FAQ Digitising Heritage

What is the deadline date?
The deadline for submitting an application is 3 October 2024, before 4 PM (timezone the Netherlands) / 10 AM (timezone Caribbean).

Who can apply for the open call Digitising Heritage?
Museums, archives and other collection management heritage institutions with a public function in the Netherlands and the Caribbean part of the Kingdom, for whom digitising of collections was not yet possible or to a lesser extent.

What can I apply for?
A contribution can be requested for digitising collection(s) or improving the quality of digital heritage collection(s), so that they can be made available to the public. The result must be sustainable in kind and contribute to a stronger, usable digital infrastructure. A development contribution can also be requested, aimed at drawing up a plan for digitising collection(s) and/or improving the data quality of digital heritage collection(s).

How do I submit an application to the Mondriaan Fund?
Applications to the Mondriaan Fund can be made via the online application system. For the open call Digitising Heritage you will require an account. If you have not applied before, you will need to create an account first. Please create an account here.

Please note: you can only complete the application form after receiving your login information. Please apply for your account well before the deadline. We aim to process your applications within one working day. However, please remember that the period before the deadline is extremely busy, so we cannot always guarantee this. No accounts are issued at weekends, during public holidays and on days when the Mondrian Fund is closed.

Who will evaluate my application?
A committee consisting of independent advisers will evaluate applications for this open call. This committee is drawn from a pool of experts with diverse backgrounds and specialisms. In case a discipline or specialism is not represented in our permanent pool of advisers, the Mondriaan Fund may also deploy ad hoc advisers. Please visit this link for more information about the pool of advisers from which the Mondriaan Fund composes its committees.

Unfortunately, we cannot determine and publish the final committee until we know which applicants have applied and from which disciplines they are active. We need to be sure that all specialisms are represented within the committee and that advisers have no direct interest in the applications being considered.

Why is it a requirement for applicants in the Netherlands to work NDE-compatible or to develop this ambition?
In the Netherlands, collective agreements have been made about making heritage collections digitally accessible. This is done according to the National Digital Heritage Strategy with the aim of contributing to the network of connected heritage. Applicants in the Netherlands have or are developing policy that is in line with the National Digital Heritage Strategy, as established by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and managed by the Digital Heritage Network (NDE).

For applicants in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom, joining the National Digital Heritage Strategy is optional.

Why is it optional for applicants in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom to work NDE-compatible?
The collective agreements on making heritage collections digitally accessible do not apply to the Caribbean part of the Kingdom. This means that it is not a formal requirement for applicants in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom to join the National Digital Heritage Strategy.

How does an institution demonstrate that it is working NDE-compatible or intends to develop this ambition?
Applicants in the Netherlands must show through their application that they have or are developing policies that are in line with the National Digital Heritage Strategy. If an institution still wants to coordinate or investigate how the institution wants to digitise and/or improve the data quality of digital heritage collection in line with the National Digital Heritage Strategy, these plans can be described in the application. Part of working in an NDE-compliant manner is formulating an information plan. With an information plan you inventory, research and make plans to sustainably preserve your digital collection and to present it in an even better manner to the public. An information plan is linked to the mission and vision of the organisation and ensures coherence between the organisational policy and the digital infrastructure. For applicants in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom, an information plan is optional.

Information about NDE-compliant working can be found here (Dutch). Questions about this can be asked through vasb@argjrexqvtvgnnyrestbrq.ay.

How does the Mondriaan Fund check whether an institution is NDE compliant?
The submitted application and attachments will be checked for completeness by employees of the Mondriaan Fund and tested against the formal conditions. Digital Heritage Network checks with institutions in the Netherlands whether the application has been drawn up in an NDE-compliant manner or whether it contains this ambition; and thus meets this formal condition. For applicants in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom, joining the National Digital Heritage Strategy is not a formal condition; applications from the Caribbean part of the Kingdom are submitted to the committee regardless of whether they have been drawn up NDE-compliant or have this ambition.

Is it true that an information plan does not have to be ready at the start of the project?
Yes, that is true. An application can also be submitted for plans where (further) coordination with the Digital Heritage Network takes place after the deadline; in that case it is important to describe this ambition and planning in the application. Institutions in the Netherlands can submit the information plan with the application or with the final report. However, applicants in the Netherlands signs the NDE Manifesto at the start of the project.

For institutions from the Caribbean part of the Kingdom, it is optional to submit an information plan with the application or final accountability; signing the Manifest Netwerk Digitalisering Erfgoed is therefore also optional for them.

How do I set up an information plan?
Applicants can use the tools and knowledge available within the Digital Heritage Network (NDE). Support is provided by the provincial digital heritage coaches and through the NDE data workshops. Information about NDE-compliant working can be found on the NDE website(Dutch).