Call for applications DARIAH Ambassadors Network
The DARIAH ERIC, Europe’s research infrastructure for the arts and humanities, is looking for digital humanities advocates in emerging communities of practice to join its “DARIAH Ambassadors” programme. In all, we hope to appoint 6-8 individuals to these prestigious posts and empower them to raise awareness of and participation in DARIAH across the emerging regions, marginal communities and new disciplines of what is current conceived of as the digital humanities. The programme will address the need to involve community leaders, who can speak to and for their communities about DARIAH. That said, DARIAH Ambassadors may be at any career stage and may hold an academic, library, technical, administrative, independent or other position. The Ambassadors are expected to represent DARIAH at community events and strengthen the links with existing projects, communities and research infrastructures. Members of the DARIAH working groups would be particularly suited for the task, but the call is not exclusively intended for them.
What is the DARIAH Ambassador Network?
The DARIAH Ambassador Network is part of the Humanities at Scale (HaS) project, a Horizon 2020 funded project with the purpose of supporting the growth of DARIAH, fostering new and sustaining existing knowledge in digitally enabled research in the arts and humanities and improving DARIAH’s sustainability by exploring alternative funding models. The role of the DARIAH Ambassador Network is to support these goals through community growth at a regional and global level, by bringing together researchers from different communities and networks, and helping to integrate existing and new activities.
What do we offer?
Applicants will be funded for up to €3000 each for activities to take place between May and December 2017. These activities will normally include travel for the Ambassador to participate in relevant meetings (to be named in the application), to support regional or community awareness of and access to DARIAH networks and services, to liaise with key individuals in the region or community, and to attend DARIAH events (including the Ambassadors programme review).
Aims and Description of the DARIAH-ERIC Ambassador Programme
The Ambassadors network will be composed of 6-8 members, who will work closely, but not exclusively, with relevant DARIAH Virtual Competency Centre (VCC) Heads (see descriptions of the VCCs here: https://www.dariah.eu/activities/competence-centers-list/) to define the goals, potential areas of activity and actors to engage with. Ambassadors will also be facilitated to interact with relevant DARIAH National Coordinators and Coordination Offices to harmonise their action with national and regional research policy. At the end of the year, the Ambassador network activity will be reviewed by the VCCs, who will give feedback to the ambassadors, evaluate the efficacy and impact of the network model, and propose how and whether it becomes mainstreamed by DARIAH for the future.
Aim of the DARIAH Ambassador programme is to raise awareness about the DARIAH-ERIC, raising awareness of DARIAH and its activities beyond the boundaries of its existing geographical and disciplinary reach into networks and communities that could benefit from DARIAH”s support for the digital turn in humanities research. The aim, therefore, will not be promoting the DARIAH-ERIC to existing DARIAH users, but rather to build upon best practices established within the DARIAH-ERIC as a way to foster wider collaboration. Ambassadors may work both at National, regional or global level, liaising with existing projects (EHRI, CENDARI, PARTHENOS, …), communities (COST IS1005, COST 1305, …), scholarly networks (CARMEN, AHA, …), Research Infrastructures (CLARIN, CESSDA, …) and other such existing convergence points for research activity. Target communities and actors may also include SMEs and other industrial partners within the Cultural and Creative industries.
Activities of a DARIAH Ambassador
Ambassador candidates should submit a clear proposal, outlining what activities they would like to undertake to facilitate access for new communities to DARIAH. These activities may include:
– Meetings and initiatives to introduce DARIAH in countries and regions without a long tradition of digital humanities research and where institutionalisation of such research is limited; Such activities should allow the Ambassador to establish connections and working relations with communities of researchers and institutions across Europe (especially in Eastern and Southern Europe), beyond Europe, and among national contact points on research infrastructures and make them aware of digital humanities initiatives.
– Meetings and initiatives to introduce DARIAH and/or to demonstrate digital research methods to disciplines within the arts and humanities that are less (or not at all) represented within DARIAH, or to push awareness out beyond small groups of early adopters;
– Representing DARIAH at key DH and RI events (e.g. DH Montreal 2017, DH Benelux 2017 ESFRI meetings, relevant RI meetings, like CLARIN Annual Conference etc.) or at key meetings of relevance for the region or community the Ambassador seeks to introduce to DARIAH.
All Ambassadors, however, must commit to do the following:
– Attend a virtual kick-off meeting, on 21 April 2017 (another date can be proposed by applicants).
– Liaise as appropriate with the DARIAH VCCs, National Coordination Offices and National Coordinators to develop clear policies and procedures at different levels (i.e.: organisational, legal etc.). Although an initial plan for this should be submitted.
– Attend an individual mid-term interview, which could include members of the DCO, SMT, JRC, NCC, projects, WGs, as identified in the initial plan.
– Attend a final review meeting before the end of the year to draw an overall analysis and explore possible developments of the Network.
How to apply?
Please submit a completed application template describing the activities you would like to undertake in the framework of the Ambassador Network to Marco Raciti marco.raciti@dariah.eu and info@dariah.eu no later than Monday 27 March 2017. We expect to communicate the appointment in mid-April. For enquiries, feel free to send an email to Marco Raciti marco.raciti@dariah.eu
