Assessment criteria
Your application proposals will be assessed in these areas:
1. Your Programme Idea
Your programme idea must:
- be within the scripted Comedy genre
- explicitly feature themes of environmental sustainability
- have the portrayal and representation of Wales at its heart
- function on a non-linear platform, e.g. BBC iPlayer, and not focus on a television channel or timeslot.
BBC Wales is interested in attracting new audiences, from all sections of society, with innovative and impactful content so we will consider how your idea might serve new audiences:
Your response could refer to:
- broad demographic qualities such as age and gender, or other protected characteristics.
- other attributes such as location, political affiliation, religious beliefs, special interests etc.
- traditionally underserved audiences
- new approaches to attract audiences to BBC iPlayer
2. How R&D Supports your Programme Idea
This is an opportunity to let us know what is innovative about your project. Please let us know what work you will undertake that would go beyond traditional programme development.
We define R&D as a systematic process of conducting research as you develop your new product, service or experience. The research will shape the development. Research can take many forms. It may involve gathering evidence of what else exists, learning from others and assessing whether your idea really is innovative. It may involve testing your ideas, as you develop them, with potential users.
R&D often begins with an identifiable problem or need, rather than assuming a solution. The R&D process then allows you to identify how best to address that problem or need. You may have good ideas about how best to do this but expect these to change or evolve as part of the R&D process.
We will support your R&D process through a series of workshops based on user-centred design with our partners at Cardiff Metropolitan University – PDR, a world leading design consultancy.
3. Achievability of your proposed timeline
We want you to do an outline plan for your R&D that draws on appropriate expertise and takes into account other commitments on your time that gives us confidence that you are able to deliver within the proposed duration of the project.
Please also consider the mandatory 16 hours of support from PDR and The Alacrity Foundation in your plan.
4. Budget and grant payments
At the application stage we will only be asking for indicative costs and the maximum cash grant you are seeking. All costs must be necessary for the delivery of your project.
If your application is successful, we will ask you to provide a more detailed budget and brief justifications outlining the nature of these costs. We will also agree a schedule of payments with you which may include an advance grant payment.
To claim the final payment of your Grant, we will ask you to demonstrate that you have actually incurred all these costs during the grant period by providing us with a signed declaration supported by a list of all your expenditure.
Please consider the work you would like to undertake and who will be conducting this work. You should also note the requirement for attendance of up to three members of your team at the mandatory 16 hours of support from PDR and The Alacrity Foundation and ensure the time for this is included in your project plan.
5. Foreseen impact
a. Economic impact
The longer-term economic benefit of your R&D activity may be:
- It enables the growth of your company or practice (or the creation of a new company)by supporting the development of a new concept, product, service or experience
- It gives you a competitive advantage by increasing your efficiency
- It offers the potential for future additional revenue streams
- It creates broader economic benefits in the Welsh media sector.
Your response could refer to:
- The target markets for the product, service or experience you wish to create and any other potential markets (domestic, international or both)
- The size of the target markets for the product, service or experience you wish to create
- The long-term financial sustainability of the product, service or experience you will create through your R&D
- Reduced costs / increased production efficiency
- Increased revenue from sales
- Increased revenue from licensing
- Increased revenue from exports
- New business model
- Improved quality of products, services and/or experiences
- Increased employment of other staff
- Development of new intellectual property (IP)
- Exploitation of existing IP.
The more tangible and ambitious these benefits are, the stronger a project will score against these criteria.
b. Social and cultural impact
You need to consider the social and cultural impact of your R&D activity. Impacts here may include:
- Representation of Welsh culture, language, stories, landscapes
- Reaching underserved or diverse audiences or markets
- Increasing equality of access to the media sector
- Increasing people’s levels of wellbeing or quality of life
- Increasing international awareness of the Welsh media sector and fostering international collaboration.
c. Environmental impact
You need to consider the environmental impact of your R&D activity. Impacts may include:
- Contribution to net zero targets
- Having a positive environmental impact for you/your company/wider industry
- Increasing audience awareness of the climate emergency.
Your response could refer to:
- Reduced environmental impact on your company and the sector as a result of this work
- Lowering emissions
- Reduced transport use
- Reducing or repurposing materials
- More energy efficient processes.
