We have allocated up to £5m to invest in collaborative R&D projects that will demonstrate how businesses may increase revenues from the metadata relating to their digital content. While the internet has enabled digital content industries to gain greater access to the global market, it has made it more difficult to control, manage and monetise digital assets. The ease with which content can be copied and distributed is threatening the economic viability of content-based businesses. These companies are challenged by illegal file sharing and by the shift of advertising to online media. Digital content companies can no longer rely on historic business models but need to secure other sources of income. Better metadata systems – ways of storing information about individual items of content – offer a possible route to improving consumer access to content and to helping rights holders better manage and exploit their assets. This competition addresses the new challenge of generating revenue from digital content, by supporting projects that demonstrate the value of metadata. A second competition in early 2011 will support the development of tools and solutions to produce higher quality metadata and use metadata to produce digital content more efficiently. In this competition we will invest in business-led collaborative R&D projects to develop prototypes and demonstrators with the potential to enter the market within 1-2 years of completion. We will fund two types of project:

0. Fast-track projects: less than £100k in total project value. These should be completed within 12 months and must be led by a creative industry1 SME. We wil hold three rounds of funding for fast-track proposals and will invest up to £200k in each round, with a total of up to £600k.
0. Mainstream projects: more than £100k in total project value. These will typically last between 12 and 24 months and must be business led. There will be one round for mainstream projects, and we will invest up to £4.4m in total.

All UK-based companies and research organisations are eligible to apply. Successful proposals will receive a grant for up to 50% of the total project costs. The competition opens on 13 September 2010.