Cyber Futures- Decrypt the Art of Cybersecurity
Funding Opportunity
CyberFutures, funded by Research Ireland, in conjunction with Nimbus Research Centre and MTU, seek proposals from different artists for three commissioned pieces relating to the topic of ‘Cybersecurity’. One of the selected works will form a permanent installation located inside the Nimbus Research Centre on Munster Technological University’s Cork campus. The other two commissions can take the form of any medium.
Proposals for the permanent installation should be comprised of a durable type artwork that is both inspired by and sensitive to this unique location. Each commissioned artwork should seek to engage all ages and abilities.
- October 10th, 2025: Proposal open
- October 24th: Information Session (meet the Nimbus team and get an insight of the current cybersecurity landscape)
- December 12th @ 5pm: Final submission deadline
- December-January 2026: Selection and possible interview period
- February-July 2026: Development and delivery of artwork
- September-October 2026: Exhibition/final installation
CyberFutures is a Research Ireland funded project that aims to support more educated, informed and ultimately more resilient cyber citizens. CyberFutures aims to enhance the cyber-resilience of Irish citizens by fostering a deeper understanding of the importance and complexity of cybersecure digital systems. It achieves this by exploring cybersecurity and its interaction with advanced digital technologies, addressing the critical societal concern of moving towards a highly digitised society. CyberFutures is broken up into 5 components, where each component is focused on a different target audience, that broadens participation and equity of access and/or is co-created with the participant/community groups to maximise its impact. These components are Cybersecurity escape room outreach programme, emerging tech video competition, cybersecurity academy, cyber workshops/reactive events and decrypt the art of Cybersecurity.
As part of the Decrypt the Art of Cybersecurity activity we will provide connections between STEM/digitalisation/cybersecurity and the Arts using it as an opportunity to highlight the creativity and innovation inherent in both areas. This interdisciplinary approach will demonstrate how artistic skills and creative thinking are valuable in understanding and engaging with complex STEM subject matters, and have a capacity to develop accessible conversations and visual outputs. By seeing the interconnectedness of STEM/digitalisation/cybersecurity and the Arts, our participants will see the versatility and applicability of STEM skills in various contexts, further motivating them to explore STEM/digitalisation/cybersecurity careers and raise awareness on societal issues at the intersection of technology and cybersecurity.
Of the three selected artist proposals, one will be a site-specific, physical art piece designed for and which will eventually be installed at the Nimbus Research Centre on the MTU Cork campus. However, this artwork, in addition to the other two selected, will be part of a series of art exhibitions in locations including the James Barry Exhibition centre and other venues TBC.
Each commissioned artist will received a total budget of €10,000, which is to cover the entirety of development, supply, installation/production costs, artist’s fee(s), community engagement activities, inclusive of all costs, VAT, and insurance.
Artists may wish to register to attend an online information session on Friday 24th October from 11am – 12pm. This will include an opportunity to meet with members of the project team and get an oversight of the current cybersecurity landscape. Please register interest by emailing info@cyberfutures.ie with the subject line Decrypt the Art of Cyber Security.
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- A brief artist biography (max. 300 words)
- Project proposal (max. 500 words). This can be broken down into the following areas, if helpful:
- Conceptual underpinning related to the topic and development of artwork design (longest).
- Illustration or visualisation of concept (included as a JPEG)
- Brief project timeline for the design, development and delivery of artwork.
- Practical realisation of artwork; what will it look like, material considerations and form etc.
- An outline budget, which is to include all costs, including fees paid to the artist
- A professional CV (max 2 a4 pages). In the case of collaborative proposals, a CV for each artist must be provided;
- A portfolio of not more than 5 examples of previous completed projects, plus additional website and/or social media links as necessary;
- Names of referees connected to at least two completed projects.
- Artistic Quality (ambition, creativity and innovation of the artwork, artistic track record)
- Compatibility with the project (suitability and sensitivity to the subject matter, consideration of audience and accessibility)
- Feasibility (budget, practicality within the timeframe, durability and suitability of materials, and cost)
For more information on this initiative, please send your queries by email.
info@cyberfutures.ie