The JISC is making up to £2m funding available for digitisation-related work under the following three headings. More information is available from the circular (Word document)
1. Pilot and small-scale digitisation. Proposals may focus on undertaking pilot digitisation, small-scale digitisation or a smaller feasibility study prior to larger scale activity. Alternatively, proposals may focus on completing or adding to a digital resource where there are some gaps in the content or room for expansion.
Data capture would be expected to be reasonably straightforward, and it would be presumed that the lead institution would already have some facilities and basic metadata in place so to allow for immediate commencement of the project. When undertaking digitisation, there should be no significant IPR issues to tackle.
2. Enhancement of existing collections. Funding under this heading would be targeted to help promote and further develop collections that have already been digitised but are currently underused or could benefit from extra development. The funds could be used to enhance the quality of the interface or metadata, for example, and to raise its profile among researchers and teachers who might not otherwise be aware of it.
3. Developing Clusters of Content. Proposals under this heading will focus on bringing together related digital resources. This may involve merging the metadata or technical infrastructure for related resources; developing cross-search functionality; exploiting Web2.0 methodologies such as data mash-ups to ‘cross-fertilise’ the content in existing resources.
Alternatively, proposals may concentrate on creating thematic clusters of digital resources and promoting their use (e.g. around broad themes such as nineteenth-century Britain or the environment); or may undertake feasibility studies to tackle the larger intellectual, strategic and technical issues of facilitating cross-search functionality over numerous resources in related disciplines
JISC Programme Managers Paola Marchionni (0203 006 6064) and Alastair Dunning (0203 006 6065) are happy to discuss proposals with applicants