Availability for the required period
  • Travel to work aspects

Final selection will be by the company who may interview a number of candidates.

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What is the application process for potential interns?

You should complete an application form online at www.daretobedigital.com/dare-to-grow/ after 20 July 2008 and before 19 September 2008. Make sure you have received a briefing first from the Dare to Grow Project Co-ordinator. The application process will require a detailed CV, a statement explaining what you hope to gain from the programme and details of your fellow applicant, if known at that stage. We will be in contact with you once we receive your application and hope to arrange interviews early October 2008 with placements from October / November 2008 onwards.

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What types of projects will I work on?

We are aiming to stimulate a range of interesting projects that are generally outside the normal production process but will require your intellectual and creative input to address specific challenges. You will be given a distinct project brief by the company and will work with them and the Dare to Grow Project Management Team on a detailed workplan. This will incorporate the Innovation Technologies Toolkit and highlight the individual inputs required from an arts and technology perspective. The project brief of the company will emphasise an innovation aspect that provides them with a new or enhanced opportunity. It may, however, be taken up by the company as a regular project at a later stage.

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How much will interns be paid?

You will receive a stipend from the project funding of up to ÂŁ3,000 for a three month project. In some circumstances the industry partner may elect to top this up or pay a completion bonus at their discretion. Project lengths and stipends may vary at the discretion of the Project Management Team.

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Will I be working away from home?

We will be endeavouring to find local projects but where this isn’t possible you will normally have to meet your living and travel costs from your own funds and you will have to balance the opportunity against the cost.

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What will I get out of it as an intern?

Dare to be Digital has already provided you with a superb opportunity to deliver a prototype to a deadline as a team player. Dare to Grow has much more of an individual focus and will enhance your portfolio for future employment both in the context of work experience within a games developer and also tackling an innovation challenge. It is possible that the placement may lead to a future employment opportunity in the company. The IP you contribute to the project will be owned by the company but you will be able to use a pre-agreed non confidential description in your CV and we will be encouraging companies to make a further reward in the event of the IP creating significant value for them in the future, but on a voluntary basis.

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FAQ for participating companies

How will the company be selected?

Eligible companies will apply to the Dare to Grow Project Co-ordinator who will provide a signed NDA for you to return. Only companies that express an interest in this way will be invited to submit an application. The Dare to Grow Project Co-ordinator will require company details, a short description of the innovation challenge and details of the resources you will provide. You will subsequently be invited to complete a full on line application. An expression of interest must be made and the on-line application form must be submitted before the closing date of 12 Noon on the 10th October 2008, subject to availability of remaining funding as applications will be considered on a rolling basis.

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What are the eligibility criteria?

You will need to be an independent developer that is also a small or medium sized enterprise and have at least one set of annual trading accounts. You will need to be able to identify a clear innovation challenge for the interns to undertake and you will need to be able to provide both physical support (studio space and computing etc) and set aside staff time for working with your interns. We will generally work within Skillset and other industry guidelines regarding specific work placement approval. The Dare to Grow Project Co-ordinator will work with you on the submitted innovation challenge to develop this into a project brief for the interns. As the application process progresses, a project workplan will be developed that will represent a distinct and measurable project.

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What type of project would be appropriate?

We are looking for projects that can be clearly defined in terms of the input required from your interns, but that doesn’t mean that the whole project has to be completed within the period of the internship. Ongoing development projects will be eligible provided that they aren’t pure product development and are designed to enhance the production process and create a product innovation through the use of “innovation technologies” as defined. This may also be a good opportunity to make use of the art / programming pairing. Projects that support innovation in a manner that could subsequently allow you to enter other channels or markets would also be acceptable. The project description will require a specific challenge to be set for the interns, with intended outcomes and associated benefits.

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How will applications be evaluated?

Applications will be evaluated entirely within the Dare to Grow project management team which includes staff from Abertay University and NESTA, working under confidentiality requirements. The claim to innovation will be taken at face value on the basis that the company would not waste the time and resources on applying for a project that is unlikely to deliver novelty. Instead, the evaluation process will focus on ensuring that the project is distinct from mainstream product development in the company and that the company will be able to provide the resources for the interns. The selection process for the innovation project will also take into account the range of submitted internship proposals to make sure that a close match between both can be achieved. Up to six applications will be supported and in the event of receiving more than six eligible applications by the closing date the six applications will be selected by scoring according to the following equally weighted criteria:

  • Support to be provided for intern
  • Distinctiveness of project from mainstream activities
  • Use of innovation technology
  • Use of two-pronged arts-technology approach to problem-solving
  • Match with range of submitted internship applications
  • Potential impact on company if the project is successful (this could also include leverage of other funding)

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What will happen after my project has been selected?

The project management team will work with you and the selected interns towards a detailed project workplan, budget and timeline. It will also be discussed how the available ongoing support from the Dare to Grow team shall be incorporated in the process. In addition, an external evaluation partner will work with you to ensure that the desired data about project progression and impact on your company can be collected. This is crucial for the evaluation to be of value to both the innovation project as such (formative) and its contribution to this pilot scheme (summative).

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FAQ for all participants

How will confidentiality be protected?

Abertay University as project managers will provide a non-disclosure agreement between themselves, NESTA and the company and linked confidentiality requirements will be built in to the placement requirements. Projects will not be sent to external evaluators but sub-contracting consultants may be employed for evaluation or administrative purposes and they will also be bound by formal agreements with confidentiality clauses.

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Is there any cost to the company?

Whilst there is no requirement to commit to a cash contribution, you may choose to top up the interns’ stipend or extend the project period. There is an in-kind cost in committing staff time to support for the interns and the project and also the provision of studio space and equipment.

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How will the IP be managed?

All IP created as a result of individual projects will be owned by the company, in so far as that is possible in terms of an background IP used by the company in the project. Neither NESTA or Abertay University is seeking to own any IP arising from specific projects but they will retain IP in the project process (i.e. the Dare to Grow Model). It is hoped that companies will recognise any particular contributions of the interns in circumstances where high commercial returns are generated, but that will be at the discretion of the company. A non confidential description of the IP will be agreed so that the intern can describe the project in their CV.

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How will the interns for my project be selected?

The Dare to Grow project team will allocate interns on the basis of the match between the respective aspirations of the intern and the company. Both company and intern applicants may specify named preferences on the basis of prior discussions (for example having met at Dare ProtoPlay) but no guarantee can be provided that such preferences can be accommodated. In some circumstances more than one pair of interns may be interviewed by the company. It is envisaged that a pre-project meeting will take place for each of the six projects with both sides able to withdraw should an appropriate match not be forthcoming.

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How will interns be prepared for working in the company?

Participation in Dare Interns will be fully briefed on the administrative aspects of the project and will participate on a learning journey in innovation technology where they will experience a wide range of innovation technology challenges including 3D visualisations with haptic interfaces, cell processing applications, complex modelling and other similar innovation technologies. These will be linked to a series of project descriptions that are aspirational in nature and will form the basis of the Innovation Technologies Toolkit that the interns will be inspired by ahead of the company project. The company will provide an induction programme covering normal housekeeping issues, health and safety, IT regulations and specific project information.

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Why are interns being linked up as arts and programmer pairs?

This is an experimental approach. The early thinking is towards trying to create a degree of self sufficiency for the internship aspects of the project and to reduce dependency on company staff to create a proof of principle or similar. We also believe that the interdisciplinary approach will bring additional experiential benefits for the participants.

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What happens if either the interns or the company wish to withdraw at any stage?

We hope this will not happen but if it does we will work with all the parties involved to find the most satisfactory outcome. The Placement Contract once entered in to will require reasonable notice periods. Stipends will not be paid for uncompleted placements for any reason.

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Why is it necessary to include the “innovation technology” dimension?

NESTA’s provocation regarding Innovation Technology (http://www.nesta.org.uk/innovation-technology-how-new-technologies-are-changing-the-way-we-innovate/) notes a number of consequences, limits and implications – together with the pace of change in this area. Games developers are at the forefront of the use of innovation technology in their day-to-day product development and as such are particularly receptive to the direct application of these tools, hence the attraction to pilot this approach with the games industry. However, in common with many industries, the games development “production deadline” imperative sometimes hinders the potential to innovate. It is hoped that the outcomes and experiences from the project will both raise the profile of innovation within the company and also help understand how innovation technology can be deployed in sectors that are not so well placed to respond to the challenge as the games development industry.

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What is the “Dare to Grow Model” and what does my involvement in a NESTA pilot mean?

NESTA and the team of the Dare to Be Digital competition intend to develop a new approach to contribute to capacity building for innovation in independent games development studios in the SME sector. It is also hoped to build and reinforce an additional pathway for exceptional creative talent into the sector, particularly SMEs. Participating interns and companies should acknowledge their involvement in an experimental pilot. Although a successful development of a model is expected, the value of the pilot lies in learning of both successes and failures during the project. We hope the model will help developments in the Higher Education and Skills sectors. Business support organisations across the UK will be asked to consider the model as part of its simplified business support for creative businesses. (see also: http://www.nesta.org.uk/dare-to-grow/)

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How will the project stakeholders judge success for the project?

The project will be evaluated using external consultants. During the course of the project it is hoped to:

  • Raise the profile of the innovation agenda in the target companies.
  • Have a measurable impact in terms of commercial benefits for the participants.
  • Enhance the employability of the interns.
  • Create an innovation technology “toolkit” that could be used to support training that stimulates innovation in other sectors
  • Demonstrate a potential model for innovation support that is more sophisticated than studentships (in terms of the participants having been highly screened and pre trained via Dare) but less challenging than formal Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (in terms of the light touch application process and focus on young talent rather than academic research), for application in a wide range of sectors.

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Why is this a pilot project?

We are running this pilot in order to test out the application method and the process and to evaluate the outcomes. For this reason we reserve the right to amend any of the project details and dates at any stage

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