Designers & Artists 4 Genomics Award

The Designers & Artists 4 Genomics Award (DA4GA) highlighted and explored the exciting and novel possibilities between design, artistic practice and Life Sciences. It was continues under de name Bio Art and Design Award.

DA4GA aimed to stimulate emerging designers and artists to delve into the world of bio-art, and produce new work together with the Netherlands most prestigious Genomics Centres, in the field of sustainability, food, health, bio-informatics, agriculture, and safety.

After a closed-door pre-selection, artists/designers were invited to pitch their idea and meet the Genomics Centres at a speed date. Following the latter, the Genomics Centres and artists/designers decided if there was a mutual match to develop the idea further. In case of a match, the teams of artist/designer and scientist developed the project idea towards a proposal for the Award.

The three winning proposals, selected by an expert jury, were allotted each Euro 25.000,-, and were exhibited in their realized form in Leiden. The Award's first edition was in 2010, followed by an exihibition of the winners. Because of its success, the contest was continued for two consecutive years until 2013.

Designers & Artists 4 Genomics Award was an initiative of The Netherlands Genomics Initiative (NGI), the Centre for Society and Genomics and Waag's Open Wetlab. After NGI ended its term in 2013, the contest was continued under the name Bio Art & Design Award with the additional partners NWO (Dutch Research Council – Earth and Life Sciences, Humanities, The Hague), ZonMW (Medical Research Council, The Hague), MU Artspace (Eindhoven).

This project was made possible by a subsidy from the Creative Industries Fund NL.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement no. 288959.