Who is eligible for Annual Studio Membership?

Annual Studio Membership aims to give designers, creators and makers in the early stages of their career the time and space to develop their practice and produce new work.  Design is being defined here as a problem-solving process that is focused on creating a product, service, or system that meets specific requirements and solves a problem.

Eligible candidates would be those working in product design, game design, industrial design, graphic design, sustainable design, information design, fashion design, maker-based practices and other design-related disciplines.   This call is directed at those who need the unique facilities that the Valletta Design Cluster provides in order to flourish.

Applicants eligible to apply for a studio as a single entity are:

  • Legally registered VO/NGOs
  • Legally registered Startups, Nano (up to 5 employees) and Micro (up to 10 employees) enterprises.
  • Legally registered Co-operatives
  • Legal partnerships with a minimum of 2 partners.

Applicants eligible to apply for a studio to be shared between no less than two and not more than three entities are:

  • All of the above
  • Freelancers

In case of a Shared studio application, all entities applying must be eligible to become Studio members in order for the application to be eligible for evaluation.

 

What are the conditions for Annual Studio Membership?

Annual Studio Memberships are available for a period of one year from date of acceptance and are renewable annually for a maximum of three years.

Studio members must:

  • Guarantee 60% occupancy of the studio during opening times for a minimum of 2 users and a maximum of 3 long-term users at any one point in time. This is equivalent to 2912 hours per year, which works out to an average of 28 hours each for 2 people weekly. In the case of shared studio applications, the division of these hours between the applicants must be indicated at application stage.
    • In the case of organisations, the minimum of 2 users must include the founders and employees for a minimum of 80% of the hours. The remaining hours may be carried out  by associates, volunteers or members of the applicant organization.
    • In the case of freelancers applying for a shared studio, the minimum of 2 users must include the applicants but it may also include associates or volunteers.
  • Contribute a minimum of 36 hours per year to the Cluster community through participation in regular Cluster community meetings, in-kind support to other VDC members, and participation in community engagement activities organized by the VDC.
  • Contribute a minimum of two public workshops/talks per year on topics related to their line of work to be held at the VDC.
  • Be covered by an insurance policy to cover the member organisation (or organisations in case of a shared studio). The policy consists of a public liability and damage policy which covers the studio member and the VDC in case of liability to third parties or damage to the VDC building and its equipment or third party property caused by the members or their representatives.  The capping for liability should be of €500,000.
  • Sign a Contract and a Code of Conduct with the VDC.

Throughout the membership, the VDC will have the right to carry out a review to verify compliance with the membership conditions. This will be a requirement for those applicants wishing to renew their annual membership for a second or third year.

At the end of the third year, the Member will no longer be eligible for automatic renewal based on a review of compliance with membership conditions but they may apply for the next competitive call for Studio Membership.

In the case of Shared studios, the withdrawal of one or more of the applicants would lead to the termination of the membership for all members.  They would be allowed to re-apply in the next call for Studio membership.

 

How much does Annual Studio Membership cost and what does it cover?

The annual fee is €1320 per year and a one-time €20 administrative fee.

Your membership fee covers the use of the studio with basic office furniture and other VDC facilities, utilities and WIFI. Additional charges may apply for use of consumables or specialized high-consumption machinery.

 

How do I apply for Annual Studio Membership?

Step 1: Fill in the application form at this link and submit all requested documentation via email to vdc@vca.gov.mt.

Step 2: Eligible applicants will be invited to an online meeting with the Evaluation Committee to discuss their application.

Step 3: The applications will be evaluated.

Step 4: Results will be communicated to applicants.  Selected applicants will receive a Contract and Code of Conduct for their signature.

By when do I need to apply?

The deadline for applications is 12th January  2024 at midnight. Late and / or incomplete applications will not be considered. Should one need any clarification on the necessary documents to be submitted they must contact the management by the   5th January 2023 at noon.

 

How will Annual Studio Members be selected?

An Evaluation Committee with independent experts in various fields will be set up to evaluate the applications received.   The evaluators will be using the following criteria:

  1. Applicant’s core activity (35%)

(a) the applicant is an active contributor within the field of Design on a local and/or international level;

(b) the applicant will be working on creative and innovative ideas and has the technical skills and knowledge to carry them out;

(b) the applicant’s activity is grounded in sound financial sustainability and viability, and is connected to a longer-term vision for the development of the applicant and its core activity.

  1. Use of space (35%)

(a) the applicant will make efficient use of the studio and can fulfill the conditions for use;

(b) the applicant intends to make use of additional VDC facilities;

(c) the applicant can demonstrate that their core activity cannot be fulfilled through Regular Membership only (which includes access to co-working space, Meeting Rooms, Foodspace and Makerspace);

(d) the applicant can demonstrate that facilities currently available outside of the VDC cannot satisfactorily fulfill the core activity of the applicant and access to a studio and the VDC in general will make a substantial contribution to their core activity.

iii. Openness for collaboration (30%)

(a) the applicant intends to use the studio and the wider membership benefits to engage in interdisciplinary projects and initiatives involving multiple stakeholders;

(b) the applicant intends to address social and cultural diversity on a local, national or international level through its core activity;

(c) the applicant intends to develop skills, knowledge, practices and other intangible resources by using the resources at the Cluster and to share these with other members and beyond;

(d) the applicant is willing and able to contribute to the community of the VDC, participating in events, workshops and other activities.

Minimum pass mark: 70%

 

Important Dates

Deadline of Application: 12th January 2024  at noon.

For any queries send an to via  vdc@vca.gov.mt by not later than the 5th January 2024 at noon.

Hybrid Clarification Meeting: 19th December 2023 at 6pm.